Reviews

Elite by Mercedes Lackey

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niebieskie2's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

Mercedes Lackey: Elite You will want to read the first book in this series Hunter, not only does it set up the world building and character but is an excellent read. Mercedes Lackey is back with Joy and the city of Apex Central and Joy is about to discover the conspiracy of a Lifetime: Joy has made it to the status of Elite hunter, but with this new status comes new responsibilities and additional targets on her back. She has been given a covert mission, to patrol the sewers of Apex Central to determine how the monsters are breaking through the barriers. Monsters are one thing but when she fines the corpse of a Psimon with no apparent cause of death. After reporting the incident she comes under greater scrutiny of PsiCorp's, which she does not want and they do not appear to want her help in solving the case. When Joy discovers another body she knows something more sinister is going on, but does it have something to do with PsiCorp, the folk mages or something else entirely, Joy knows she needs to find out before those she cares about are put in danger as well. Elite is a really great follow up to the first book in the series and I think it was just as good as the first which often doesn’t not happen especially in the YA genre for me.When I was reading this book the third book in the series had yet to be released so I found that that this was one of those rare books where you don't want to put it down as you are enthralled with the story but at the same time you want to put it down so that it extends the time that you get to read the book. For me there are very few series where I have felt this, so I guess you could say I loved this book and series so far. I liked getting to know more about Psimons are such an intriguing concept in this book so I was really glad that there was more explanation on the way that they work and what they have to offer, as well as they very secretive ways that just makes them more and more interesting. One aspect that is lacking information is "Joy's" folk mage that continues to appear. This is one of the most underutilized concepts in the book as well as not explained at all. These folk mages seem to be a big player in everything that is happening outside of Apex Central and the reason they have hunters but there is still so much of these characters and their world the is not explained. Still love Joy as a character, she is one of the few female teenage characters that I have read that is not boy obsessed and realizes the importance of doing her job first. Yes, she has the whole relationship thing with Josh however, it takes a backseat to her job of protecting the city. Joy is also very much a team player, she knows when to take orders and when to be the leader, this to me just shows the overall strength of Joy as a character (and a positive one at that, she doesn't pretend to know it all). Also love her "Hounds" though there seems to be getting a few too many, if I can say that, so there are times when I get them messed up a bit about who can do what etc. Honestly, when I get my hands on the next book in this series it is going to be me stopping everything I am doing and cracking it open (and I will say that nothing did stop me as I have now read the third book in this series as well). Enjoy!!!
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beckyray14's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked Elite and am very keen to finish the series. HOWEVER, despite all the action scenes in this book it didn't sock me in the gut the same way the first installment did. I'm frustrated that I still am no closer to piecing the story together. Who the actual villan could be, what part the player have to play in the book's conclusion. Things I anticipated happening in this book didn't. We are no closer to knowing what is actually going on with the Othersiders OR the Mages.

My biggest worry with this book was that it doesn't feel like a 3 book series and that would explain the pacing of book 2. This book similarly to the first does such an interesting job of blending fantasy and reality. The conversation about 'Christers' is unique to this universe. A small but fundamental part of the entire world building.

librarydanielle's review

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5.0

trying to figure out how to express my thoughts on this.
it's a reminder that sometimes there are bigger things than yourself and often that means stepping up, even if it sucks. but it's wrapped up in am awesome fantasy with monsters and allies and mystery.

giraffeinavalanche's review

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1.0

This was so boring. Almost everything is explained. We get repetitions of every single thing.
If I have to read that she has a pack of eleven (I don't care in which form) one more time, I swear to God...

merrinish's review

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1.0

Wow, this book was awful. I'm so mad I listened to it so I had to absorb it slowly. So like, Joy is a really great hunter and she's so great and everyone knows she's great and she literally never fails at anything and she's such a good and decent person that the only person who hates her is literally a cartoon version of a villain who conveniently lost a brother we'd never heard of before five minutes before his death but he blames Joy for his death so therefore he becomes, like, Darth Vader levels of evil but like prequel Darth and not the one that ends up reconciling with his son.

Joy is SUCH a good person that she somehow collects the hounds of two other people so now she's even SPECIALER than special because she's good at literally everything and also has the biggest pack known to man and even though she's what, 16? She calls 20 year olds old, literal actual adults defer to her all the time because SPOILERS SHE'S THE MOCKINGJAY AND SHE'S GONNA LIBERATE PANEM.

