The Young Elites

Review by New York Times Review

IT IS "13 JUNO, 1361," and Adelina Amouteru, a teenage girl from a place called Kenettra, is going to be burned at the stake for committing a murder. Several years earlier, we learn, a blood fever spread across this land. Most infected adults died. Children sometimes survived. Some of these children emerged without any sign of the infection; others, like Adelina, were marked and strangely scarred, their hair changing in color. These children, known as malfettos, are considered to have no social value and are persecuted by the government. Adelina's own father, who regarded her as worthless, was preparing to sell her off to a business associate as a mistress to complete a deal. She decided to escape rather than accept this fate, and in the process accidentally killed her father. It is this act that has brought her to the stake, an uncompromising opening to "The Young Elites," Marie Lu's first novel after her hugely popular Legend series. As Adelina is bound, flames all around her, we meet some of the Young Elites of the title: malfettos with special abilities. This particular group, called the Dagger Society, seeks out other Young Elites before the government can find them. They have names like the Reaper, Spider, Star Thief, Magiano and the Windwalker. There are shades of the X-Men here - all highly individual mutants, feared and pursued by the government because of their powers. Adelina is a Young Elite; she has the power to control illusions, though she has not known it until this moment. Taken to the secret lair of the Daggers, she is tested and trained to the breaking point, and Lu interweaves these training montages with scenes of political intrigue. We find familiar figures that appear in many fantasy stories - the weak king, the duplicitous queen, the rebel prince, the scheming adviser, the knowing consort They are at times a bit too familiar. The characters, at least in the early parts of the book, sometimes suffer from underdevelopment. A lot of storytelling energy goes toward creating the book's detailed landscape - a fully realized geography, with its own lands and peoples. Each chapter in Adelina's voice begins with a quotation from one of this world's texts - essays, scholarly works, translations of religious tracts, folk songs, letters by historical personages, and works with titles like "A Private Thesis on the Romancing of Three Kings" or "The Thief Who Stole the Stars" that are of unexplained provenance but sound so delicious that we wish we could read them in their entirety. This fine bit of embroidery stitches the narrative together from chapter to chapter and brings the extremely pleasant feeling that this world has always existed. It must be real - it has a magnificent library. The completeness of the world Lu has created comes through in other moments as well, such as when we see great beasts called baliras that resemble "ocean rays" gliding across the harbor of the great city of Estenzia. Adelina remarks that they are used for transporting cargo at home in Dalia, and that she has never seen them this close. In some ways, the story brings to mind a richly illustrated set of Tarot cards - familiar figures set against a richly detailed background, with the details of the picture hinting at a story yet untold. THIS IMBALANCE BETWEEN character development and world-building is most evident in the first half of the story - sometimes the exquisite scenery threatens to eat the characters. Things turn around in the second half, thanks to several sudden reversals. The book is never dull; there are battles, mobs in the streets, mad escapes and spies behind every column. But when the characters break free of type, the story momentum increases by several orders of magnitude. We can no longer anticipate what's around the corner, and we turn the pages more quickly. Lu avoids the easy route out of story problems and allows Adelina to make serious mistakes. By permitting her characters some grand failures, she raises the stakes in the best way possible. At the end of the book, it is clear that Lu is presenting a large-world fantasy that will involve multiple kingdoms. She hints that we will learn about the background of the Young Elites. There is clearly more to know, and I look forward to it. This is a world worth revisiting. MAUREEN JOHNSON is the author of 11 young adult novels, including the Suite Scarlett series and "The Name of the Star."

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [November 2, 2014]

