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The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)

Marie Lu

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What Members Thought

Aug 27, 2014 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy-and-sci-fi, series-i-don-t-love-but-keep-readin

The short version: I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't identify with any of the characters, I didn't care about any of the characters.

The longer version: I was left feeling very meh about this book, but at the same time I am eager to read the next one in the series. That's because the most interesting chapter in the book is the LAST chapter, which introduces a major new character and sets up (I assume) the next book in the series.

Where were these intriguing characters and plotlines for The short version: I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't identify with any of the characters, I didn't care about any of the characters.

The longer version: I was left feeling very meh about this book, but at the same time I am eager to read the next one in the series. That's because the most interesting chapter in the book is the LAST chapter, which introduces a major new character and sets up (I assume) the next book in the series.

Where were these intriguing characters and plotlines for the rest of the book??? Sleeping away in a crypt somewhere, I guess.

When this story opens, Adelina is in prison. They we flashback to her youth, nothing much happens, she gets sick, her dad is an ass, her relationship with her sister is complicated to put it mildly ... and nothing much happens. Adeline is not the least bit compelling or sympathetic. Then she runs away, which normally might lead to some excitement, but not in this book. And then - AND THEN - she is tied to a stake and about to be burned to death - one would THINK this would be an edge-of-your-seat sort of thing. But it's not. Somehow the entire narrative is so distanced that I just didn't give a shit. I continued to dislike Adelina, as well as every other character.

Then we move on to the X-Men portion of our tale. A lot of new characters are introduced, and I had a hard time keeping them all straight. There's Enzo, with the dark smouldering eyes and the flaming hands and the possible love interest. And Raffaele, whose super power is ... being a fantastic prostitute? I think? And Gemma, who talks to animals. And Lucent, who does ... something. And Michel, the architect, who also does ... something. And Dante, who hates Adelina, and is deadly somehow in some way that I didn't bother to keep track of. And maybe one or two more. They basically had one thing in common: I didn't much care about them.

Some of the chapters are from another POV, and that's okay, I'm cool with alternating POVs. But there were only a few chapters from Teren (who is sort of but not really but yet really really the enemy), so instead of an alternating viewpoint, it felt like a cheap and easy way to let us learn a little bit about Teren by TELLING us (by letting us inside his head) rather than by SHOWING us (maybe, for example, having Adelina spy a few scenes while she's imprisoned or whatever). That was weak. Ms Lu can do better.

The main character, Adelina is not very likeable, and most of the chapters are told from her POV. So you pretty much have to be in her corner or not be there at all. And I was not in her corner. I get that she's supposed to be dark and complex, and yes she is, but at the same time, she spends most of the book feeling gobsmacked. She rarely steps up and DOES something. More often she's just along for the ride, forced to go this way or that way, feeling sad that no one else likes her (geez, maybe if you stopped moping around, staring at your own navel all the time and actually, you know, tried to feel something for someone ELSE for a change, things might be different), and occasionally feeling shocked at her own abilities. And a lot of the characters don't like her, or don't trust her, and honestly I can't say that I blame them. So they also came across as unlikeable, but not REALLY unlikeable, since I didn't like or trust Adelina either!

Suffice it to say, I didn't really care who lived and who died.

I did find it interesting how Ms Lu uses Italian names and some Italian traits and cultures in the land of ... whatever it was call (Kenetra? Estevia? Estencia? Ettratia? something like that. I've already returned the book to the library so I can't do look it up.) And the Skylands appear to be somewhat Norse. And Belden is Celtic, with the very interesting and appealing and sympathetic Crown Princess Maeve, whom we meet in the final chapter, and whom I want to get to know much more about. ...more

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Jan 21, 2015 Josianne Fitzgerald rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, cac

This is Xmen in a Italian Rennaissancey setting. The main character is powerful but tormented. Her father was emotionally cruel and she has felt rejected her whole life. Her younger sister is kidnapped by the Inquisition, whose goal is to stamp out the mutants - here called malfettos, malformed - and the price of her freedom is the main character's betrayal of the Young Elites. Themes of doomed love, rejection, self-loathing and betrayal over saturate. Teens are going to love this. ...more

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Jan 13, 2015 Abigail rated it it was ok

Kind of a mixture of Frozen and Divergent and not in a good way. It felt like 60% of the book was about trying to master powers and then when the action finally picked up everything kind of unraveled and made me think we're going to end up with another Game of Thrones for YA knock off. Disappointing. ...more

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Dec 08, 2014 Bethany rated it it was ok

Holy crap, did I dislike this book. The only thing that saved it from being a one-star is that Teren is an interesting character. If only the book could've been only about him. Completely contrived "love" story, boring main character, etc. Shatter Me did this whole "secret powers" thing a LOT better. ...more

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