The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1) in The Not-So Austen Bookclub

Aug 18, 2014 Lizzie rated it liked it

The book was good. Did I love it? Not as much as I wanted too but I liked it enough to want to read book 2. I guess my biggest problem was Adelina. I just felt A LOT of things could have been avoided if she would have just spoken up. I get that she has had some major trauma since childhood (thanks to her D-bag of a father) and she feels worthless and unloved, but I still feel this could have been used to make her greater in the sense of her overcoming those fears, who knows maybe she will in boo The book was good. Did I love it? Not as much as I wanted too but I liked it enough to want to read book 2. I guess my biggest problem was Adelina. I just felt A LOT of things could have been avoided if she would have just spoken up. I get that she has had some major trauma since childhood (thanks to her D-bag of a father) and she feels worthless and unloved, but I still feel this could have been used to make her greater in the sense of her overcoming those fears, who knows maybe she will in book 2 or even 3. I do respect the author for making her a twisted, crazy, not your average kind of heroine that we read about in pretty much all YA books. If maybe she could have still have those "qualities" but toned down just a bit, then maybe I would have given the book a 4 stars. I kinda wanted to punch her when she was getting all angry and offended for being betrayed by Raffaele, but wasn't she the one who did it to begin with? I felt she didn't have a right to say THOSE things, in all honesty they were more honest with her from the beginning telling her how The Daggers killed anyone who may put them at risk. The ONLY reason she even said the truth was after my favorite character *sniffs/tears** was killed!!!!! That's another reason a star was deducted.....WHY WAS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER KILLED?!?!?!?!?!?! My heart was crushed in a million pieces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm still mourning their loss :'(
The characters overall were great. Besides my slight issues with Adelina, the character I loathe the most was Teren. He really was on my hate list, especially because he's responsible for my tears (well with a little help from Adelina) I feel no nothing for him and I agree with Adelina that he must pay for what he has done. We shall see how book 2 unfolds in regards to her vow of revenge. The rest of the Daggers were good in the sense that they knew what they wanted and we're focused. Now Enzo. Where do I even begin, this Prince has stolen my heart!!! He was such a complex character and I felt I could relate to him the best out of all the characters. I liked his interactions with Adelina and the way he was a true leader and genuinely cared about everyone. I will start the next book with a heavy heart yet full of hope that miracles do exist. ...more

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Apr 10, 2014 Kristen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-galley

This and other reviews are on my site, My Friends Are Fiction

The Story:
This book was awash in darkness and hurt. Go into this one expecting a story full of action and characters that reside fully in the grey. There are no good or bad characters- everyone was squarely in the middle. I have only read the first book in the Legend series (though I own them all, thank you Stephanie!) and yet I was ecstatic about The Young Elites because of that amazing summary. I was beyond thrilled when I won a co This and other reviews are on my site, My Friends Are Fiction

The Story:
This book was awash in darkness and hurt. Go into this one expecting a story full of action and characters that reside fully in the grey. There are no good or bad characters- everyone was squarely in the middle. I have only read the first book in the Legend series (though I own them all, thank you Stephanie!) and yet I was ecstatic about The Young Elites because of that amazing summary. I was beyond thrilled when I won a copy in a giveaway. This book did not disappoint.

Lu’s writing was incredibly easy to get immersed in and I was eager to learn more about the world she created. A horrible fever swept through the land killing many and marking the survivors with physical abnormalities and varying skills. I thought that the idea of an illness scarring its victims as well as ‘gifting’ them with powers was a wonderful concept. I loved that it was as much a curse as a gift and the details Lu gave into the powers and where they derived from. We get just enough details to give the powers credibility and interest but I can’t help but be excited to see even more about them in the next books.

The book set a moderate pace with areas of action as well as flash backs to the main character’s past. I thought these were perfectly done and gave me insight into her character and the world. I really enjoyed the scenes focusing on Adelina’s training and her honing her skill of illusion. They were written clearly and were very easy to picture how her magic worked. That says a lot because it would have been very easy for her illusion ability to become very confusing in a less skilled author’s hands.

The Characters:
To me, the characters were the strongest element in The Young Elites. I found Lu’s main character, Adelina, to be so damaged though relatable. She had lived through so much at an early age which gave her a darkness but also a strength that really made reading about her a pleasure. I loved that she struggled with her inner darkness. I felt that this gave her the potential to grow and develop. I loved her progression through this first book but I’m most excited to see what happens next.

Enzo was swoon-worthy with a side of tension. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure of his motivations in the beginning. I thought that Lu’s representation of an elite group of teens with abnormalities was right on and intensely compelling. The fact that she made their ‘gifts’ derive from a life threatening illness was timely as well as unique. Because each character was affected differently it created an intriguing secondary cast.

Final Thoughts:
I think Marie Lu has created a surprisingly unique storyline and characters based on a somewhat typical trope (teens with remarkable powers) I felt that this novel was incredibly strong and was delightfully dark. The way Lu ended this novel gives me utmost confidence that this series will be amazing.
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Oct 19, 2014 Melissa rated it liked it

Shelves: did-not-see-that-coming

It was really good and interesting until the end..... At that point it was just depressing to be honest. I get that Lu was trying something different but... Meh I didn't like it. It was just sad and I don't like the way things turned out, Rafaelle was just plain cruel and I personally think he was wrong about Adelina. If they had genuinely accepted her they could have helped keep her in check but they didn't. Not really, they were suspicious of her and Dante was outright hostile. The only one wh ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Sel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Uhm..a little on the fence about this one. Started out great but to me the last half of the book was...a little all over the place. Hoping it picks up more in the next book.

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Oct 01, 2014 Melissa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dissapointment

The ending was just weird. It was unexpected and jut kind of sad.

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May 29, 2013 Luce marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014-releases, wishlist_14

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May 29, 2013 HC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: marie-lu

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Dec 06, 2013 Kay marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: don-t-own, fantasy, young-adult, need-it-now, adventure

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Jan 08, 2014 Sandy (WI girl at heart) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 00-series-to-read

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Shelves: comes-highly-recommended, rec-khanh-approved

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Oct 31, 2014 bookaholiclover rated it it was amazing

The Young Elites

Marie Lu never fails to make you love the adventure of the young and powerful. In this new novel of hers with thrilling action and new characters, the powerful and unmarked are the only ones that can live normally. Find out in the young elites how life really is for the people in Estanzia.

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