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A review by libralita
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
5.0
What’s with YA characters and being murderers?
“He purposely bought her dresses that were tight and painful. He enjoyed seeing her feet bleed from the hard, jeweled shoes he encouraged her to wear.
Still. He loved her, in his own way.”—page 4
Wow douche bag.
Ugh, Adelina lost her eye, her hair turned silver and her father is such an asshole.
This guy wants Adelina has his mistress? Okay…I’m sure her father will say, yes.
Wow, that death was brutal. So Lina can make illusions? That’s interesting.
Well that butterfly seen was pretty fucked up. Seriously, good riddance for Lina’s asshole father. He has serious issues.
Excuse me, Enzo is a banished prince with fire powers and scarred skin from burns. Never heard that one before. Prince Zuko—I mean Enzo is really unique!
Teren is getting with the queen. Naughty, naughty.
I dunno how I feel about Raffaele, he seems very suave and cool.
The Dagger Society is kind of full of psychopaths, huh?
I really enjoyed Raffaele’s explanation on how they do magic, it had some excellent imagery. I imagined them as puppeteers or something, pulling the strings to do magic. I like how it’s not just Lu saying, “welp this blood fever thing gave them magic, end of story”. It also feels kind of like mythology, like especially with the talk of gods and angels, like it’s a type of story or explanation someone would say if this actually did happen like how they use to during ancient Roman and Greek times. It’s very well done.
So apparently Teren is a malfetto and he whips himself because of it? Wow that’s Jace levels of angst.
Ugh, I really don’t want Adelina to be a traitor. I don’t really like this…I hope this doesn’t last.
Dammit Lina it’s totally your fault for getting Gemma disqualified.
“‘But your decree, Your Majesty—’
The king makes a degusted sound. ‘Carry out my decrees discreetly.’”—page 171
Sounds like a regular politician. Do the bad shit, secretly so I don’t get in trouble.
“I hereby pledge to serve the Dagger Society, to strike fear into the hearts of those who rule Kenettra, to take by death what belongs to us, and to make the power of the Elites known to every man, woman, and child. Should I break my vow, let the dagger take from me what I took from the dagger.”—The Dagger Society Initiation Pledge, by Enzo Valenciano, page 173
Again, Dagger society kinda full of psychos, especially Enzo and kind of cult-ish. Though that is what’s nice about this book is that the good guys aren’t necessarily warm and welcoming. Even the main character, she feeds off darkness and is also kind of psychotic.
All the characters are kind of just crazy, psycho teenagers with issues. Enzo is Prince Zuko, a banished prince with fire bending powers, although instead of being bent on regaining his honor, he’s bent on murdering everyone. Teren whips himself and thinks that all malfettos are the scum of the earth, bastards and wants to just kill them all to repent for being one. Then Adelina enjoys chaos, darkness and is powerhungry psycho with a fucked up dad. Even Raffaele is a prostitute. These kids just have fucked up lives.
“When the world was young, the gods and goddesses birthed the angels, Joy and Greed, Beauty and Empathy and Sorrow, Fear and Fury, sparks of humanity. To feel emotion, therefore, to be human, is to be a child of the gods.”—The Birth of the Angels, various authors, page 181
I really like these little excerpts at the beginning of Adelina’s chapters. While it not only gives a little insight on how the scene/chapter is going to go but it also does some world building. From reading folk song lyrics, to what looks like an passage from their Bible, to the Young Elite’s pledge. It’s really good, affective world building. Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer did something similar in Off the Page, if this becomes a trend in YA fiction then I will be very happy.
“‘We let a malfetto win the qualifying races,’ he calls out, ‘and look at how the gods have punished us. They are angry with the abominations that we allow to walk among us.’”—page 181, Teren
Fuck you! Such a politician…
I like Michel and Gemma.
“Mama, Mama, I called up to her. Will you be very sad when I grow up?
My mother bent down and touched my face. Here cheeks were wet. Yes, my darling, she answered. I will be very sad.”—page 189
Aw, that was really freaking sad.
Oh, snap! When Lina has that fake dagger, that was such a bad ass moment!
Lina not telling the truth is getting a bit annoying.
So Enzo’s girlfriend, named Daphne died and now he’s cold hearted. Kinda cliché-y.
Enzo is heating up those Inquisitors from the inside…that’s fucked up.
That’s cool that Lina became a Young Elite but dammit, do we really have to go through this liar plot line? Can Dante please confront her already?
Kissing in the rain trope.
LINA I SWEAR TO FUCK IF YOU BETRAY THE YOUNG ELITES
King killing time, apparently.
“To love is to be afraid. You are frightened, deathly terrified, that something will happen to those you love. Think of the possibilities. Does your heart clench with each thought? That, my friend, is love. And love enslaves us all, for you cannot have love without fear.” –A Private Thesis on the Romancing of Three Kings, Baroness Sammarco, page 251
This is probably my favorite of all these little excerpts.
I KNEW THAT LINA’S SISTER WOULD BE AN ELITE!
Welp, the king’s dead, Inquisitors are killing Malfettos in the streets, Lina just murdered Dante. Shit has official hit the fan.
So Violetta has been repressing Lina’s powers…that’s so insane.
I bet Violetta’s powers are probably surpressing her marking, so that’s why she doesn’t have one.
I have a feeling that Violetta is going to work for Teren because with power like that she could be a great threat to the Young Elites.
Oh FUCK! LINA KILLED ENZO! FUCK EVERYTHING!
Raffaele and Dante were right, Enzo, you should’ve have killed Lina.
Messing with the dead is a bad idea.
Aw Lucent and Maeve.
