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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
“You cannot harden your heart to the future just because of your past. You cannot use cruelty against yourself to justify cruelty to others."
Sad to see another trilogy end :( I think my favourite part of this series was the main character and just seeing her arc throughout the trilogy. I actually found the ending wasn't too predictable, I wasn't sure how Marie was going to end the series.
I'd say The Midnight Star was probably my favourite in the trilogy which doesn't happen very often!
Sad to see another trilogy end :( I think my favourite part of this series was the main character and just seeing her arc throughout the trilogy. I actually found the ending wasn't too predictable, I wasn't sure how Marie was going to end the series.
I'd say The Midnight Star was probably my favourite in the trilogy which doesn't happen very often!
HOOOO HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT.
(This review may contain spoilers, I've tried to spoil the obvious things but. I suck.)
This book series was really, really, really good. It's refreshing to see in a world of YA which tends towards lighter morality. I'm not saying that dark = good, but to have such a compelling antihero and a cast of characters who are just as morally ambiguous as she is - it's nice. It's interesting. Adelina is, without a doubt, one of the best antiheroes I've seen. She's dark and ruthless and unforgiving but she has such strong motivations for being so awful that you sympathise with her anyways. A lot of how she is is a reaction to her abuse and betrayal - how she doesn't want to give up her powers because they're her defence; how her father keeps appearing in her hallucinations. A lot of it she can't help, because her own powers are taking over her. She's a fascinating character.
And the other characters are just as fascinating. Magiano, Teren, Raffaele, Maeve, Violetta ... my favorites are Raffaele, Magiano, Violetta, and surprisingly, Teren. You saw that he was more than just another villain by the first book. This one expanded so much on him that you really understood his motivations and felt sorry for him, even though you know he's done awful things in his life. Adelina and Teren really are two sides of the same coin. They finally saw eye to eye in this book. Violetta! Violetta, as always, was radiant. I love her a lot. She is strength in quiet and softness. It's so good.
I love how Lu wove the delicate web of relationships because no one was completely committed to another person. Yet through betrayals and hatred, characters you would never expect to ally did, and they saved each others lives, and they mourned for those who we'd thought were on the other side. It was incredible.
Also, the death toll. Fuck. Some of those were completely unexpected. I felt like I had the breath knocked out of me
The ending - holy shit.
Keeping whether Adelina truly comes back because of Violetta's bargain on the ambiguous side was a good choice; it allows readers to decide what actually happens rather than: Magiano found Adelina and they lived happily ever after.
Sidenote: I love that the only couple that gets a solid, direct happy ending is a f/f couple thank you Marie Lu for this and thank you for not killing off Raffaele because GOSH he was my favorite and I guess yeah thanks for not killing off the queer characters.
(This review may contain spoilers, I've tried to spoil the obvious things but. I suck.)
This book series was really, really, really good. It's refreshing to see in a world of YA which tends towards lighter morality. I'm not saying that dark = good, but to have such a compelling antihero and a cast of characters who are just as morally ambiguous as she is - it's nice. It's interesting. Adelina is, without a doubt, one of the best antiheroes I've seen. She's dark and ruthless and unforgiving but she has such strong motivations for being so awful that you sympathise with her anyways. A lot of how she is is a reaction to her abuse and betrayal - how she doesn't want to give up her powers because they're her defence; how her father keeps appearing in her hallucinations. A lot of it she can't help, because her own powers are taking over her. She's a fascinating character.
And the other characters are just as fascinating. Magiano, Teren, Raffaele, Maeve, Violetta ... my favorites are Raffaele, Magiano, Violetta, and surprisingly, Teren. You saw that he was more than just another villain by the first book. This one expanded so much on him that you really understood his motivations and felt sorry for him, even though you know he's done awful things in his life. Adelina and Teren really are two sides of the same coin. They finally saw eye to eye in this book. Violetta! Violetta, as always, was radiant. I love her a lot. She is strength in quiet and softness. It's so good.
I love how Lu wove the delicate web of relationships because no one was completely committed to another person. Yet through betrayals and hatred, characters you would never expect to ally did, and they saved each others lives, and they mourned for those who we'd thought were on the other side. It was incredible.
Also, the death toll. Fuck. Some of those were completely unexpected. I felt like I had the breath knocked out of me
Spoiler
when Teren died. I saw Violetta coming about halfway through; I knew Enzo was going to bite it, but Teren. If anything, I'd thought he would have been redeemed. But going back on the Adelina|Teren thing: it makes sense. Both die. Both pay the price for their crimes in death. All the deaths made sense. None of them seemed extraneous, but no one lived when they shouldn't have - which is something that's rare in books, the perfect balance. *cough* Fred and LeoThe ending - holy shit.
Spoiler
I expected her to die from the beginning; it felt like simply having her live was too nice. It wouldn't give her the retribution or the punishment she deserved. But I wasn't expecting it to happen like that - I wasn't expecting her to trade her life for Violetta's. The choices both sisters make in the final few pages shows the strength of their bond and their love for each other. Adelina gives up everything she's ever dreamed up for her sister, and Violetta has such incredible love in her heart that even though Adelina has hurt her over and over again, and many more, she does the best she can.Keeping whether Adelina truly comes back because of Violetta's bargain on the ambiguous side was a good choice; it allows readers to decide what actually happens rather than: Magiano found Adelina and they lived happily ever after.
