The Young Elites

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and death, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and self-harm.

“So yes. You could say I am flawed. Marked. A malfetto.”

At the novel’s start, protagonist Adelina explains her given circumstances (imprisoned and awaiting execution) through a flashback-style narrative explaining her crime. As she leads up to the death of her father, she reveals backstory details about the blood fever epidemic. Malfettos are those with physical marks from the fever (“mal fetto” in Italian means “badly done”; i.e., being flawed or having flaws). In Kenettra, society’s name for these fever survivors demonstrates their disregard and cruelty toward them, which introduces The Concept of Monstrosity and Society’s Role in Creating It. Kenettra’s attitude also juxtaposes with the way marked individuals are treated in the Skylands to the north; there, they are revered.

“They draw their swords at the boy. He just nods at them, taunting them to come closer. When they do, he slips through them like water between rocks, his body a streak of motion, blades flashing silver in the darkness.”

The Reaper’s rescue of Adelina at first appears stereotypical—a masked, caped crusader who saves her from burning at the stake. Enzo (The Reaper) juxtaposes with traditional hero figures, however; he saves Adelina for his purposes, wanting to investigate her Elite power of illusion because it may help him overthrow the king and queen. Using the simile “like water between rocks” to visually describe Enzo’s movement is ironic, considering that his Elite power is