Summary (from Amazon): I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
Rating: 6/10
It pains me to say that I was not a huge fan of this book. I adore Marie Lu as a writer. Whenever I need inspiration, I turn to the Legend books, among others. This book was no exception. As always, the imagery was great. The world was beautifully built, and I loved the culture and traditions that were established. My big issue was that I had a hard time caring about the characters. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t connect to any of them (except one, but for more on him, watch the video). I don’t mind that Adelina was such a dark character, but at times, it felt like her darkness was forced. She’d be so kind and almost innocent one second, then she’d want people to feel her wrath. It just didn’t seem to me like she had the capacity to be so dark. I do like her development though, and I’m curious to see where she’ll go in the next books.
Like Adelina, I never knew who to trust. There was no solid ground. Some people may like that. A lot of people do. Even I like it a lot of the time. I’m really not sure why I didn’t like it in this book. Typing this, I feel like a terrible person, because I honestly can’t justify a reason why I didn’t love this book. It has everything I always love in books, but for some reason this one just didn’t connect.
Please, don’t let me turn you away from reading this book. Make your own opinion and then come back and tell me about it. If you like really really weird fantasy books and you don’t mind dark stuff, then you should enjoy this book a lot!
For a full discussion, watch the video:
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