Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Published: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Putnam
Pages: 355 (Hardcover)
Series: The Young Elite #1
Source: Library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

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.

I'm not really sure why I put off reading this book for so long. I loved Marie Lu's Legend series, but I never was really interested in this book. Probably because I never read a synopsis and I thought that this was about young children in high society (think The Luxe). Yeah I don't know why either.

I was not expecting the level of darkness that this book has. I was under the impression that this would be a lot like every other book I'd read about with main characters that have strange powers, but it was so much better. The main character, Adelina, struggles with a darkness inside her and this is very clear from the beginning of the novel. This immediately intrigued me. Usually main characters are good and don't feed upon fear. Her character felt almost like a villain, but a villain that was on the good side, if that makes sense. I also liked that even though she had imperfections, she wasn't obsessed with being beautiful or with her missing eye.

I really liked Enzo and Teren as side characters because you can see how their interactions with Adeline shape her. It is very clear that her actions have consequences with others and that their actions are critical in leading her down a certain path. I liked that both sides were manipulative to a certain extent, but Teren was by far the most dark and manipulative character. There was nothing really likeable about him as a character because he's so beyond saving, but I really liked him as the villain.

There was a tiny bit of romance between Enzo and Adelina, but it didn't overwhelm the plot. While it did affect Adeline it didn't consume her, which I definitely loved. It also felt there was a build up to it, so it didn't really feel like insta love. I actually quite liked the couple and thought there was some chemistry between them.

I thought that while the story itself wasn't very unique, the characters made it something different and intriguing. I also really loved the ending because it managed to surprise me, which seems to be very hard to do these days. I will definitely be looking at getting the next book as soon as I can.