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jessread_s 's review for:
The Midnight Star
by Marie Lu
Review: After reading Champion, the conclusion to the Legend series, I was unsure about how The Midnight Star would compare and whether or not it would be a fitting ending for The Young Elites series in general. I was not disappointed in the slightest.
What Worked:
01. Adelina as a character. It is Adelina that made this story so captivating. She’s ruthless and cruel, the Queen of darkness that will kill all who oppose her rule. She truly is villainous, welcoming the demons who whisper in her head. And yet, even though we are to believe she is the anti-hero, we can see the small part of her that is still human. The part of her that holds an undying love for Violetta. The part of her that has feelings for Magiano. The part of her that wants to do right. What made The Midnight Star so special was witnessing Adelina’s struggle to distinguish what is real and what is a hallucination. She is unable to get a grip on her powers and she knows it. We expect her to simply relinquish her abilities, but she cannot resist what her power offers her, strength. We struggle to watch her suffer as the voices in her head take control, slowly deteriorating the Adelina we know and love. Her story is devastatingly beautiful and I couldn’t tear myself away from its bittersweet end.
02. Adelina and Violetta’s relationship. I was touched by the sisterly bond exhibited by both Adelina and Violetta. Though the pair spent most of the novel apart due to Adelina’s rash actions at the conclusion of the second installment, it was beautiful to see the love they had for one another deep down inside. The Midnight Star was about the sacrifices Adelina and Violetta had to make for each other, which was incredibly moving.
03. The ending. The conclusion to The Young Elites series is beautiful and bittersweet. I should have known that I would be left heartbroken, especially after how painful it was to read the ending to Champion. Though I was left feeling extremely sad, the ending was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing. I received proper closure for the events that transpired and the words written on the last page lingered in my mind for several days after finishing the novel.
04. The romance. Lu did a beautiful job developing the romance between Magiano and Adelina. At the start of the series, I was on board with Enzo and Adelina, but as the series progressed, I realized that they truly weren’t right for each other. The way Lu described how Magiano was able to calm Adelina’s demons left me swooning.
05. The ambiguity. One thing I really appreciated about this series was the way Lu left things open ended. Adelina does not fall into age old categories like “good” or “evil.” She is free to make up her own mind and change her behavior over time. She is neither a hero nor an anti-hero. Lu leaves things up for interpretation when it comes to Adelina and better yet, all of her other characters, which is truly refreshing.
What Didn’t Work:
01. The page length. Something I found interesting about The Midnight Star is that it is the shortest book in The Young Elites trilogy. I usually do not let page length dictate the value of a novel, but I did feel as though a lot was left out. I fully invested myself in Adelina’s story at the start of the series, so much so that I felt as if I was embarking on the journey at her side. When I reached the “finale,” I was left wanting more. A piece of her story felt missing and I can only wonder if an extension of the novel would have left me satisfied.
02. The large cast of characters. As I reflect upon The Midnight Star and the rest of The Young Elites series, I wish Marie Lu could have developed some of her side characters. The cast of characters throughout the series has always been pretty big considering the large number of members from the Dagger Society, the Rose Society, and the Inquisition Axis. As I made my way through the last installment of the series, I noticed that Lu created certain characters to serve only one purpose before casting them aside. Michel, for instance, is a member of the Dagger Society known as “The Architect.” I only got to know him in the first novel when he was briefly used to assist Adelina in her training. With Michel’s help, Adelina was able to create more realistic illusions. After serving his purpose of helping Adelina, he was rarely mentioned again until he resurfaced for only a moment in the third book. I wish I could have gotten to know more about his abilities and his background so as to help me understand his role in the Dagger Society. It was so odd for him to be the only member of the Daggers that wasn’t fully developed as a character. Sergio is another character that didn’t get much development. As a member of Adelina’s Rose Society, I expected to learn more about him, but all that was revealed was his small connection to the Daggers and his inability to control his powers. All in all, I do wish that there were more quality character development with regards to Michel, Sergio, Lucent, and Maeve. Perhaps this could have solved the page length issue as well.
