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xcaity's review against another edition
3.0
3.5...I'll have to come back to the review, though. The end of this book made me want to chuck it across the room.
ashwee0955's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.25
catbag's review against another edition
3.0
4 stars.
To me, The Young Elites was a world-building and expository book more than anything, but that didn't stop Marie Lu from starting this series with a bang.
I had a lot of different emotions while reading this book, and they seemed to align with which distinct half of the book I was in.
The first half was extremely difficult for me to get through, mainly because the amount of information required to get this world going, as well as high expectations for the characters that weren't being met. There's an entire religious magic system that had to be explained, as well as a WHOLE bunch of extra information to develop the society the protagonist, Adelina, lives in. So for the first... hundred? pages or so, I was seriously struggling because Adelina wasn't living up to my expectations and there wasn't really an intense and fast-moving plot or interesting characters to keep me engaged through the world-building. The side characters all seemed almost TOO mysterious and I didn't really connect to most of them because there wasn't enough there. The premise of their abilities had drawn me in, but I love seeing cool powers interlaced with cool characters. They were just..underwhelming. Also, a lot of the writing itself in the first half of the book irked me for some strange reason. Some of the sentences randomly stood out to me as being awkwardly phrased, and others just felt choppy. I don't know if this was intentional on Marie's part, but it was just rough. It was a rough time. There were some parts in the first half that kept me going, though. For instance, when we first met Adelina one of the first things she says is, "That's another thing to love about me. I steal." Heck yeah I love that about her! And I was so glad the little things like this kept me reading, because that second half, though.
So. The second half.
After enough exposition was given and the story itself got going, it was INCREDIBLE. At about the halfway point, Marie picked up her plot, set it on fire, and threw it out of an airplane. It was insanely wild and full of heartbreaking and crazy plot twists that you could not even hope to see coming. I COULD NOT put this book down once it got going. Everything was happening at once and Adelina started becoming that wild villain/protagonist I had dreamed of and hoped for. The language and the writing exploded in an instant into something captivating and beautiful. This book became a breath of fresh air in an instant and it was fabulously unique and dark, but yet still touching.
The entire second half to the end of this book had me SO pumped to read the rest of this series and I cannot wait to see what Marie Lu has created.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a series that is something fresh and different in YA, or anyone who has a streak of anger and wonders what would happen if they let go. READ IT.
Also, a small bit of spoilery things below!
"Kindness with strings attached... Even you... How could you?"
(did you hear my heart breaking here? Because it's in pieces.)
"I am gone. I am truly gone. I am not sorry."
"It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt. My turn."
Enzo's death !!!!!! !! !! !!!!! My heart? Gone. My tears? All over.
To me, The Young Elites was a world-building and expository book more than anything, but that didn't stop Marie Lu from starting this series with a bang.
I had a lot of different emotions while reading this book, and they seemed to align with which distinct half of the book I was in.
The first half was extremely difficult for me to get through, mainly because the amount of information required to get this world going, as well as high expectations for the characters that weren't being met. There's an entire religious magic system that had to be explained, as well as a WHOLE bunch of extra information to develop the society the protagonist, Adelina, lives in. So for the first... hundred? pages or so, I was seriously struggling because Adelina wasn't living up to my expectations and there wasn't really an intense and fast-moving plot or interesting characters to keep me engaged through the world-building. The side characters all seemed almost TOO mysterious and I didn't really connect to most of them because there wasn't enough there. The premise of their abilities had drawn me in, but I love seeing cool powers interlaced with cool characters. They were just..underwhelming. Also, a lot of the writing itself in the first half of the book irked me for some strange reason. Some of the sentences randomly stood out to me as being awkwardly phrased, and others just felt choppy. I don't know if this was intentional on Marie's part, but it was just rough. It was a rough time. There were some parts in the first half that kept me going, though. For instance, when we first met Adelina one of the first things she says is, "That's another thing to love about me. I steal." Heck yeah I love that about her! And I was so glad the little things like this kept me reading, because that second half, though.
So. The second half.
After enough exposition was given and the story itself got going, it was INCREDIBLE. At about the halfway point, Marie picked up her plot, set it on fire, and threw it out of an airplane. It was insanely wild and full of heartbreaking and crazy plot twists that you could not even hope to see coming. I COULD NOT put this book down once it got going. Everything was happening at once and Adelina started becoming that wild villain/protagonist I had dreamed of and hoped for. The language and the writing exploded in an instant into something captivating and beautiful. This book became a breath of fresh air in an instant and it was fabulously unique and dark, but yet still touching.
The entire second half to the end of this book had me SO pumped to read the rest of this series and I cannot wait to see what Marie Lu has created.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a series that is something fresh and different in YA, or anyone who has a streak of anger and wonders what would happen if they let go. READ IT.
Also, a small bit of spoilery things below!
Spoiler
Adelina's fall into her own shadows was so amazing. I have emotions."Kindness with strings attached... Even you... How could you?"
(did you hear my heart breaking here? Because it's in pieces.)
"I am gone. I am truly gone. I am not sorry."
"It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt. My turn."
Enzo's death !!!!!! !! !! !!!!! My heart? Gone. My tears? All over.
auora1484's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
ame_hadders's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
Wow this book blew my mind. I didn’t have very high expectations going in to this book but i was thoroughly surprised. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The reveals were well done and kept surprising me. I also thought our main character was super interesting. Will definitely be continuing this series!
Wow this book blew my mind. I didn’t have very high expectations going in to this book but i was thoroughly surprised. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The reveals were well done and kept surprising me. I also thought our main character was super interesting. Will definitely be continuing this series!
estellasan10's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mcdanky's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
THIS BOOK MADE ME SO MAD.
Definitely an amazing read, but I am so pissed at that ending. These characters are crafted flawlessly and they are so realistic. Everyone has real flaws that influence the plot so much more than fake characteristics added just to do that. This whole world is like a balance between twisted evil and harsh beauty its so wonderful. Also, i have fallen madly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with Enzo and i'm going to have to conjure up my own illusions bc how can i live without that beautiful pained face???? Phenomenally crafted, endlessly frustrating....
BUT. Yes, theres a but...
I HATE CLIFFHANGERS. I HATE THEM. NOW I HAVE TO SPEND ANOTHER DAY READING THE NEXT BOOK WHEN I AM SO BUSY DAMN IT.
THIS BOOK MADE ME SO MAD.
Definitely an amazing read, but I am so pissed at that ending. These characters are crafted flawlessly and they are so realistic. Everyone has real flaws that influence the plot so much more than fake characteristics added just to do that. This whole world is like a balance between twisted evil and harsh beauty its so wonderful. Also, i have fallen madly, deeply, and irrevocably in love with Enzo and i'm going to have to conjure up my own illusions bc how can i live without that beautiful pained face???? Phenomenally crafted, endlessly frustrating....
BUT. Yes, theres a but...
I HATE CLIFFHANGERS. I HATE THEM. NOW I HAVE TO SPEND ANOTHER DAY READING THE NEXT BOOK WHEN I AM SO BUSY DAMN IT.
elizabeth_09's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
wateretentionnoor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.5