The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3)

                Hello happy readers!  So the weather in Georgia has been a bit crazy going from a few days in the 80's then a sudden drop and it's 52 inside my house right now.  I prefer the cold because I love my fireplace and blankets and getting cozy but I could do without the sudden shifting back and forth my sinuses have no idea what is happening lol.  That said I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead.  I got way off schedule on my last days off because Jessica Jones season 2 dropped on Netflix and I found it as it dropped and thought it would be a good idea to binge all 13 episodes in one sitting instead of sleep so…tonight at work should be fun.  But for now let me share my thoughts on a series ender I was finally able to finish up this year:  The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu.  I previously reviewed the first two titles The YoungElites & The Rose Society.

Rating:  5 Stars

                We have been on a wild ride with Adelina.  She was new to the world of powers and she quickly grew into her powers.  She suffered and she fought.  Now she is queen and she is set to take on the rest of the world.  She had good intentions but over time her cruelty grows and the darkness within her has begun to spiral out against even her.  The past is not that far behind her as she is forced to face old wounds and risk herself to save ever Elite including the world as a whole.  The Roses and Daggers must journey together despite the past pains for the sake of the world. 

                We have been on a journey with Adelina and over time she has gone from a girl who has been through a very harsh and tough life that you wanted to succeed.  When she was cruel it made sense given her history and what she was dealing with.  Overtime she grew more powerful and her anger and cruelty grew to exceed what was needed tipping over the point making her a real villain of the story.  She took the whole revenge thing very seriously.  I felt bad while reading because part of me totally understood her reasoning for some of it.  Her hatred for those who treated the marked badly or differently, turning the tables on them I understood in some way but I also understood it wasn't something that could last because it just flipped the script instead of fixing the problem.  She was also very quick to be suspicious and lash out.  Again I understood given what she went through and knew but it grew each time. 

                I think while this story is very fantasy I could see similarities to mental health in them.  As her own darkness turned on her it became clear that she is also the victim of her story as it was inside her pushing her.  She could know something but then her mind would somehow turn things around until she was no longer sure of things.  That is something I think many people have dealt with and can relate to.  For me I wasn't sure if I would be able to really grow to love Adelina again as I did in the beginning but as this story played on I really did start to feel for her more.  I loved seeing the Roses and the Daggers together again.  It was both hard and amazing to see them come together again both suspicious of the other.  Danger is on all sides it seems but the world is at stake and that puts them in the same boat….at least for the time being. 

                I enjoyed getting to see all my favorite characters and see their interactions.  I loved seeing how the different relationships melded together.  Everyone has changed through the series and watching as the different characters react and grow over time both separate and together was beautiful.  I don't know how much more I can say about the story without reaching into spoilers but to say that for the end…I had the feels.  I was not 100% sure how I felt about it right away but really had to think on it after I had processed it a bit more.  I was expecting my heart to be broken but then it happened in a way that just ripped it out even more roughly than I planned for.  Lots of tears and feels but in the end it was a fitting end to the story that we started telling in book one.  I enjoyed the store Lu wrote for us with these Elites and the world that they sought to save even when it wasn't always good to them. 

                Until next time…

~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3)

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu

Out: 10/11

From Goodreads:

                The thrilling finale to the New York Times bestselling Young Elites series from “hit factory” Marie Lu.

                There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

                Adelina Amouteru is done suffering.  She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge:  victory.  Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows.  The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she’s achieved.

                Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds when a new danger appears, putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite and the very world they live in.  In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

                Bestselling author Marie Lu concludes Adelina’s story with this haunting and hypnotizing final installment to the Young Elites series.

Why I’m Waiting:

                Ummm OMG do you have to ask?  This series has been so different and so dark following Adelina who has morphed through the first two books I’m dying to see where she ends up next!  Plus it’s the last book and with how things left off in The Rose Society I need to know more!!!!

                What are you waiting on?  Tell me below what you think of this title and leave a link to your WoW as well so I can check it out!

Review & Giveaway! The Rose Society by Marie Lu

                Welcome everyone I have something a bit more exciting today and that is my first giveaway of 2016!  That’s right it’s for a signed copy of the very book I’m going to be reviewing!  All the details will be down below in the rafflecopter.  I had to the pleasure of meeting Marie Lu when she visited Little Shop of Stories in Decatur GA (if you’re ever in the area I highly suggest swinging by the staff are great and make my 3.5-4 hr drive to come to their events worth every minute).  While I was there getting my copy of The RoseSociety signed I thought that there would be others who wouldn’t have the chance to meet her and I got a second copy and had her sign it as well so I could do this very thing!  Sorry for the delay but the end of the year with holidays, baking galore, and such it was a bit crazy.  So that’s enough of that, here are my thoughts on The Rose Society by the wonderful Marie Lu.  This is the sequel to The Young Elites (review) so if you haven’t read that yet there will be some spoilers for that one.

Rating:  5 Stars

                This is a villains story.  We pick up where we left off.  Adelina has suffered in life.  She has been treated badly by both family and friends.  All of this has turned her already dark thoughts down the bitter path of revenge.  When she was with the Daggers she was given the name White Wolf, and now everyone shall fear the White Wolf.  She has fled Kenetta with her sister after being cast out by those she thought of as friends.  Now looking for other Elites to create her own army with one goal, to strike down the Inquisition Axis and anyone who stands in her way.

