AUTHOR: Marie Lu
RELEASE DATE: October 2015
PUBLISHER: P.G. Putnam's Sons
PAGES: 395 pages
SERIES: Book 2 in The Young Elites trilogy
GENRE: Fantasy
OVERALL RATING: 4/5
APPROPRIATE AGE: grades 8-12
SUMMARY: Adelina Amouteru has been cast out by the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites, for her betrayal to their leader, Enzo (see first book: The Young Elites). She flees Kennetra with her sister to find other Young Elites to build her own army so that she may get her revenge on the Inquisition, who almost killed her and continually fight to destroy the rest of the Malfettos. But what will Adelina have to give up to get everything she wants? Her family, her friends, her love, even... her powers?
FAVORITE QUOTE: "Enzo inherited a throne. Guilietta relied on her royal blood. Queen Maeve rules Beldain because she was born to it. But true rulers are not born. We are made." (Lu, 375)
WHAT I LIKED: In an MTV interview from 2013, Marie Lu described The Young Elites series "as 'X-Men' meets 'Assasin's Creed'. It's superheroes but in this fantasy, renaissance-y society." I absolutely love the world building in this book. The renaissance style with different kingdoms, clothing, traditions, and language. I love the characters' names: Adelina Amouteru, Raffaele Laurent Bessette, Guilietta, Magiano, Violetta, etc. It seems like they just roll off your tongue, you want to say them over and over. It completely blows my mind that there are people out there that can just make this stuff up. One of the reasons why I will always be a reader, and never be the writer.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I am a huge fan of Marie Lu, I absolutely loved her Legend series, it is easily in my Top Ten. The first book in this series, The Young Elites, was great, easily a five star book. I loved watching the evolution of Adelina's character from a scared, beaten, little girl to The White Wolf. However, I felt like this second book was missing something, and I can tell you exactly what it was: Enzo. The absence of Adelina's love interest that brought out her softer side really altered the storyline. Throughout the entire novel she became more and more angry, the evil just eating her up inside. However, that will not stop me from reading the third novel in the series to see how her character evolves again.
READALIKES: Shatter Me series by Tahereh MafiWHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I am a huge fan of Marie Lu, I absolutely loved her Legend series, it is easily in my Top Ten. The first book in this series, The Young Elites, was great, easily a five star book. I loved watching the evolution of Adelina's character from a scared, beaten, little girl to The White Wolf. However, I felt like this second book was missing something, and I can tell you exactly what it was: Enzo. The absence of Adelina's love interest that brought out her softer side really altered the storyline. Throughout the entire novel she became more and more angry, the evil just eating her up inside. However, that will not stop me from reading the third novel in the series to see how her character evolves again.
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