Scan barcode
ashction's review against another edition
5.0
Second Review (6/24/18): I've read this before, but it has been so long that it felt like I was reading it for the first time! I still love this, and I'm still shocked by what happened. I'm going to read something between each book but I can't wait to begin The Rose Society (again... but actually finish it!)
***
Well.
I was NOT expecting that!
The Young Elites definitely strayed from my (clichéd) expectations. I think I loved the plot twists best, the ones that hit me in the gut over and over. Especially that last one, oh my GOD. I literally had to walk away from the book and rant about it somewhere else inside of my house.
The Young Elites is a whirlwind that I was glad to spin around in. I expect for the trilogy to only grow more intense, even if I have to wait a while for the next one! TYE is not for the faint of heart; it is gritty, powerful, painful, and every second is filled with tension, passion, and action.
***
Well.
I was NOT expecting that!
The Young Elites definitely strayed from my (clichéd) expectations. I think I loved the plot twists best, the ones that hit me in the gut over and over. Especially that last one, oh my GOD. I literally had to walk away from the book and rant about it somewhere else inside of my house.
The Young Elites is a whirlwind that I was glad to spin around in. I expect for the trilogy to only grow more intense, even if I have to wait a while for the next one! TYE is not for the faint of heart; it is gritty, powerful, painful, and every second is filled with tension, passion, and action.
blueeee_dell's review against another edition
3.0
Whoaaa me gusto pero no es un 10, por que me spoilie un montón. De igual forma me encantó el desarrollo de Adeline.
(Es una hdp y la amo y se que esta moralmente mal) ♡♡♡♡
(Es una hdp y la amo y se que esta moralmente mal) ♡♡♡♡
sashapasha's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
2023 has been my year of giving all of the Marie Lu books that people have raved about over the years a shot. I’ve read Warcross, Prodigy (I read Legend years ago and didn’t care enough to continue but heard the second book was better), Stars and Smoke, and now The Young Elites, and while I did enjoy them, every single one has bothered me in almost the same way. I think I just don’t care for the things Lu chooses to prioritize in her plots and characters. An entirely subjective opinion, of course; what doesn’t work for me might be exactly what other people are looking for.
The thing that bothered me most about this one was probably the romance, it felt to me like it wasn’t based on anything other than attraction. Enzo wasn’t exactly the stuff of dreams between threatening to kill Adelina if she didn’t prove useful and actually burning people alive or doing away with anyone who might expose him. The two of them didn’t really have any interactions that made me see why they liked each other, and I think the book would’ve been better served if their romantic relationship hadn’t developed until later in the series.
Issues aside, Adelina is certainly the most interesting of Lu’s protagonists with her abandonment issues and fear-based power, and I liked the ending enough to put the next book on my list.
2023 has been my year of giving all of the Marie Lu books that people have raved about over the years a shot. I’ve read Warcross, Prodigy (I read Legend years ago and didn’t care enough to continue but heard the second book was better), Stars and Smoke, and now The Young Elites, and while I did enjoy them, every single one has bothered me in almost the same way. I think I just don’t care for the things Lu chooses to prioritize in her plots and characters. An entirely subjective opinion, of course; what doesn’t work for me might be exactly what other people are looking for.
The thing that bothered me most about this one was probably the romance, it felt to me like it wasn’t based on anything other than attraction. Enzo wasn’t exactly the stuff of dreams between threatening to kill Adelina if she didn’t prove useful and actually burning people alive or doing away with anyone who might expose him. The two of them didn’t really have any interactions that made me see why they liked each other, and I think the book would’ve been better served if their romantic relationship hadn’t developed until later in the series.
Spoiler
(The ending made it clear why Lu felt the need to hurry things along, but still, given the huge hint dropped in the epilogue, it’s obvious Enzo’s going to be back at least temporarily to tie up loose ends.)Issues aside, Adelina is certainly the most interesting of Lu’s protagonists with her abandonment issues and fear-based power, and I liked the ending enough to put the next book on my list.
sewlivi's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bookdust's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping by the end of this book I'd lose the back and forth feeling I was having, but I didn't. I was really confused about this one. Marie Lu writes beautifully. BEAUTIFULLY. I was in love with her words, her sentences, her prosody, and her descriptions were lovely. She is a spectacular writer.