This is going to be interesting.
“He purposely bought her dresses that were tight and painful. He enjoyed seeing her feet bleed from the hard, jeweled shoes he encouraged her to wear.
Still. He loved her, in his own way.”—page 4
Wow douche bag.
Ugh, Adelina lost her eye, her hair turned silver and her father is such an asshole.
This guy wants Adelina has his mistress? Okay…I’m sure her father will say, yes.
Wow, that death was brutal. So Lina can make illusions? That’s interesting.
Well that butterfly seen was pretty fucked up. Seriously, good riddance for Lina’s asshole father. He has serious issues.
Excuse me, Enzo is a banished prince with fire powers and scarred skin from burns. Never heard that one before. Prince Zuko—I mean Enzo is really unique!
Teren is getting with the queen. Naughty, naughty.
I dunno how I feel about Raffaele, he seems very suave and cool.
The Dagger Society is kind of full of psychopaths, huh?
I really enjoyed Raffaele’s explanation on how they do magic, it had some excellent imagery. I imagined them as puppeteers or something, pulling the strings to do magic. I like how it’s not just Lu saying, “welp this blood fever thing gave them magic, end of story”. It also feels kind of like mythology, like especially with the talk of gods and angels, like it’s a type of story or explanation someone would say if this actually did happen like how they use to during ancient Roman and Greek times. It’s very well done.
So apparently Teren is a malfetto and he whips himself because of it? Wow that’s Jace levels of angst.
Ugh, I really don’t want Adelina to be a traitor. I don’t really like this…I hope this doesn’t last.
Dammit Lina it’s totally your fault for getting Gemma disqualified.
“‘But your decree, Your Majesty—’
The king makes a degusted sound. ‘Carry out my decrees discreetly.’”—page 171
Sounds like a regular politician. Do the bad shit, secretly so I don’t get in trouble.
“I hereby pledge to serve the Dagger Society, to strike fear into the hearts of those who rule Kenettra, to take by death what belongs to us, and to make the power of the Elites known to every man, woman, and child. Should I break my vow, let the dagger take from me what I took from the dagger.”—The Dagger Society Initiation Pledge, by Enzo Valenciano, page 173
Again, Dagger society kinda full of psychos, especially Enzo and kind of cult-ish. Though that is what’s nice about this book is that the good guys aren’t necessarily warm and welcoming. Even the main character, she feeds off darkness and is also kind of psychotic.
All the characters are kind of just crazy, psycho teenagers with issues. Enzo is Prince Zuko, a banished prince with fire bending powers, although instead of being bent on regaining his honor, he’s bent on murdering everyone. Teren whips himself and thinks that all malfettos are the scum of the earth, bastards and wants to just kill them all to repent for being one. Then Adelina enjoys chaos, darkness and is powerhungry psycho with a fucked up dad. Even Raffaele is a prostitute. These kids just have fucked up lives.
“When the world was young, the gods and goddesses birthed the angels, Joy and Greed, Beauty and Empathy and Sorrow, Fear and Fury, sparks of humanity. To feel emotion, therefore, to be human, is to be a child of the gods.”—The Birth of the Angels, various authors, page 181
I really like these little excerpts at the beginning of Adelina’s chapters. While it not only gives a little insight on how the scene/chapter is going to go but it also does some world building. From reading folk song lyrics, to what looks like an passage from their Bible, to the Young Elite’s pledge. It’s really good, affective world building. Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer did something similar in Off the Page, if this becomes a trend in YA fiction then I will be very happy.
“‘We let a malfetto win the qualifying races,’ he calls out, ‘and look at how the gods have punished us. They are angry with the abominations that we allow to walk among us.’”—page 181, Teren
Fuck you! Such a politician…
I like Michel and Gemma.
“Mama, Mama, I called up to her. Will you be very sad when I grow up?
My mother bent down and touched my face. Here cheeks were wet. Yes, my darling, she answered. I will be very sad.”—page 189
Aw, that was really freaking sad.
Oh, snap! When Lina has that fake dagger, that was such a bad ass moment!
Lina not telling the truth is getting a bit annoying.
So Enzo’s girlfriend, named Daphne died and now he’s cold hearted. Kinda cliché-y.
Enzo is heating up those Inquisitors from the inside…that’s fucked up.
That’s cool that Lina became a Young Elite but dammit, do we really have to go through this liar plot line? Can Dante please confront her already?
Kissing in the rain trope.
LINA I SWEAR TO FUCK IF YOU BETRAY THE YOUNG ELITES
King killing time, apparently.
“To love is to be afraid. You are frightened, deathly terrified, that something will happen to those you love. Think of the possibilities. Does your heart clench with each thought? That, my friend, is love. And love enslaves us all, for you cannot have love without fear.” –A Private Thesis on the Romancing of Three Kings, Baroness Sammarco, page 251
This is probably my favorite of all these little excerpts.
I KNEW THAT LINA’S SISTER WOULD BE AN ELITE!
Welp, the king’s dead, Inquisitors are killing Malfettos in the streets, Lina just murdered Dante. Shit has official hit the fan.
So Violetta has been repressing Lina’s powers…that’s so insane.
I bet Violetta’s powers are probably surpressing her marking, so that’s why she doesn’t have one.
I have a feeling that Violetta is going to work for Teren because with power like that she could be a great threat to the Young Elites.
Oh FUCK! LINA KILLED ENZO! FUCK EVERYTHING!
Raffaele and Dante were right, Enzo, you should’ve have killed Lina.
Messing with the dead is a bad idea.
Aw Lucent and Maeve.
This is going to be interesting.