"The Young Elites" (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu

The Young Elites by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(mild spoilers)

The Young Elites is a different book in a lot of senses. Honestly, most of the time I was reading it I was thinking "this is, like, 3 stars max", but as the book progressed it improved to a solid 4 stars. Here's why!

Adelina is a brilliantly flawed protagonist. You pity, fear, adore, hate, and respect her all at once. She has <1% of a good experience throughout the entire book, haha! But watching her internal struggles and development throughout the story is intriguing. I would not say that I love or even relate strongly to Adelina, but I appreciated the chance to get to know a protagonist that's a little different to usual.

Raffaelle almost single-handedly pulled this book up to 4 stars for me. I loved that from the very start of the novel he was presented as a friend, and a relatively mild and non-threatening one at that... He seemed to have a fairly boring power compared to the others... And then we realise there's more to him than meets the eye. I am very excited to see how his story progresses going forward.

Finally, both the shock death in the ending and the epilogue cinched my love for this series. I love an author that is not afraid to kill of beloved characters because it creates such angst - and great motivation for the remaining characters! The epilogue, Maeve and Baldain in general all made me hunger for the next book (also - potential for a main character to be queer? YES! And a society that passes royal titles down to the women by default? YES YES YES!).

Overall, I found this book a little hard to get into to begin with, but I am definitely glad I stuck with it. A worthy read with complex characters and an intriguing world.

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"Shadow and Bone" (Grisha Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think we always enter a new story world with pre-conceived notions and ideas regarding what it will be about. This book was one of those amazing ones that told a story I was not expecting to hear. The front of my edition has a quote from Veronica Roth: "Unlike anything I've ever read." And I think that's the best way to describe this book.

Quick synopsis: Alina is a small-time officer in the Army when she is told her unit will enter the Unsea, the field of darkness that sweeps through Ravka. When she enters the fold, she reveals a secret power in herself that gets her noticed by the most powerful Grisha of all: The Darkling.

To me, Shadow and Bone was the perfect mix of fantasy, romance and adventure. Not too much of any one of those, but enough to keep me interested. I think the key to a good high fantasy novel is that we do not question the existence of such a world. Good writing with a concentration on continuity achieves this feat, and Bardugo certainly did.

On the romance front, I feel a little ashamed at how much I loved The Darkling. Even knowing his true intentions, I still want redemption for him! And if not, at least a great sex scene with Alina. I know, I am a fool! So yeah, I really want him and Alina together. Which is bad. Since he's super evil and literally plotting world domination. Which brings me to my next point...

I just was not feeling Mal. I know they will end up together, but honestly, Mal was such a lukewarm character. He was the reason I cannot give this book 5 stars. It happens - sometimes, even if a book is great, we just do not connect with a particular character. I have a feeling it's because Mal is missing for most of the book, whereas The Darkling is somewhat omnipresent. Regardless, Mal is boring (sorry everyone).

I loved The Palace, and everything to do with the other Grisha. I especially hope we see more of Genya and Baghra! I have a feeling that they both may be critical to the outcome of this story. Bardugo certainly plants seeds about a lot of characters and events that will most likely become important at a later date. Way to keep me hooked, Bardugo!

I felt very unsure about the ending. I just really hope that Siege and Storm brings Alina and Mal back to Ravka, so they can actually fight The Darkling.[back to Ravka, so they can actually fight The Darkling. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, this book had amazing world-building and a unique story line. I have great hopes for the second book!

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