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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Didn't interest me enough, I was bored
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Did not finish. After reading 100 pgs, i realized i didn't even care
Yup yup yup yup yup. I was kinda expecting a lite X-Men but this is definitely a dark and compelling super power story of its own that explores the boundaries of hero/villain, good/evil. And THAT ending. Good thing book 2 exists right bloody now. Gimme!!
3 and a half. I absolutely loved that this wasn't just some goody two shoes who falls in love with the bad boy and changes for him. This story was heartbreaking. the mc is actually prone to have evil thoughts which gives her flavor. the ending killed me. my criticism was that the side characters didn't really feel that three dimensional. I wasn't that big of a fan of the romance because it felt a bit imbalanced/felt as if Adelina was a child waiting for her prince charming to call on her.
SPOILERSS
The relationship was doomed from the start and how Enzo never really loved her but she reminded him of Natalie (i think thats her name) and how he was trying to relive lost moments. I think the moment that broke me was when in the same scene Dante said that no one really liked her (even though my baby really thought that she might've found a family in these people) it was as if all my insecurities came back and attacked me. SHE TRIED SO HARD but they still didn't like her, maybe it would've hurt less if she was playing a part or changing her personality. maybe being yourself isn't enough
SPOILERSS
The relationship was doomed from the start and how Enzo never really loved her but she reminded him of Natalie (i think thats her name) and how he was trying to relive lost moments. I think the moment that broke me was when in the same scene Dante said that no one really liked her (even though my baby really thought that she might've found a family in these people) it was as if all my insecurities came back and attacked me. SHE TRIED SO HARD but they still didn't like her, maybe it would've hurt less if she was playing a part or changing her personality. maybe being yourself isn't enough
"Everyone has darkness inside them, however hidden.”
"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.”
I didn't really know what to expect from this YA fantasy. It took a little while to get into the narrative, which is told from three main points of view. Adelina is not your usual heroine. She is flawed, like all human beings, but the abuse suffered at the hands of her father, and indeed the society around her, have deeply scarred her, more so than the loss of her eye to the blood fever. Her struggles and choices are only too natural, even when she makes mistakes. And it isn't just her - everyone in this book has a compromised moral compass, each seeing just what they want to see (or believe), whether by decision or circumstance. Everyone uses everyone, and in this aspect, I applaud the author for giving us such a psychologically interesting landscape.
The Young Elites feels very much like tragedy - a car crash taking shape right in front of our eyes, each factor making total sense, and yet leading inexorably to the sad result. I couldn't help hoping for the best, wishing for the players to 'wake up', but Lu gives us something much more realistic, even if adorned with magic. In a way, this is refreshing and I am curious to see where the author is going to take this.
"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.”
I didn't really know what to expect from this YA fantasy. It took a little while to get into the narrative, which is told from three main points of view. Adelina is not your usual heroine. She is flawed, like all human beings, but the abuse suffered at the hands of her father, and indeed the society around her, have deeply scarred her, more so than the loss of her eye to the blood fever. Her struggles and choices are only too natural, even when she makes mistakes. And it isn't just her - everyone in this book has a compromised moral compass, each seeing just what they want to see (or believe), whether by decision or circumstance. Everyone uses everyone, and in this aspect, I applaud the author for giving us such a psychologically interesting landscape.
The Young Elites feels very much like tragedy - a car crash taking shape right in front of our eyes, each factor making total sense, and yet leading inexorably to the sad result. I couldn't help hoping for the best, wishing for the players to 'wake up', but Lu gives us something much more realistic, even if adorned with magic. In a way, this is refreshing and I am curious to see where the author is going to take this.
Good story line, good characters that you could get attached too, had some twists and turns, kept your interest, looking forward to the other books in the series
This is an interesting read with a good plot line. Also a couple of really good plot twists near the end which I din't see coming. I will definetly be reading the second in the series. I would encourage you to read it.
A fun, fast-paced YA story with quick dialogue that makes it easily digestible. Marie Lu created a fantasy world inspired by kings, queens, and knights crossed with teenage mutants. Although the story is un-unique, Adelina is a fascinating anti-hero that readers will root for despite her inner monologue being diabolic. Although most of the story is in the POV of Adeline, it does switch to third-person narratives for other characters including the lead inquisitor, Teren, and at one point, Raffael, which was unnecessary additional information and perspectives. Specifically, Teren’s motives and personality were revealed without needing to know or understand his POV. If you’re looking for a fun, easy, and fast YA book to read this is it!
3.5 stars actually.
Hmmm....I'm not sure what it is about Marie Lu. All her books look promising to me on the back cover description. I mean, "rise of a villainess"? I'd usually be all over that. And I don't usually mind the Pseudo-Medieval European (this time Venice) feeling if there's a romance or a compelling main character (as in Robin LaFevers Grave Mercy series which was awesome) setting.
But I didn't fall in love with Adelina. Nor Raffaele. Nor even Enzo.
Teren Santoro was the most interesting character to me, and his development came quite late in the story. While I love it when a villain's mindset reveals how he or she feels she's doing right, and in this story Adelina definitely has some tough choices to make, the "evil" ones, starting with her father, are too sudden, too ....undeveloped for me to get behind. I am just left feeling bruised and empty instead of sympathetic to her. We are not lead down the path to her making the shocking choices, nor do the circumstances seem to warrant it beyond vague references to her "alignment with passion" or "alignment with darkness" which made it seem like it wasn't her fault when feelings spun out of control. That felt like a cop out to me.
It's possible too much time elapsed, and not enough development of the Raffaele-Adelina or Raffaele-Enzo relationships was able to fit into this action-packed story. I felt, at times, that Adelina was dodging inquisitors in the crowded streets more than anything else and that is a shame, there's such potential here.
But not enough to get me to read the next in the series. That takes falling in love with a character, and sadly, these aren't sticking with me the way I'd like them to. But that might just be my own personal taste and reliance on angst and the relationship feelz in a story.
Hmmm....I'm not sure what it is about Marie Lu. All her books look promising to me on the back cover description. I mean, "rise of a villainess"? I'd usually be all over that. And I don't usually mind the Pseudo-Medieval European (this time Venice) feeling if there's a romance or a compelling main character (as in Robin LaFevers Grave Mercy series which was awesome) setting.
But I didn't fall in love with Adelina. Nor Raffaele. Nor even Enzo.
Teren Santoro was the most interesting character to me, and his development came quite late in the story. While I love it when a villain's mindset reveals how he or she feels she's doing right, and in this story Adelina definitely has some tough choices to make, the "evil" ones, starting with her father, are too sudden, too ....undeveloped for me to get behind. I am just left feeling bruised and empty instead of sympathetic to her. We are not lead down the path to her making the shocking choices, nor do the circumstances seem to warrant it beyond vague references to her "alignment with passion" or "alignment with darkness" which made it seem like it wasn't her fault when feelings spun out of control. That felt like a cop out to me.
It's possible too much time elapsed, and not enough development of the Raffaele-Adelina or Raffaele-Enzo relationships was able to fit into this action-packed story. I felt, at times, that Adelina was dodging inquisitors in the crowded streets more than anything else and that is a shame, there's such potential here.
But not enough to get me to read the next in the series. That takes falling in love with a character, and sadly, these aren't sticking with me the way I'd like them to. But that might just be my own personal taste and reliance on angst and the relationship feelz in a story.