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Review by Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Adelina Amouteru is a walking wound. A deadly fever has ravaged her country, killing many and leaving others marked in strange and dangerous ways. Adelina is a survivor who carries two marks: once-black hair has turned silver, and her left eye is gone. Known as malfettos, those scarred by the disease are considered bad luck, even dangerous. There are rumors that some survivors have magical abilities, and after a dark confrontation with her power-hungry father, Adelina discovers that the fever may have left her with more than scars after all. Thrust into a group of rebel malfettos, the Young Elites, Adelina realizes the extent of her latent powers. Those familiar with Lu's wildly popular Legend series will recognize the author's propensity to include multiple perspectives, and here those viewpoints include other members of the Young Elites and their rebel leader, as well as the queen's Inquisitor, who is hunting them all. Still, this is Adelina's tale. Part bildungsroman, part origin story, this explores the idea that what damages you gives you strength, but often with a price. Lu's careful world building does slow the plot, but the result is that Adelina's Italianesque culture is believable, and the story leads to a whopper of a finale and an even more intriguing epilogue. Fans of Legend or not, readers should prepare to be captivated and to look forward to a continuation of the Young Elites series. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A national author tour and promotions at BEA and Comic-Con will help start the buzz for this author, who has already proven she can draw a crowd.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Starred Review. In this series opener, Lu (the Legend trilogy) pivots from the "coming of age via romance" formula to pry apart the many emotions that pass under the rubric of love. Adelina Amouteru, once-privileged daughter of a merchant, is irrevocably changed by the blood fever, an epidemic that wiped out infected adults and left most child survivors permanently scarred malfettos. A handful also underwent mutations that conferred strange, often lethal powers. All malfettos are persecuted, but these mutant Young Elites are special targets. Harrowingly, Adelina discovers that she is one. Rescued by a masked firebrand from certain death under the government's Inquisition, she awakens in the custody of Raffaele, a male prostitute, and Enzo, malfetto aspirant to the throne. A beautiful woman surrounded by beautiful men, Adelina nevertheless is not defined by romance. Warped family bonds shape her consciousness and yearning for acceptance, and the men are out to get what they want from her. There's nothing easy here, for Adelina or readers-there are no safe places where the pressures of betrayal, death threats, and rejection aren't felt. Ages 12-up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up-A rollicking series opener from the author of the "Legend" series (Putnam). Imagine surviving a plague of fever, only to be marked as an abomination by your countrymen. Most survivors of the sickness that vanquished thousands in this alternative medieval world possess a strange and unique marking, whether it be a facial coloring, oddly tinged hair, or, in Adelina's case, a missing eye. Called malfettos, some are endowed with magical gifts that enable them to control wind, fire, earth, and even humans. All Adelina has ever wanted is to feel accepted and loved, but she's ignored by her father, and her sister doesn't have the power to save her. When the teen escapes an unwanted proposal, she unwittingly becomes a member of the Dagger Society, an Elite group of malfettos bent on using their supernatural abilities to escape the Inquisition's genocide and place their leader, Enzo, on the throne of Kenettra. Adelina struggles with an increasing distrust of Enzo, her fellow Elites, and herself, all while learning how to control her powers of illusion and disillusion. Lu seamlessly melds an unforgettable and intoxicating historical fantasy narrative with a strong female protagonist that grapples with an issue experienced by all young adults-acceptance of one's self. Well written, fast paced without being confusing, and enjoyable enough for teens, reluctant readers, and even adults. Brimming with engaging battles-physical and emotional-and meticulous backdrops, Lu's new series will be a surefire hit with old and new fans alike.- Amanda C. Buschmann, Atascocita Middle School, Humble, TX (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

