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Feb 22, 2017CMLibrary_khunter rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This series is one of the few where I am surprised I DO like the villain. Yes, she’s flawed and consumed by her depth of ambition and hunger for any brand of “justice”, even one that crosses lines of morality. However, she also shows an inner conflict, a mental instability caused by her abuse and her powers (which could be symbolic for a real mental illness), and a deep thirst for love, affection, and acceptance, which due to her upbringing, she never received except from her sister (who later betrays her thus causing more violent consequences). I really love the conflict of Adelina’s insanity and her bloodlust rivaled with her desire for power, love, and the fear she weaves into the hearts of others. It makes the ending that much more powerful. One of the other fantastic things about this series are the characters. You really remember Enzo, Raffaele, Teren, and the rest long after you’ve read the series, and each of the Young Elites has their gifts but also has their own loyalties and reads just like real people. When many of the Young Elites have to band together to even begin to stop the horrors occurring in the land, it is strangely a scene of forgiveness, of common alliance at their similar fates, and still they mistrust each other. It is symbolic of how something that benefits everyone could be achieved if all parties set aside their hatred, their selfishness, and their past trespasses to really work as a team. Usually in stories, it is the heroes versus the villains, but in this case, it’s the heroes and the villains having to come to a middle ground to reach a common goal. Very thought provoking and unlike other books out there! One of the things I loved most about this novel was that while it had an entirely different flavor than the previous two which were increasingly dark and felt reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed, it also is the most poetic of the three and really brought out the gift of storytelling that Marie Lu has. I cannot say much more without telling elements that are essential to the final bits of the book. I never could have predicted that outcome; so wow! the twist was shocking, beautiful, and I cried. But no spoilers here! The cover is lovely and at the end of the novel, the reader must contemplate the cover and the title with the novel’s resolution.