BCR: Month 1, 2021

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

***WARNING: SOME SPOILERS IN REVIEW***

Premise

An explosive new series from New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy, Marie Lu  

Darth Vader, Voldemort, Maleficent. Witness the rise of a new villain.

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.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
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.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

General Conversations

Our conversation started off on the depth of YA in general. As this is an adult book club, many of those involved do not read YA often, so they felt the emotional driver behind YA was too young for their taste. Of course, as a YA book is geared toward the young adult, this makes sense. However, if you are an adult who loves YA (like myself) then this book will not disappoint in the subject matter or emotional context. Some also felt that Adelina “whined” too much. But to me, the emotional arc of a character in YA tends to lean toward the dramatic. Teenagers go through so much with their emotions. And anyone unfamiliar with YA might sense that shift in character and emotional dynamic.

We then moved onto the varying POVs. Each was done well with unique voices. And each brought about a varying perspective which was helpful. Adelina was the star of the show while Teren and Enzo felt more like supporting characters. For me, varying POV lengths don’t offend in any way. It makes me think of the THRONE OF GLASS series by Saraj J. Maas. I enjoy snippets, even chapters, or a mix of the two. However, I do believe Teren and Enzo’s POVs were necessary to get the full picture of the story. I did read in another review that Adelina was a supporting character in the first draft but Marie Lu’s agent thought Adelina’s story much more compelling so it was brought to the forefront, fueling the story. We all agreed that we wanted more of Raphael, an interesting side character with tons of personality. And Teren ended up having the most interesting backstory — hating his people essentially and seeking to destroy them. Yeah, that’s powerful. Enzo was the dark, sexy character we all ended up rooting for in a way though he still seemed somewhat mysterious and morally grey at best, villainous at worst.

The plot felt original in several ways. I did like the idea of a villain origin story. It seems everyone is always the hero and here we have Adelina who wishes to be something different in her desire for revenge. However, I’ve learned as a reader and member of book clubs that most people fall into the category of “happy” ending readers. I think it’s more suitable to say they desire a redemptive arc. In general, we all want to see the good in people and that is no less true for stories. If you’re hoping to find some redemption for Adelina, I don’t think it can be found. This story starts dark and stays dark. And for that reason alone, many people (including myself) decided not to read the sequel. (Plus there’s so many books to read, sequels have to really earn their seat)

There was a great twist in the story though, which all of us were surprised by. That in itself is an accomplishment with as many avid readers as we have in the group. I won’t spoil it here, just because it’s too good to waste.

And the book ends with the promise of a sequel and a new POV character which is fun! I like the idea of POVs changing. She also did a great job foreshadowing what might occur in the sequel which is a terrific way of pulling the reader to book 2.

Overall Review

Sadly, the overall consensus was about a 2/5 stars. Mostly the YA voice didn’t connect with the readers in this particular book club and the villainous, non-redemptive arc left too many readers feeling depressed at the end. And most agreed they would not read the sequel. I will say, if I had all the time in the world, then I’d give book 2 a shot. But alas, I do not and for now, it’s placed at the bottom of the world’s longest “to-read” pile.

Other Books by Author Marie Lu

One book review does not make an author! Marie Lu’s LEGEND series is epic and well-loved. But she has even more books to read so be sure to check out her website here and all the books this wonderful author has to offer. You won’t be disappointed. And if you like villains and dark and no happy endings, be sure to check out the YOUNG ELITES trilogy.