Tags
Adelina Amouteru, Book, Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Marie Lu, novel, review, The Young Elites, Young adult, Young adult fiction
“Be true to yourself. But that’s something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.” – The Young Elites, Marie Lu
Initial thoughts: I adored Marie Lu’s Legend series, and her newest novel Warcross. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing she cannot write. She is one of those writers who can turn a manuscript into solid gold. But how does her novel The Young Elites measure up?
Summary
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
The Review
I was really not expecting this sort of novel from Marie Lu after reading Legend. Legend is a science fiction dystopian novel set in futuristic Los Angeles. I was expecting the Young Elites to be similar, because lets face it, once an author is brilliant in one genre, usually they do not write outside of their genre. The Young Elites, to my surprise, is a fantasy novel (with some elements of dystopia) set in the fictional realm of Kenettra.
Scarred by the blood fever from a young age, Adelina Amouteru has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful younger sister, Violetta. Continue reading