Sidenote: I love that the only couple that gets a solid, direct happy ending is a f/f couple thank you Marie Lu for this and thank you for not killing off Raffaele because GOSH he was my favorite and I guess yeah thanks for not killing off the queer characters.
My favorite part of this series was the worldbuilding. Most dystopian series fall apart at the end, but Lu did a great job of resolving the story while staying true to the world that she built from book one. Lu introduced magic into the world in a very unique and specific way, and she still tied the resolution back to that. Connecting the Young Elite's powers to the religious mythology was also really interesting, and the reader could see that the foundation was being laid for that reveal from the first book in the series.
Similarly, Adelina's ending was great! She was a terrible Queen, she caused so much death and despair. She was a great antihero; I actually found myself sympathizing with her. On the one hand, she was torturing people; on the other, she has been tortured her entire life and she is just taking her power back. Haven't we all wanted to take our power back? I liked that the central relationship in the series was between the sisters. Lu did not try to create a romantic relationship when it would have felt untrue to Adelina's character. From the beginning she has had issues with her family and belonging, that stayed true to the end. The only person she would ever have given power up for was her sister, because her sister is the only person who has shown her unconditional love.
My biggest criticism is that the book could use more details and depth. The plot was really the driving force of the series, and the characters were developed through telling not showing. It felt like she was really hitting the nail on the head a lot. Lu could have shown more character development and left it up to the reader to interpret. While the plot and resolution were fascinating and well-done, they would have made more of an emotional impact if there had been more depth to the characters throughout the series to make the reader more invested.
Similarly, Adelina's ending was great! She was a terrible Queen, she caused so much death and despair. She was a great antihero; I actually found myself sympathizing with her. On the one hand, she was torturing people; on the other, she has been tortured her entire life and she is just taking her power back. Haven't we all wanted to take our power back? I liked that the central relationship in the series was between the sisters. Lu did not try to create a romantic relationship when it would have felt untrue to Adelina's character. From the beginning she has had issues with her family and belonging, that stayed true to the end. The only person she would ever have given power up for was her sister, because her sister is the only person who has shown her unconditional love.
My biggest criticism is that the book could use more details and depth. The plot was really the driving force of the series, and the characters were developed through telling not showing. It felt like she was really hitting the nail on the head a lot. Lu could have shown more character development and left it up to the reader to interpret. While the plot and resolution were fascinating and well-done, they would have made more of an emotional impact if there had been more depth to the characters throughout the series to make the reader more invested.
To be honest, I was a little surprised at the way this series ended but only because it went in a whole new direction that I really liked. I cried. This book has me in tears and while I don't think it was a perfect ending, it was an ending I liked.
Let’s just say that this series has been a fun different unique experience.. not a very epic amazing one but still it was so much different from all the fantasies I read before .
And about this book , it wasn’t the best to be honest but I have to say ; the ending was very very satisfying, i mean everything turned out to be so different from what I expected, and I liked that .. i’ve read the legend trilogy by Marie Lu and the ending in that trilogy was amazing ; so I think i can safely say that her endings are sooo unique from the usual stuff , and I appreciate uniqueness honestly.
And about this book , it wasn’t the best to be honest but I have to say ; the ending was very very satisfying, i mean everything turned out to be so different from what I expected, and I liked that .. i’ve read the legend trilogy by Marie Lu and the ending in that trilogy was amazing ; so I think i can safely say that her endings are sooo unique from the usual stuff , and I appreciate uniqueness honestly.
Only one thing to said to mi Adelinetta : "And if you have to go. Well always know that you shine brighter than anyone does." Brighter #paramore
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
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
I thought this was a satisfying end to the trilogy and loved it. I immediately downloaded “Legend” to read.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
A beautiful twist on a classic YA series. I loved the way Adelina was written, she full of depth and inner conflict that you don't often see in novels. I also loved the anti- hero twist, in most books you have characters fighting for the greater good bit Adelina fought for what she wanted. 9/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a good story.
This sits somewhere between a 3 and a 4 so I guess my overall rating is a 3.5.
This was an odd, yet somehow satisfying, conclusion to the series. However, I felt it could have been longer (and believe me when I say that is not something I say very often). Don't get me wrong, the ending fit well, it's just that books 1 and 2 set up this HUGE conflict that's resolved in a little more than 300 pages.
Adelina is a great character though. She's flawed and cruel and I really disliked her at times, but I also felt sympathetic to her - and crafting that kind of character is no small feat.
The ending was bittersweet and I thought it was very well done. I also really liked the epilogue which FINALLY explains the title.
Overall this was really good and I enjoyed the trilogy a lot.
This was an odd, yet somehow satisfying, conclusion to the series. However, I felt it could have been longer (and believe me when I say that is not something I say very often). Don't get me wrong, the ending fit well, it's just that books 1 and 2 set up this HUGE conflict that's resolved in a little more than 300 pages.
Adelina is a great character though. She's flawed and cruel and I really disliked her at times, but I also felt sympathetic to her - and crafting that kind of character is no small feat.
The ending was bittersweet and I thought it was very well done. I also really liked the epilogue which FINALLY explains the title.
Overall this was really good and I enjoyed the trilogy a lot.