REVIEW: The Midnight Star (final book in Young Elites series)

The novel, The Midnight Star, by Marie Lu, is the sequel and finale in the Young Elites series. The main character, Adelina Amouteru, has come to the final chapter in her life. Now that Adelina is Queen of Kenettra, she has everything she had always asked for. Until a message causes Adelina to take dangerous risks into saving the one person she loves. This is where the story takes a twist, drawing me in more. Ultimately, Adelina must decide whether to save everything she has dreamed about or save the only person that loved her through it all.

The main reason I am in love with this book and how The Young Elites series ended is because most books have a happy ending. But in The Midnight Star it has like an alternative happy ending. The ending have you think, “Aww man, this is going to be a sad ending,” but it actually isn't because you think, this is the way it should end. It couldn't end any other way, and that’s why it was consider an alternative happy ending. Seeing how Adelina grows from being a shy young girl in The Young Elites, to a mean and revengeful girl in The Rose Society, and to a woman who has learned from all her mistakes and wants to be better in The Midnight Star, is extraordinary.

Secondly, the setting of the Underworld and the Heavens is very descriptive. I liked the way the author used colorful words and how she draws the real world into the story. You can tell that the book is placed in the medieval times. Marie Lu used the terms kings, queens, malfettos, Kenettra, Tamoura, and others that are similar to medieval terms.

Thirdly, the persuasive writing is top-notch and impressive because every time I read a page, I had to read another.

The novel includes plenty of rhetorical questions that also pull in the reader. As Adelina thoughts talks to her that ask her questions in which she already knows the answer to. For example, her thoughts ramble about Magiano loyalty towards Adelina, “Love can be purchased, didn't you know that?” Adelina knows that the voices in her head are playing tricks on her, she can't help but to listen to them. Another example would be the voices asking about Violetta, Adelina sister, “Do you even remember her?”. The quotes gives in insight to Adelina feelings, how she really feels and what she wants to feel towards her sister. The author using rhetorical questions allows the reader to know what actually goes on inside Adelina Amouteru’s head, making the novel more fascinating.

Anyone who has an eye for this book, you can purchase at Amazon.com for only $11.95 including shipping and handling. This novel is also available from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.