Scan barcode
dezlld's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
_nyctophob1a_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, Classism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, War, Genocide, Child death, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Racism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Self harm, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, and Toxic friendship
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Young Elites by Marie Lu is book one in the Young Elites series. This came out in 2014 and honestly I'm sad I slept on it for so long! This was such an excellent villain story! It gave me X-Men vibes.
We follow Adelina, a malfetto girl who is being abused by her father and only has her sister Violetta. One night when Adelina tries to runaway, she kills him with illusions she is able to conjure. She discovered that not only is she a malfetto, she is also a Young Elite, children who caught the fever when they were young and survived and gained powers.
Adelina is arrested and sentenced to execution, but is rescued by the Dagger Society, group of Young Elites fighting against the king and queen's brutal discrimination of malfettos. She finds out she is aligned most strongly with fear and Fury, and passion and ambition. We see her fight to control her power and the pleasure she gets from fear and power.There is a constant battle inside of her, and that makes her a great villain. There is also some political stuff with the main antagonist, Teren, who is an Elite that hates himself and has pledged to rid the world of all malfettos. Dude needs some therapy.
I loved this story. Adelina went from a meek, abused girl afraid all the time, to do gooder vigilante with some morally gray aspects, to complete villain. I want to learn more about the rest of the Daggers! I'm also really looking forward to the extended world-building that's coming up in the next book. I just really love the way Marie Lu writes her FMCs. Plus we get some queer rep in side characters and disability red in Adelina with her missing eye.
I'm very excited to read The Rose Society!
Graphic: Self harm, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Torture
sophieamreacher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Blood, Torture, Police brutality, Gore, Body horror, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse
gracelang_09's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Cursing, and Death of parent
theespressoedition's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Violence, Torture, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content
nannahnannah's review against another edition
1.0
yeah, that's a little awful. But so was my reading experience. I feel like this book has so much extreme ableism and violence against disabled people disguised as representation.
I initially picked up this book because of the many good reviews and recommendations -- and because the MC has a missing eye. Representation! Yay! But it wasn't long before things started to become really icky.
A severe fever wiped out much of the people of Adelina's country. Survivors often don't come through unscathed (such as Adelina, whose eye had to be removed). These survivors with disabilities are called malfettos, and treated as second class citizens, shaming their families, blamed for their failing country, usually unable to get suitors, abused constantly, and are even burned at the stake.
ok. Read that again. As a disabled person, do you know how awful it is to read a book where there's this much violence against disabled people? People like me are already treated as second class citizens. I don't need to read about a world where we're villainized even more (you can't get disability, what about our family reputation? our taxes are wasted on the disabled! you can choose either medicaire or marriage, but not both [which really happens]. And don't even get me started on the violence against disabled people that happens in real life).
Not to mention that the title, The Young Elites, refer to those malfettos who somehow got superpowers from the fever that almost killed them. And they only rescue the disabled people who also have superpowers - as in, who can also do something for them. At least that's how I read it. It feels like how in real life disabled people are only "worth something" when they have something to "give society," like an autistic person who's an amazing artist or something.
In any case, this is all I'm gonna say about this book now. I can't read any more.
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Child abuse
samhackett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Also just my opinion, not entirely sure I'd recommend this as YA considering there are certain scenes that are quite dark and violent.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
vaniavela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Murder
a_walton18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Violence