The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Young Elites #1

First : Marie Lu is coming to the book store that I work at in less than a month!!! Second : At BookCon in the spring of 2015, I listened to a bunch of teenage girls tell Marie Lu during a panel how much they loved her books and how her characters were so relateable. As the go-to girl at the store for YA fantasy recommendations, I figured it was my responsibility to find out what these girls loved so much about her work. it was also the first book chosen for the short-lived YA book club.

---

Synopsis

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.

---

Review

I loved the idea of The Young Elites, the story of the villain, or in this case, the eventual villain. Marie Lu marketed the story of Adelina as that of the anti-hero, and anti-hero she certainly is. I was first introduced to Marie Lu’s writing, and subsequently The Young Elites when I attended BookCon in the spring of 2015, it just took me quite awhile to finally start reading.

My coworker Kim and I decided to make The Young Elites the first book in our short lived Young Adult Book Club at the book store because of the idea that the main character is not, by definition, a good person, as so many protagonists, especially in YA, often are. And the book has stayed with me far longer than the members of the YA book club.

Marie Lu is a wonderful world builder and character creator, but the plot oftentimes takes a second seat to those two things. While detailed and intriguing, the progress often felt forced and jilted, and I personally would have rather gotten to spend a whole lot more time inside Adelina’s head. The constant questioning of good versus bad and where exactly she fell is a question that I think all young adults ask themselves on a regular basis – am I a good person, or am I just doing what society expects of me?

In a political climate where it has become essential to stand up for each other and the rights of those who are not the straight while males who run our political environment, a discussion like that which Adelina puts forth is an important one to say the least. So while I cannot call myself the biggest fan of this book in particular, the role it plays in YA literature is far too large to ignore.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

---