Did I miss anything? Oh there's this guy that she hunts with that she really likes but doesn't like LIKE like they're just friends because he has this super conservative religious fiancé back home and she's not like JEALOUS of the fiancé but man does she like having Mark all to herself when they hunt so that's cool but then the fiancé comes because of a plan that JOY HERSELF CONCOCTED AND IMPLEMENTED and then Jessie gets there and Joy circles off and pees on Mark to mark her territory and Jessie gets her hackles up but Joy doesn't understand why because these super religious idiots just don't understand that guys and girls can just be friends what a dummy Jessie is. So Joy, because she's such a DECENT and NICE person solves all of Jessie's problems for her by concocting another plan to send both Mark and Jessie back to where they're from but then they don't go and it's all good because Jessie and Joy are best friends wait no they're not Jessie's still jealous of her friendship with Mark god these religious girls sure are dumb. Did she mention religion was dumb? (Spoilers: she did.)

Anyway this book is terrible I don't understand why people rate it highly don't read it and especially don't listen to it peace out.

scostner's review

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5.0

I already gushed about the first book in this series, Hunter, and the main character, Joyeaux Charmand. In this world there has been an event known as the Diseray, in which creatures from Otherside (imagine an alternate dimension, like the realm of faerie), have gained access to the human world. Civilization was almost wiped out. humans live in enclaves together for protection. Those in Apex city are more like we are in today's world with video channels and food network, etc. Those out in the countryside are in self-sufficient villages that work together to survive. And everywhere else are the creatures from Otherside - things like hellhounds and goblins and drakken and tommyknockers. Apex is the main city for the government and military that have reorganized and fortified the area following the cataclysmic breakthrough by magical beings and monsters into our world. Joy is a Hunter - she has "hounds" who are actually creatures from Otherside that help humans fight the creatures that like to eat people. She has been raised in a village in the Rockies, but is summoned to Apex by her uncle who is the chief of police. All of that was set up in the first book. If you haven't read it yet, stop now and do so.

For those who have finished Hunter and been eagerly waiting to see what happens next, continue on. The first book ended with Joy's qualification trials to enter the Elite squad of Hunters. The title of this book is a bit of a spoiler, but we know she made it. The second installment in the series picks up with Joy running missions as part of the Elite and trying to figure out who within Apex is plotting against her uncle, worrying over Ace (the Hunter who went renegade during her trials), and continuing to date Josh (her uncle's personal Psimon). When her uncle asks her to run patrols in the sewer tunnels beneath Apex, she finds something alarming (not TMNTs), dead bodies in Psimon uniforms. Now the head of the PsiCorp is watching Joy's every move, things with Josh are strained, and on top of all that it seems like all of Otherside is breaking loose and bent on leveling Apex City. What if all the Hunters in town are not enough to stop the invasion they are afraid is coming?

Joy continues to be a great protagonist. She may have magical powers and supernatural hounds, but she is completely human. She has friends, gets frustrated, has moments of homesickness, and continues to grow and evolve just like any other teenager. The other characters also are still developing. Some are focused on their own selfish desires to the point of endangering everyone else. Others are altruistic and dedicated to the survival of the human race. Even the creatures from Otherside have some surprises for us, so there is no way we can settle into complacency. And we are left wanting the third book to hurry up and arrive!

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

gatun's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a review of the Audiobook version
Elite
By: Mercedes Lackey
Read by: Amy Landon
Series: The Hunter Series, book 2
Runtime: 10.2 Hours
Recording: Unabridged
Release date: 9.6.2016
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Genre: Fiction/Action & Adventure
ISBN-13: 978-1-5047-3655-8

Provided by http://www.audiobookjukebox.com/ in exchange for an honest review

I recently reviewed the prequel to Elite, Mercedes Lackey’s Hunter. It was fantastic. If you had not read Hunter first, I would suggest reading it first. But if you choose to jump right into Elite, there is some backstory provided but it may not fill in all the gaps.

Elite takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. The series of events that cause the apocalypse also caused a rift that allowed magic into our world. Hunter and Elite take place several generations after the cataclysm. The universe this series constructs is amazing. It is rich and complex. The characters are complex also. Joy, the protagonist of Hunter, has advanced to the Elite corp of Hunters who guard Apex City. With her new status comes perks and also added risks.

The mystery that lingered at the end of Hunter carries onto Elite. While some of it gets solved in Elite, it is still not solved by the end of the book. The character development is excellent. Joy is a believable young lady. She feels happiness and sadness and despair and desperation. Yet she continues to fight. I really like her. I like her and I like her realistic friendships, especially with Mark. This is a young adult novel so the romantic action is described as “making out” or kissing. This would be appropriate for a teen. It is also appropriate for adults. I am fifty-four and really enjoyed it. I am hoping for a the next book in the series to be released soon.

Amy Landon is an excellent narrator. I have enjoyed her narration of Hunter and Elite. She gives Joy a realistic voice. Her male voices are good. She does a nice job on the attitude of the characters. Retro, who is all confidence and attitude, is easily distinguishable from Archer, the mature and wise leader of the group, just by the way the narrator performs them. I really enjoyed Ms. Landon’s narration and will definitely check out other books she has narrated.