I've got a confession to make. When my finals started mid May, something changed. And by changed, I mean that my life turned into somewhat of school, eat ,work, sleep, repeat.
You might've guessed that there was next to no space for any other interest there, and you're damn right. Guess how long it's been since I picked up a book. Two months. Two months.
Alright, technically I have picked up a few, but those have been books that I not so voluntarily read for classes, or books that I actively did not want to read, but obviously that had to be done anyway. Long story short, my assigned readings totally took the pleasure out of my private ones.
However, I was looking for something that would help me get my mind off everything that has been going on lately, so, just as I used to, I turned to my bookshelf. And I realized that one book had been sitting there for a while - ever since I got it for Easter, to be precise.
It was time to give it some love.
"The Young Elites" is a fantasy novel - yes, this is kind of a first for me, too - and is the first installment in what is going to be a trilogy, which is written by Marie Lu. If you feel like her name sounds familiar, you might've heard of the Legend series, which was another trilogy of hers. (That was really flippin' good as well, might I add.)
The story takes place in Kenettra, a city that is losely based on acient Venice in 1361. It revolves around Adelina Amouteru, a sixteen year old girl who survived the blood fever which swept across the country, killing all of the infected adults and leaving its young survivors, the malfettos, marked - changes in hair- or eyecolor, streaks of color across their bodys, the like. Adelina herself lost an eye due to the disease, making her stand out and being an outcast.
Rumor has it that some of the malfettos have mysterious abilities - people call them "The Young Elites". Trying to provoke those abilities in Adelina, her father both physically and mentally abuses her for years, until she manages to kill him and escape.
Her freedom does not last long, though, as she is captured and meant to be excecuted for showing signs of having those mysterious, "demonic" abilities. But before that can happen, the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites saves her.
Adelina learns that the Daggers did not save her out of pure kindness, but because they were looking to recruit her for their mission - their leader, the crown prince Enzo, was banished from the palace after being marked as a malfetto, leading to his sister marrying a Duke who then became king and soon started his mission to rid the country of all malfettos.
Adelina decides to join them, and so her stories really begins...
Let me say this first and foremost. This book does not have a real protagonist. Adelina is not a nice girl, and she definitely is no hero. She is drawn to fear and anger, both of which help her powers grow stronger, and also power itself.
I like that she is no victim. Obviously, she might seem inferior due to her disability, but Adelina can definitely still kick ass.
But seeing the story unfold from her point of view is nothing for the faint-hearted. Being in her head is quite scary - because how could it not be? Adelina's past is dark and filled with pain and terror, which keep following her every step of her way. As her powers grow over the time she spend with the Daggers, so does the darkness inside of her.
I'm not saying that she is entirely bad, because she certainly is not. There are scenes that bring out the good in her, scenes that make it seem like there is hope for her. Where she resists doing the wrong thing. I think those scenes were the most important ones in my eyes.
Adelina's flaws make her human, even among all those things that are so unhman about her, and it's clear that she is not entirely lost.
In my opinion, "The Young Elites" is definitely a novel that is so worth the shot. Yes, even though you might've been sceptical ever since you heard the word fantasy. I myself had never read a fantasy book before this one, and while it took a while to get used to at first, the effort I had to make then was so worth it a hundred pages later.
It's an unusal book for sure, but passing it up would definitely be a waste.
"The Young Elites" by Marie Lu is available on amazon for $11.54.
What book did you pick up recently?
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You might've guessed that there was next to no space for any other interest there, and you're damn right. Guess how long it's been since I picked up a book. Two months. Two months.
Alright, technically I have picked up a few, but those have been books that I not so voluntarily read for classes, or books that I actively did not want to read, but obviously that had to be done anyway. Long story short, my assigned readings totally took the pleasure out of my private ones.
However, I was looking for something that would help me get my mind off everything that has been going on lately, so, just as I used to, I turned to my bookshelf. And I realized that one book had been sitting there for a while - ever since I got it for Easter, to be precise.
It was time to give it some love.
"The Young Elites" is a fantasy novel - yes, this is kind of a first for me, too - and is the first installment in what is going to be a trilogy, which is written by Marie Lu. If you feel like her name sounds familiar, you might've heard of the Legend series, which was another trilogy of hers. (That was really flippin' good as well, might I add.)
The story takes place in Kenettra, a city that is losely based on acient Venice in 1361. It revolves around Adelina Amouteru, a sixteen year old girl who survived the blood fever which swept across the country, killing all of the infected adults and leaving its young survivors, the malfettos, marked - changes in hair- or eyecolor, streaks of color across their bodys, the like. Adelina herself lost an eye due to the disease, making her stand out and being an outcast.
Rumor has it that some of the malfettos have mysterious abilities - people call them "The Young Elites". Trying to provoke those abilities in Adelina, her father both physically and mentally abuses her for years, until she manages to kill him and escape.
Her freedom does not last long, though, as she is captured and meant to be excecuted for showing signs of having those mysterious, "demonic" abilities. But before that can happen, the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites saves her.
Adelina learns that the Daggers did not save her out of pure kindness, but because they were looking to recruit her for their mission - their leader, the crown prince Enzo, was banished from the palace after being marked as a malfetto, leading to his sister marrying a Duke who then became king and soon started his mission to rid the country of all malfettos.
Adelina decides to join them, and so her stories really begins...
Let me say this first and foremost. This book does not have a real protagonist. Adelina is not a nice girl, and she definitely is no hero. She is drawn to fear and anger, both of which help her powers grow stronger, and also power itself.
I like that she is no victim. Obviously, she might seem inferior due to her disability, but Adelina can definitely still kick ass.
But seeing the story unfold from her point of view is nothing for the faint-hearted. Being in her head is quite scary - because how could it not be? Adelina's past is dark and filled with pain and terror, which keep following her every step of her way. As her powers grow over the time she spend with the Daggers, so does the darkness inside of her.
I'm not saying that she is entirely bad, because she certainly is not. There are scenes that bring out the good in her, scenes that make it seem like there is hope for her. Where she resists doing the wrong thing. I think those scenes were the most important ones in my eyes.
Adelina's flaws make her human, even among all those things that are so unhman about her, and it's clear that she is not entirely lost.
In my opinion, "The Young Elites" is definitely a novel that is so worth the shot. Yes, even though you might've been sceptical ever since you heard the word fantasy. I myself had never read a fantasy book before this one, and while it took a while to get used to at first, the effort I had to make then was so worth it a hundred pages later.
It's an unusal book for sure, but passing it up would definitely be a waste.
"The Young Elites" by Marie Lu is available on amazon for $11.54.
What book did you pick up recently?
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