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justine_ao 's review for:
The Young Elites
by Marie Lu
I belong to no one. On this night, I swear to you that I will rise above everything you’ve ever taught me. I will become a force that this world has never known. I will come into such power that none will dare hurt me again.
This was pretty awesome actually. In the wake of a devastating blood fever that swept through the population, the survivors are left physically marked, and in some cases have developed powerful abilities. Those malfettos who have powers are referred to as Young Elites, and of course there are a lot of people unmarked by the fever who fear them, sometimes not without reason. Think X-Men in a Renaissance Italy inspired fantasy world, and you've pretty well got the picture.
The best thing about this book is that it is filled with ambiguous characters. The main character, Adelina, was treated horribly by her father and finds out that her power to weave illusions is based on drawing on fear. There is a real question throughout the story as to whether she will be able to control her darker side, or will it ultimately consume her?
The so-called "villain" of the story, Teren, is equally divided, and by turns both sad and terrifying. Again it seems unclear whether he is fully committed to the path he is on, or whether there remains a spark of possible redemption.
There were some intense emotional scenes that never really became a full blown romance in the story, as well as a wonderful platonic relationship between Adelina and another Elite. Adelina's relationship with her sister Violetta also gets an interesting treatment, as even she is not the same person we think from beginning to end.
In short, this was a great dark fantasy story. It took some familiar themes and characters and then turned them around enough to keep me guessing pretty much right to the end.
This was pretty awesome actually. In the wake of a devastating blood fever that swept through the population, the survivors are left physically marked, and in some cases have developed powerful abilities. Those malfettos who have powers are referred to as Young Elites, and of course there are a lot of people unmarked by the fever who fear them, sometimes not without reason. Think X-Men in a Renaissance Italy inspired fantasy world, and you've pretty well got the picture.
The best thing about this book is that it is filled with ambiguous characters. The main character, Adelina, was treated horribly by her father and finds out that her power to weave illusions is based on drawing on fear. There is a real question throughout the story as to whether she will be able to control her darker side, or will it ultimately consume her?
The so-called "villain" of the story, Teren, is equally divided, and by turns both sad and terrifying. Again it seems unclear whether he is fully committed to the path he is on, or whether there remains a spark of possible redemption.
There were some intense emotional scenes that never really became a full blown romance in the story, as well as a wonderful platonic relationship between Adelina and another Elite. Adelina's relationship with her sister Violetta also gets an interesting treatment, as even she is not the same person we think from beginning to end.
In short, this was a great dark fantasy story. It took some familiar themes and characters and then turned them around enough to keep me guessing pretty much right to the end.