In the island kingdom of Kenettra, Adelina Amouteru is a malfetto, one of the few who survived a devastating and deadly blood fever to emerge with otherworldly abilities that make them suspect. When Adelina is blamed for her father's death and about to be executed by the Inquisition, she is rescued by the Young Elites, a band of malfettos whose superhuman powers are at the service of Enzo, the dispossessed crown prince, who is trying to win back the throne from his scheming older sister. Adelina's training is going slowly under the tutelage of Raffaele, a beautiful, androgynous consort, but when Enzo takes over, the attraction between herself and Enzo fuels Adelina's efforts. Lu's vision of gifted young outcasts is a dark one, with Adelina (scarred physically by the fever and psychically by her father) drawing her power from fear, anger, and ambition; the other members of the Young Elites are similarly complex, without straightforward loyalties or untainted motives. The darkness extends to the plot as well, with several hard-hitting twists that will come as a shock to unsuspecting readers. Adelina's first-person voice, with her romantic uncertainties and desire for revenge and self-actualization, lands on the current, Mortal Instruments-occupied sweet-spot of current teen vogue, making this series-opener likely to be a hit. anita l. burkam (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A new seriesfantasy, this timefrom the author of the best-selling Legend dystopia. Twelve years ago, the blood fever raged through Kenettra, killing all infected adults and leaving the surviving children marked with scars, patterned skin and unnaturally colored hair. Malfetto, the survivors are called, and everyone knows they are terrible luck. A few malfettos are rumored to have great and mystical powers, and these Young Elites are sought by the Inquisition even while the common people secretly cheer on their defiance against a cruel and ineffectual king. Adelina is a 16-year-old malfetto, tormented by her abusive father until her own Young Elite power reveals itself. Both the Inquisition and the Young Elites want to use her, but Adelina wants only to protect herself and her beloved sister. She's no heroic savior; Adelina's Young Elite strength is honed by a decade of abuse and torment that's turned her into a force motivated foremost by rage and terror. Shifting points of view reveal the forces that treat Adelina as a pawn in a game much larger than she can understand, driving her to an extremely unusual lead-in for Volume 2. In a gorgeously constructed world that somewhat resembles Renaissance Italy but with its own pantheon, geography and fauna, the multiethnic and multisexual Young Elites offer a cinematically perfect ensemble of gorgeous-but-unusual illusionists, animal speakers, fire summoners and wind callers. A must for fans of Kristin Cashore's Fire (2009) and other totally immersive fantasies. (Fantasy. 13 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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13 Juno, 1361 City of Dalia Southern Kenettra The Sealands * * * Some hate us, think us outlaws to hang at the gallows. Some fear us, think us demons to burn at the stake. Some worship us, think us children of the gods. But all know us. -- Unknown source on the Young Elites Adelina Amouteru I'm going to die tomorrow morning. That's what the Inquisitors tell me, anyway, when they visit my cell. I've been in here for weeks--I know this only because I've been counting the number of times my meals come. One day. Two days. Four days. A week. Two weeks. Three. I stopped counting after that. The hours run together, an endless train of nothingness, filled with different slants of light and the shiver of cold, wet stone, the pieces of my sanity, the disjointed whispers of my thoughts. But tomorrow, my time ends. They're going to burn me at the stake in the central market square, for all to see. The Inquisitors tell me a crowd has already begun to gather outside. I sit straight, the way I was always taught. My shoulders don't touch the wall. It takes me a while to realize that I'm rocking back and forth, perhaps to stay sane, perhaps just to keep warm. I hum an old lullaby too, one my mother used to sing to me when I was very little. I do my best to imitate her voice, a sweet and delicate sound, but my notes come out cracked and hoarse, nothing like what I remember. I stop trying. It's so damp down here. Water trickles from above my door and has painted a groove into the stone wall, discolored green and black with grime. My hair is matted, and my nails are caked with blood and dirt. I want to scrub them clean. Is it strange that all I can think about on my last day is how filthy I am? If my little sister were here, she'd murmur something reassuring and soak my hands in warm water. I can't stop wondering if she's okay. She hasn't come to see me. I lower my head into my hands. How did I end up like this? But I know how, of course. It's because I'm a murderer. * * * It happened several weeks earlier, on a stormy night at my father's villa. I couldn't sleep. Rain fell and lightning reflected off the window of my bedchamber. But even the storm couldn't drown out the conversation from downstairs. My father and his guest were talking about me, of course. My father's late-night conversations were always about me. I was the talk of my family's eastern Dalia district. Adelina Amouteru? they all said. Oh, she's one of those who survived the fever a decade ago. Poor thing. Her father will have a hard time marrying her off. No one meant because I wasn't beautiful . I'm not being arrogant, only honest. My nursemaid once told me that any man who'd ever laid eyes on my late mother was now waiting curiously to see how her two daughters would blossom into women. My younger sister, Violetta, was only fourteen and already the budding image of perfection. Unlike me, Violetta had inherited our mother's rosy temperament and innocent charm. She'd kiss my cheeks and laugh and twirl and dream. When we were very small, we'd sit together in the garden and she would braid periwinkles into my hair. I would sing to her. She would make up games. We loved each other, once. My father would bring Violetta jewels and watch her clap her hands in delight as he strung them around her neck. He would buy her exquisite dresses that arrived in port from the farthest ends of the world. He would tell her stories and kiss her good night. He would remind her how beautiful she was, how far she would raise our family's standing with a good marriage, how she could attract princes and kings if she desired. Violetta already had a line of suitors eager to secure her hand, and my father would tell each of them to be patient, that they could not marry her until she turned seventeen. What a caring father , everyone thought. Of course, Violetta didn't escape all of my father's cruelty. He purposely bought her dresses that were tight and painful. He enjoyed seeing her feet bleed from the hard, jeweled shoes he encouraged her to wear. Still. He loved her, in his own way. It's different, you see, because she was his investment. I was another story. Unlike my sister, blessed with shining black hair to complement her dark eyes and rich olive skin, I am flawed. And by flawed, I mean this: When I was four years old, the blood fever reached its peak and everyone in Kenettra barred their homes in a state of panic. No use. My mother, sister, and I all came down with the fever. You could always tell who was infected--strange, mottled patterns showed up on our skin, our hair and lashes flitted from one color to another, and pink, blood-tinged tears ran from our eyes. I still remember the smell of sickness in our house, the burn of brandy on my lips. My left eye became so swollen that a doctor had to remove it. He did it with a red-hot knife and a pair of burning tongs. So, yes. You could say I am flawed. Marked. A malfetto . While my sister emerged from the fever unscathed, I now have only a scar where my left eye used to be. While my sister's hair remained a glossy black, the strands of my hair and lashes turned a strange, ever-shifting silver, so that in the sunlight they look close to white, like a winter moon, and in the dark they change to a deep gray, shimmering silk spun from metal. At least I fared better than Mother did. Mother, like every infected adult, died. I remember crying in her empty bedchamber each night, wishing the fever had taken Father instead. My father and his mysterious guest were still talking downstairs. My curiosity got the best of me and I swung my legs over the side of my bed, crept toward my chamber door on light feet, and opened it a crack. Dim candlelight illuminated the hall outside. Below, my father sat across from a tall, broad-shouldered man with graying hair at his temples, his hair tied back at the nape of his neck in a short, customary tail, the velvet of his coat shining black and orange in the light. My father's coat was velvet too, but the material was worn thin. Before the blood fever crippled our country, his clothes would have been as luxurious as his guest's. But now? It's hard to keep good trade relations when you have a malfetto daughter tainting your family's name. Excerpted from The Young Elites by Marie Lu All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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