It's simple enough; this book did not have enough world building. She tossed in a few fancy names and gods here and there but no actual fleshed out culture ever shined through the pages. I basically just pictured Venice the entire time until I realized it had three moons halfway through.
The other problem is that only two characters seemed to have actually developed. Enzo and Adelina were so fascinating, but they seem to be the only characters worth any attention? There were so many characters in this book, and I feel like I didn't get to know ANY of them. They were all still blurs of people by the end. I thought Lucent was a man throughout the entire damn thing, and I still have no idea what her power was. I wasn't even sure who all of the Young Elites were. I kept mixing up their nicknames with their real names...
I don't know. It was just missing something for me.
So three stars because I did enjoy it, I especially loved the writing, but the story was alright. I'd read the next book.
It's simple enough; this book did not have enough world building. She tossed in a few fancy names and gods here and there but no actual fleshed out culture ever shined through the pages. I basically just pictured Venice the entire time until I realized it had three moons halfway through.
The other problem is that only two characters seemed to have actually developed. Enzo and Adelina were so fascinating, but they seem to be the only characters worth any attention? There were so many characters in this book, and I feel like I didn't get to know ANY of them. They were all still blurs of people by the end. I thought Lucent was a man throughout the entire damn thing, and I still have no idea what her power was. I wasn't even sure who all of the Young Elites were. I kept mixing up their nicknames with their real names...
I don't know. It was just missing something for me.
So three stars because I did enjoy it, I especially loved the writing, but the story was alright. I'd read the next book.
goodyeargoodbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I'm feeling rather conflicted about this book. On one hand, I feel like it should be one of my favourite books. On the other, I feel slightly let down, for reasons that I can't even explain. In hindsight, this book may well rise from 4* to 5*, but for the moment I am sticking with four.
After 100 pages, my first opinions were that I loved this book a lot more than Legend (I have read book one of Marie Lu's Legend trilogy, and rated it 5*). This book is fantasy, whereas Legend was dystopian. While I actively read both genres, I tend to prefer fantasy. It may be down to this fact that The Young Elites had a lot more impact on me in it's first half than Legend did, and I found it easier to read. In both cases, Lu's writing is solid and enticing (although not by any means perfect). As I enjoyed this book a lot more than Legend, I feel bad giving it a star less. The reason for this is that by the end of The Young Elites, the plot was heading in a direction that I wish it had not, and while I will continue with this series with a lot more conviction than the Legend trilogy (which I am yet to pick up book two of), Legend stuck to where I wanted the story to go more than this did, even if I was less invested in it. That is why The Young Elites' review is a star lower than Legend's, despite the fact that I found this to be a far superior book overall.
Comparisons aside now. The Young Elites felt very fast to read, and I was drawn in from page one. I finished it in roughly 4 hours and I never once contemplated putting the book down (and I switch between books a lot).
The characters were all fantastic. Adelina annoyed me a lot, but I felt that she was a character who you could analyse and see the reasoning behind her many faults. I also got the impression that she was developing, and hope that by the end of this series (I believe it will be a trilogy) there will be a satisfying arc in Adelina's character, as there is so much potential to see. Enzo was highly fascinating to me. In the beginning he feels very mysterious, and I loved slowly chipping away at layers of his character. Raffaele was my favourite character. He was almost endearing in a way, and I really want to find out a bit more about him. His friendship with Adelina was perfect for me, and I liked that I didn't get the sense of their friendship being anything more than platonic. Gemma, Michel, Lucent and Dante were all different and had distinct personalities, which I was very happy about, as sometimes when there is a group of background characters, they all merge into one, but these four all had identifiable features and worked as individual characters as well as a group. Teren fitted the role of a villain very well. He was suitably repulsive and despicable, but still a worthwhile character to read about; I did not hate him so much that I lost patience with the story, as I sometimes do with baddies. The great thing about all of the characters is that none of them were purely good or bad - there were no stereotypical heroes and purely spiteful villains. Every single person was multilayered and had sufficient reasons to behave the way they did. It frustrates me to find such a potentially good book where the characters ruin the plot, but in this case, Marie Lu got each and every person spot on for me.
