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lee_6398's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
krijemseoddusana's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
raiynnn's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
rekilluv's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
I've only read this book one time in 7th grade, and since I'm a high school junior I forgot a lot of detail. I will be re reading this book soon and updating my review but I remember enjoying this book a lot so I recommend it!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia
animetee's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Death
Minor: Death of parent
sankta_aleena's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Death, and Death of parent
sarahmreads's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
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
3.25
I read this book as a kid and I think I only got so far before not finishing it. So this summer I decided to give it a second shot and actually attempt to finish the series.
Adelina is a survivor of the blood fever, a disease that ravaged the world and left the survivors with special marks and powers. Adelina never knew what hers was, until she accidentally kills her father with the power of illusions and somehow finds herself in the hands of the Young Elites, a group of malfettos trying to take back what is rightfully theirs. How far will Adelina go, and how much will she discover about herself?
The world-building of this story was pretty simplistic and easy to pick up and understand from what is told. It has mystical creatures and easily defined boundaries and power systems. I did really like the magic system and how malfettos are connected to each other with these threads, but also how they connect to the gods themselves. It helped make a lot of connections in the story that I appreciated a lot.
The characters I would say were okay. I really liked seeing the slow process of Adelina's corruption and how she ends up in this spot in the first place, and it really demonstrates her as a morally grey character who is willing to do what is best for her, even with her powers slowly but surely corrupting her. I loved Enzo and Raffaele, and Teren had such an interesting complex that reminds me a lot of Eli from Vicious. Everyone else was kind of unforgettable sadly.
As for the plot, it's pretty basic. Rebel groups fights "bad guys," big final fight, something happens that makes them reconsider everything they know, and cliffhanger set up for next book. But I'm definitely excited to meet these new characters and how it will set up for the rest of the series.
Young Elites is a fast read and good for anyone looking to get their foot in the door of a dark fantasy.
Adelina is a survivor of the blood fever, a disease that ravaged the world and left the survivors with special marks and powers. Adelina never knew what hers was, until she accidentally kills her father with the power of illusions and somehow finds herself in the hands of the Young Elites, a group of malfettos trying to take back what is rightfully theirs. How far will Adelina go, and how much will she discover about herself?
The world-building of this story was pretty simplistic and easy to pick up and understand from what is told. It has mystical creatures and easily defined boundaries and power systems. I did really like the magic system and how malfettos are connected to each other with these threads, but also how they connect to the gods themselves. It helped make a lot of connections in the story that I appreciated a lot.
The characters I would say were okay. I really liked seeing the slow process of Adelina's corruption and how she ends up in this spot in the first place, and it really demonstrates her as a morally grey character who is willing to do what is best for her, even with her powers slowly but surely corrupting her. I loved Enzo and Raffaele, and Teren had such an interesting complex that reminds me a lot of Eli from Vicious. Everyone else was kind of unforgettable sadly.
As for the plot, it's pretty basic. Rebel groups fights "bad guys," big final fight, something happens that makes them reconsider everything they know, and cliffhanger set up for next book. But I'm definitely excited to meet these new characters and how it will set up for the rest of the series.
Young Elites is a fast read and good for anyone looking to get their foot in the door of a dark fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Hate crime
Moderate: Blood and Torture
sarahinterlude444's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, and Hate crime
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
5aru's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Really didn't enjoy this one. Extra half is for having kept me mildly entertained, but I still skimmed through the entire second half. I simply wasn't invested; I feel like Adelina's past was extremely well fleshed-out, and yet I felt like I barely knew her. She sort of fell flat as a protagonist for me, merely reacting to what happened to her and barely stepping forward for any reason of her own; I don't know what she likes or dislikes, or what her feelings about mostly anything other than her sister and Enzo are. I am, however, fairly sure that she has a "darkness" inside of her - and this is vague enough to frustrate me. I don't know, this one was a miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings: Child abuse, self-harm, murder, discrimination, emotional abuse, violence, blood/gore, hate crimes, suicidal ideations, police brutality, and mention of: sex work, human trafficking, sexual harassment, pedophilia, loss of loved ones, and sex work.
5/03/2022
I decided to use THE YOUNG ELITES as my Mage prompt 2 book for the #ReadYourOwnAdventure Tiktok readathon. Since it’s been almost a year since I’ve read book one, and I finally have copies of books two and three, and it’s AAPI Heritage Month, I figured it was the perfect time for a re-read!
There’s not much I want to add to my original review other than the fact I completely spaced on the few chapters we get that are from Raffaele’s POV. Since most of the book we get Adelina, Teren, and Enzo’s POV I completely forgot to comment on the few brief chapters we get through Raffaele’s POV.
Another thing that I didn’t really think about, during my first read-through, was how much Adelina’s POV seems to view sex work in a negative light. Even when she’s conversing with Raffaele he makes a comment about how no one would choose the life of a concubine…which just doesn’t sit right with me. I understand this is a Young Adult book but I feel like it could at least have Raffaele say something along the lines of reality that some people do enjoy the work while others might just be biding their time? I don’t know, just felt weird that no one seemed to have a positive thing to say about it.
5/27/2021
I read this book as a part of "The Backlist Book Club" which was created by ChronicallyBookish
(on Tiktok and Instagram). From my time on Booktok I've heard countless praise for Marie Lu but had yet to pick up any of her books. So when I found out the May selection for "The Backlist Book Club" was one of hers I was excited to jump in!
Adelina, Teren, and Enzo are all emotionally complicated individuals who have all suffered and endured many hardships due to the fever that hit their nation ten years ago. Each has unresolved trauma connected to the fever and each has been shaped by that trauma. For the most part, we see the story through the eyes of Adelina with a few small chapters switching us to Teren or Enzo's perspectives.
I enjoyed how the Inquisition Axis really felt like the church during the witch hunts. The Inquisition Axis, led by Teren, is hellbent on finding and destroying any and all malfettos, as they feel their powers come from hell and are abominations that should be destroyed. Teren is portrayed as a zealot...fierce in his belief that malfettos are not meant to be and should all be sent to the Underworld.
Enzo seems to be the biggest mystery, out of the three, as we don't really know much of his inner feelings or emotions. Enzo will do whatever it takes to protect The Young Elite and ensure the proper people are put in positions of power to ensure the slaughtering of malfettos ends.
Adelina, who we get to know the most, is so unsure of her place in the world. When the fever hit her house, ten years ago, it killed her mother and physically altered her. After surviving the fever she was left without an eye and her normally dark hair now shifts between different shades of silver. She was also left to be raised, along with her younger sister, by a father that's turned cruel to her.
It's interesting when you realize how cruel treatment by others can affect and color the way you see the world around you. As we get to know more about Adelina, and as she starts to learn more about her powers, she starts to see how her father's cruelty has colored her memories of the past.
In this first book, we start to see Adelina begin to evolve and see the world differently...we see her starting to not only come into her powers but also come into herself. She is definitely not done with her metamorphosis but I'm excited to see how much she changes and evolves in the other two books.
I really enjoyed this story, it had me invested from the start and I look forward to picking up the other two books to continue the journey!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gore, Death, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, Trafficking, and Pedophilia