Jess Approved?: ✓
What Worked:
01. Adelina as a character. It is Adelina that made this story so captivating. She’s ruthless and cruel, the Queen of darkness that will kill all who oppose her rule. She truly is villainous, welcoming the demons who whisper in her head. And yet, even though we are to believe she is the anti-hero, we can see the small part of her that is still human. The part of her that holds an undying love for Violetta. The part of her that has feelings for Magiano. The part of her that wants to do right. What made The Midnight Star so special was witnessing Adelina’s struggle to distinguish what is real and what is a hallucination. She is unable to get a grip on her powers and she knows it. We expect her to simply relinquish her abilities, but she cannot resist what her power offers her, strength. We struggle to watch her suffer as the voices in her head take control, slowly deteriorating the Adelina we know and love. Her story is devastatingly beautiful and I couldn’t tear myself away from its bittersweet end.
02. Adelina and Violetta’s relationship. I was touched by the sisterly bond exhibited by both Adelina and Violetta. Though the pair spent most of the novel apart due to Adelina’s rash actions at the conclusion of the second installment, it was beautiful to see the love they had for one another deep down inside. The Midnight Star was about the sacrifices Adelina and Violetta had to make for each other, which was incredibly moving.
03. The ending. The conclusion to The Young Elites series is beautiful and bittersweet. I should have known that I would be left heartbroken, especially after how painful it was to read the ending to Champion. Though I was left feeling extremely sad, the ending was perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing. I received proper closure for the events that transpired and the words written on the last page lingered in my mind for several days after finishing the novel.
04. The romance. Lu did a beautiful job developing the romance between Magiano and Adelina. At the start of the series, I was on board with Enzo and Adelina, but as the series progressed, I realized that they truly weren’t right for each other. The way Lu described how Magiano was able to calm Adelina’s demons left me swooning.
05. The ambiguity. One thing I really appreciated about this series was the way Lu left things open ended. Adelina does not fall into age old categories like “good” or “evil.” She is free to make up her own mind and change her behavior over time. She is neither a hero nor an anti-hero. Lu leaves things up for interpretation when it comes to Adelina and better yet, all of her other characters, which is truly refreshing.
What Didn’t Work:
01. The page length. Something I found interesting about The Midnight Star is that it is the shortest book in The Young Elites trilogy. I usually do not let page length dictate the value of a novel, but I did feel as though a lot was left out. I fully invested myself in Adelina’s story at the start of the series, so much so that I felt as if I was embarking on the journey at her side. When I reached the “finale,” I was left wanting more. A piece of her story felt missing and I can only wonder if an extension of the novel would have left me satisfied.
02. The large cast of characters. As I reflect upon The Midnight Star and the rest of The Young Elites series, I wish Marie Lu could have developed some of her side characters. The cast of characters throughout the series has always been pretty big considering the large number of members from the Dagger Society, the Rose Society, and the Inquisition Axis. As I made my way through the last installment of the series, I noticed that Lu created certain characters to serve only one purpose before casting them aside. Michel, for instance, is a member of the Dagger Society known as “The Architect.” I only got to know him in the first novel when he was briefly used to assist Adelina in her training. With Michel’s help, Adelina was able to create more realistic illusions. After serving his purpose of helping Adelina, he was rarely mentioned again until he resurfaced for only a moment in the third book. I wish I could have gotten to know more about his abilities and his background so as to help me understand his role in the Dagger Society. It was so odd for him to be the only member of the Daggers that wasn’t fully developed as a character. Sergio is another character that didn’t get much development. As a member of Adelina’s Rose Society, I expected to learn more about him, but all that was revealed was his small connection to the Daggers and his inability to control his powers. All in all, I do wish that there were more quality character development with regards to Michel, Sergio, Lucent, and Maeve. Perhaps this could have solved the page length issue as well.
Jess Approved?: ✓