The story started off so brilliantly, and I truly was loving it. Around 3/4 of the way in, however, I felt that it tailed off, and I was not impressed with how it ended. It was not the way I wanted the story to go, and I felt that I was a little predictable. It is for this reason that I have docked a star. But I do have a lot of hope for the sequel. If the book gets back onto the route that I hope it will, then it's later instalments may become favourites, so fingers crossed for that, and may the wait for book two begin.
After 100 pages, my first opinions were that I loved this book a lot more than Legend (I have read book one of Marie Lu's Legend trilogy, and rated it 5*). This book is fantasy, whereas Legend was dystopian. While I actively read both genres, I tend to prefer fantasy. It may be down to this fact that The Young Elites had a lot more impact on me in it's first half than Legend did, and I found it easier to read. In both cases, Lu's writing is solid and enticing (although not by any means perfect). As I enjoyed this book a lot more than Legend, I feel bad giving it a star less. The reason for this is that by the end of The Young Elites, the plot was heading in a direction that I wish it had not, and while I will continue with this series with a lot more conviction than the Legend trilogy (which I am yet to pick up book two of), Legend stuck to where I wanted the story to go more than this did, even if I was less invested in it. That is why The Young Elites' review is a star lower than Legend's, despite the fact that I found this to be a far superior book overall.
Comparisons aside now. The Young Elites felt very fast to read, and I was drawn in from page one. I finished it in roughly 4 hours and I never once contemplated putting the book down (and I switch between books a lot).
The characters were all fantastic. Adelina annoyed me a lot, but I felt that she was a character who you could analyse and see the reasoning behind her many faults. I also got the impression that she was developing, and hope that by the end of this series (I believe it will be a trilogy) there will be a satisfying arc in Adelina's character, as there is so much potential to see. Enzo was highly fascinating to me. In the beginning he feels very mysterious, and I loved slowly chipping away at layers of his character. Raffaele was my favourite character. He was almost endearing in a way, and I really want to find out a bit more about him. His friendship with Adelina was perfect for me, and I liked that I didn't get the sense of their friendship being anything more than platonic. Gemma, Michel, Lucent and Dante were all different and had distinct personalities, which I was very happy about, as sometimes when there is a group of background characters, they all merge into one, but these four all had identifiable features and worked as individual characters as well as a group. Teren fitted the role of a villain very well. He was suitably repulsive and despicable, but still a worthwhile character to read about; I did not hate him so much that I lost patience with the story, as I sometimes do with baddies. The great thing about all of the characters is that none of them were purely good or bad - there were no stereotypical heroes and purely spiteful villains. Every single person was multilayered and had sufficient reasons to behave the way they did. It frustrates me to find such a potentially good book where the characters ruin the plot, but in this case, Marie Lu got each and every person spot on for me.
The story started off so brilliantly, and I truly was loving it. Around 3/4 of the way in, however, I felt that it tailed off, and I was not impressed with how it ended. It was not the way I wanted the story to go, and I felt that I was a little predictable. It is for this reason that I have docked a star. But I do have a lot of hope for the sequel. If the book gets back onto the route that I hope it will, then it's later instalments may become favourites, so fingers crossed for that, and may the wait for book two begin.
klaireparavel's review against another edition
3.0
It was nice to read about a damaged female villain as the lead character. Unintentional villainry, sure, but refreshing nonetheless. And also refreshing to have a smidge of romance without some sort of triangle. The writing felt clunky in spots, but an interesting story. I'm willing to read more.
gliderboii's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0