                This book is intense.  Adelina is not a hero.  She is a villain.  Her powers are fed by fear and hate and they have grown out of her control.  There is a quote, a tagline for the book, and it pretty much sums it up and sends shivers down my arms:  Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends.  Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.  See!  Adelina has found a small piece of family with her sister and their new journey and understanding, their one rule, never use their powers against one another.  Still the sins of the past still linger in her dark mind.  In The Young Elites, I know she was supposed to be the villain even then, but I still thought of her as the hero trying to do right but being put in pretty rough spots.  The Rose Society I never had any grand delusions that she was the hero and what’s more is that I don’t think there is a hero of the book.  Everyone is dark and devious and has their own agenda.  Still I found many instances where she did ‘hero-like’ things, but as her power rages on and out of control she becomes more sinister.  I was blown away by the depth of it all.  I was constantly unsure what I wanted to happen next.

                I can’t say this enough but wow.  Everything is so expanded upon much more.  We see a wider picture of the world they live in and different characters are moving about like pieces on a game board.  Each hungry for something.  I just loved how intricate everything was.  The way characters are developed is just astounding.  More on the Daggers, even getting to know more about Teren had me on edge and considering my thoughts on that man that is something.  We also get to know new Elites, as Adelina builds her own society, two of my favorites are Magiano and Sergio.  Also while her sister was central in the last book, having been kidnapped and providing motivation, in this we get to know her more as a person and see her power unfold. 

                There is so much happening, the last half of the book was just beyond insane.  I was shocked, happy, mad, and everything in between.  The chaos and confusion of emotions was just spot on.  Marie Lu did a spectacular job in this sequel.  I can’t wait for the next book to come out so I can know more.

                 I’d love to hear your thoughts on the sequel and the series as a whole so let me know in the comments below.   Now for the giveaway, it’s pretty simple.  I’m leaving this open for three weeks and announce the winner on February 1^st.  It's also going to be open internationally so everyone can enter!  So share and spread the love!  I’ll be checking the entries of course but look forward to sending this one out!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Waiting on Wednesday~ The Rose Society by Marie Lu

                “Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  Basically books that are not yet out that we are dying to get our hands on.  This week’s pick is:

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Out October 13^th

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends.  Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

From Goodreads:

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge.  Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies.  Her goal:  to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.

But Adelina is no heroine.  Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her  control.  She does not trust her newfound Elite friends.  Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead.  And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance, Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her.  But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?

My thoughts:

                I read The Young Elites with a friend, last month and it was amazing.  I wasn’t sure what to expect I hadn’t read a middle grade book (that’s what I heard this was labeled as) since I hadn’t read one in forever!  Not what I would expect kids read but what do I know.  It was amazing and intense.  I was completely floored and I wanted more.  I’m also super happy I didn’t have to wait long for this!  A positive of procrastination! 

                That’s one I’m waiting on.  What are you waiting on?  Share in the comments below!

~The Young Elites by Marie Lu~

                Hi!  Hope everyone had a good weekend.  Mine was somewhat productive but not nearly as productive as I would have liked.  Okay mostly I slept.  I also did some reading which is what is most important.  I also wrote up some reviews to share with my fellow book lovers.  One of those is The Young Elites by Marie Lu.  I had previously read the Legend trilogy and really enjoyed it and was excited to start a new series by her, but after buying it as a new release it sat on the shelf until recently.  It's an ever growing problem but I like to buy books!

Rating: 5 Stars

                Adelina is a survivor of the blood fever.  A decade ago this illness swept through the nation and killed most everyone infected.  Many of the children who survived were left marked, for Adelina her black hair turned silver and she lost an eye (this part always crept me out and made my eyeballs water whenever it is mentioned) and only has a scar.  She is a malfetto, an abomination.  Her father is a cruel type and doesn't take well to her sullying the family name.  Some malfetto's are said to have developed powers/gifts, known as the Young Elites.  We follow as Adelina is thrust into a cruel world and finds herself among the Dagger Society between them and the Inquisition Axis.  Her powers are something different than they have seen.  Something darker, a vengeful heart and a desire to destroy all who cross her.  Her life collides with Enzo, a Young Elite and Dagger member, and Teren, Lead Inquisitor for the Axis, and she must find her place and a way to survive it all. 

                I have to say first that I was completely blown away.  I was also somewhat thrown.  I went into this thinking it was going to be a middle grade book.  I don't know how or why this idea was in my head, I swear I read/saw it somewhere.  It was clear from the start this is so not a middle grade book.  It deals with much darker themes, so if you also had this misconception here is your update.  Adelina was easy for me to like from the start.  She is rough around the edges and bitter but given her life, I thought she was handling herself pretty well.  Throughout the book my affection and understanding did waver here and there but I think that was well done by Lu in the development in the character starts and stops.  No one do straight upward, everyone falls back, it's a work in progress.  Plus it’s never clear if she will be the hero or the villain of the story, which is very intriguing.

                 This story is rather dark.  It deals with the darkness and hate inside of a person and how it can consume them.  I rather liked the darkness of the story, it was a huge change from what I had been expecting.  Also while the book is rather short it packs one hell of a punch.  Struggling along through the mess she finds herself in.  Life dealt her a bad hand for sure but seeing how she deals with it and rises above was enthralling. 

                The world Lu created and flushed out so nicely had me on the edge of my seat, not a place I’d like to visit myself on vacation but a great one to read about from the safety of my PJs.  Adelina might be the main character but she was not the only character by far.  There were so many different personalities among the Young Elites and then add in Teren, who always gave me the creeps.  Everyone is working towards their own end but what made it more interesting is that everyone was operating under the belief that they were doing what is right.  The strength of their convictions makes you think about their cause even if you know they are wrong.  One thing Lu can write for sure is determination and strength of conviction, they have it in spades.

                Overall I really loved this book.  It was a quick one day read that left me wanting more.  Because while I won’t spoil it for you shit hits the fan and it leaves you with your mouth hanging open needing more!  That’s it.  Well and I’m excited I don’t have much longer to wait for the sequel.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this book and the series so far. 

                Until next time…