Review: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Young Elites
(The Young Elites #1)
by Marie Lu
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Publication Date: October 7th 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9780399167836
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Source: Review Copy

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I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt. (Goodreads)

The Young Elites is the first book that I’ve read by Marie Lu, and now that I’ve been introduced to her awesomeness, I can’t wait to read more! I was super impressed by this book, and I’m kicking myself for not having read anything by Lu sooner.

A decade has passed since a deadly illness crippled the nation, killing many and leaving some survivors with strange markings, and an even smaller few with special powers. The survivors are called malfetto. Adelina Amouteru is malfetto; her black hair and lashes turned silver, and she has a harsh scar in the place where her left eye once was.  After being rescued by a group of Young Elites, who are a group of malfetto with special powers, Adelina comes to realize that she’s not just a normal malfetto girl, but something different entirely.

The characters in the novel were all super interesting, especially the main character, Adelina. I had to sympathize with her for everything that she had been through in her short life. Though she battles throughout the novel with feelings of insecurity, put in her mind by her abusive father, she is still one of those strong heroines that I really enjoy. But while she is a badass, we see another side of her throughout the book as well, a side of her that wants nothing more than to be loved and wanted. She was a really interesting character, and I’m curious to go on another adventure with her in the next book in the series. The secondary characters in the novel are very well written as well. There are some characters that you’re really going to fall in love with, and some that you’re not going to love so much.

The storyline for the book was extremely creative and unique. I had seen the book described as X-Men meets Assassin’s Creed 2 meets Game of Thrones, and that description is very much accurate. I loved that each of the characters had different sorts of powers and used them all in different ways. I also enjoyed the world-building in the book, as it was very well described and I could picture it perfectly in my mind. The book ends with a cliffhanger, not a massive one, but enough to leave me pining for the next book.  I’m super curious to see where Lu is going to go with this story in the rest of the series.

Also, I urge you to check out Marie Lu’s Pinterest account, which has some really awesome photos and artwork that were her inspiration for the story!

Overall; The Young Elites is an excellent beginning to what will likely be a really fantastic series. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!