The character development, world building, and writing of this book are all horrible, yet somehow just based on the concept I'm enjoying reading it 

I will say I love the world building in this book. I like the concept of the Young Elites, the idea of threads of energy connecting people, the ways that the society is oppressive and the notions of cyclical violence in it. And I was hooked in simply to know what happens next, so definitely a page turner. I just wasn’t as sold on the characters. It’s very high-emotions, and sometimes that bothered me. And while I’m always down for a morally grey anti-hero, the pure enjoyment the characters got out of violence and causing others pain was honestly a little much for me to read at times. The lust for power as well was a bit much. I would’ve hoped for more nuance about bringing chance to society and instead it’s just a lot of power hungry people seeking vengeance and control, not really wanting to help out the outcasts. Like most of the characters you equally hate and like or find interesting, so you end up kinda indifferent towards them all, but they’re mostly one dimensional honestly. So it’s a good and entertaining read that fills the fantasy/adventure itch but not much more than that personally. 

Marie Lu’s writing and world building is easy to get into. I liked the excerpts from in-world media.

Read The Young Elites if… you like Vi and Jinx from the show Arcane.

Don’t read The Young Elites if… you do not enjoy anti-hero/morally gray protagonists, violence, and depictions of child abuse. 

My fave book trilogy

5 ⭐ CW: Violence, blood, child abuse (emotional and physical), self harm, discrimination, death, torture

The Young Elites by Marie Lu is book one in the Young Elites series. This came out in 2014 and honestly I'm sad I slept on it for so long! This was such an excellent villain story! It gave me X-Men vibes. 

We follow Adelina, a malfetto girl who is being abused by her father and only has her sister Violetta. One night when Adelina tries to runaway, she kills him with illusions she is able to conjure. She discovered that not only is she a malfetto, she is also a Young Elite, children who caught the fever when they were young and survived and gained powers. 

Adelina is arrested and sentenced to execution, but is rescued by the Dagger Society, group of Young Elites fighting against the king and queen's brutal discrimination of malfettos. She finds out she is aligned most strongly with fear and Fury, and passion and ambition. We see her fight to control her power and the pleasure she gets from fear and power.There is a constant battle inside of her, and that makes her a great villain. There is also some political stuff with the main antagonist, Teren, who is an Elite that hates himself and has pledged to rid the world of all malfettos. Dude needs some therapy. 

I loved this story. Adelina went from a meek, abused girl afraid all the time, to do gooder vigilante with some morally gray aspects, to complete villain. I want to learn more about the rest of the Daggers! I'm also really looking forward to the extended world-building that's coming up in the next book. I just really love the way Marie Lu writes her FMCs. Plus we get some queer rep in side characters and disability red in Adelina with her missing eye. 

I'm very excited to read The Rose Society! 

Dark and magical world. Interesting characters and plot twists. 

OMG! This book is so underrated! I can’t believe I’ve never heard it talked about on Book Tok. 

I would give The Young Elites 4 stars. Marie Lu creates a vivid and immersive world filled with magic and political intrigue. The characters are complex and well-developed, and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. The writing is also excellent, with beautiful descriptions and a strong sense of atmosphere. However, the book can be quite dark at times, and some readers may find the violence and themes of betrayal and revenge disturbing.

The Young Elites is a fantasy novel by Marie Lu that follows the story of Adelina Amouteru, a young girl who discovers she has extraordinary powers after surviving a deadly fever that has killed many others. Adelina is taken in by the Dagger Society, a group of rebels who seek to overthrow the ruling class of the kingdom. However, Adelina's powers are unstable, and her thirst for revenge against those who have wronged her threatens to consume her. As Adelina becomes more powerful, she must navigate the dangerous political landscape of the kingdom and decide where her loyalties lie. The Young Elites is a thrilling and engaging read that will appeal to fans of dark fantasy and political intrigue.

I wanted to like this book so badly!
This is the third series from Marie Lu that I've read. The Legend and Warcross series, specifically. I went into The Young Elites expecting a similar format in pacing and narration. I was sad to see that this book did not grab my interest as quickly, nor made me want to keep listening chapter after chapter.

I will say that this book/series has a very different theme from Lu's other works. You are rarely rooting for Adelina to win in this book, which is the point of the text! Unfortunately, it didn't resonate with me as much of her other novels.

If you are looking for a young adult book that has a villain arc for the main character, and a solid amount of worldbuilding, I'd say this is the book for you! This just wasn't my cup of tea.