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

After the first two hauntingly beautiful novels of The Young Elites series, the final installment was just as chilling, if not more.

Marie Lu weaves a complex tale of darkness and betrayal, of love and revenge, where no one is simply just good or bad. The Midnight Star, a heart-stopping dark fantasy, begins a little after where the previous book left off and takes readers on a fast-paced journey all the way to the end. The story follows a girl named Adelina Amouteru, and her downward spiral into darkness. Adelina is not your typical protagonist. Her story is that of a villain, except in this series, readers will find that her sometimes twisted thoughts are so much more complicated than that.

Not much can be said about the plot without revealing spoilers from the first two books, but Adelina, who began as an unwanted girl left with more than just scars after the blood fever that swept her country, has come a long way from the terrified, broken person she was. She is a queen now, finally, and she rules her subjects with fear and pain, just as she was treated by them. But not all who know her will say that. Adelina’s relationships with each of the other characters are developed wonderfully too, especially her bond with her younger sister, and her capacity to love wholly. She is flawed, just as we all are, but the depth of her story is enthralling.

The conclusion to this thrilling series is not surprising, but Marie Lu’s captivating writing style makes it worth every bittersweet moment. Spun with supernatural abilities that are too powerful to exist for long in the mortal world and the question of the legacy we leave behind, Lu’s masterpiece is unique and a must-read for anyone who appreciates a strong heroine (or anti-heroine), and an intricately woven plot.