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Monday, September 5, 2016

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu Manuscript Review

The Midnight Star (TYE #3) by Marie Lu
Bound Manuscript, 314 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Pub Date: October 11, 2016
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
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.

Warning: Because this is the final book in the trilogy, things I mention might spoil you for the series as a whole. Though I will try my best to keep spoilers to a minimum and/or tag them, read this review at your own risk 💀





I wrote this review moments after I have finished The Midnight Star, so it's going to be pretty raw so I hope you'll forgive me. When I finished The Rose Society, I was absolutely wrecked. I couldn't pick up another book for over a week due to the immense book hangover... I expected nothing less in this book.

As expected, this was me:

Everything that I predicted would happen did, and you'd think that would have prepared me for when it came time to read it. WELL, IT DIDN'T. My chest feels like it's caving in and there is not enough ice cream in the world to help me through this. 


For those of you who don't know, I use color-coded post-its to keep track of certain types of scenes. Hot pink for romance, orange for hilarious, and blue for sadness. THIS BOOK IS ONE BIG, BLUE POST-IT. 

I honestly don't know how to deal with this... or how I'm going to be able to pick up another book without my mind focusing solely on how The Midnight Star broke me. The night I started reading this, I stopped myself at 75% of the way through because the pain in my heart was already so heavy, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to sleep without nightmares plaguing me. 

At the same time, I don't want you guys to think that this book is just all sadness. That isn't the case. I feel that Marie Lu simply knows that if she really wants to obliterate her readers, she has to give them fleeting moments of happiness before she completely crushes us.   


This book is the perfect conclusion to this trilogy. Although I am in complete and totally agony over everything that happened, it's the right ending and it will forever be one of my favorite books.


1) As I already stated, this is the perfect ending to this trilogy. There's nothing I would change about it. I have no complaints, and though my heart is broken, it's worth it. Marie Lu's writing is top notch, as always, so if you loved the other two books in the trilogy, I'm confident you'll love this, even if it crushes your heart a little.


2) The character arcs are phenomenal. We all watched as Adelina started out as a mistreated, innocent, malfetto who turned gradually into a villain. In The Midnight Star, Adelina and all of the other characters continue to struggle with the consequences of their actions. Characters that you didn't think would ever be redeemable, suddenly are! At the same time, no bad behavior is excused or brushed over, but you do get to see the characters strive to be better, to be more understanding, and to work together, and I think that's beautiful. 

3) Adelina is still one of the most complex characters I have ever read, and I truly adore her. Even when she's doing things I consider to be morally wrong, I still see her side. The fact that she has even made me question my own morals is astounding. She will forever have a special place in my heart.


4) I can't believe it's taken me to point number four to state this, but Marie Lu is an exceptional writer. Her prose and dialogue are masterful, her character voices are unique and distinctive, and each time I read one of her books, I'm in awe of her skills. She's definitely an auto-buy author for me.

5) Spoiler Alert: This is the first time ever that I am happy about my main ship sinking and loving the new canon ship. At the end of The Rose Society, it's pretty obvious that Enzo and Adelina are over, BUT I still had some hope that might change in The Midnight Star. It didn't happen, and I'm actually okay with that. I think that's because Marie Lu gave us time to get used to Magiano before moving forward with his and Adelina's relationship. 





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40 comments:

  1. I totally have grabby hands for this one.
    1. I love Marie Lu and all her work
    2. I need to know how this all is going to end.

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    1. Thankfully, the wait isn't long now! Marie Lu is amazing ^_^

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    2. i already read it and its the worst book i ever read

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  2. I am so excited to read this! I'm happy you liked this book, now I can't wait to get a copy. :)

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  3. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK. ITS THE LAST BOOK IN MY FAV TRILOGY. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO MY BABIES, AND AT THE SAME TIME, I DONT WANT IT TO END. IMMA CRY. I ALREADY KNOW I WILL.

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    1. I know how you feel, I never want my favorite trilogies to end! This book is so good and I hope that you love it as much as I do! Can't wait to see what you think of it!

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  4. I love Marie Lu's Legend trilogy and ever since I have read her works I always look forward to her new novels because she is just so great. Her plot & characters were all significant in their own ways. I just liked to have her new trilogy in my hands, sniff it til I get high just like what I have done with my legend trilogy copy. Thank you for this chance! ��

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    1. I never finished the Legend trilogy because I didn't have time but I hope to finish it some day, especially since I love The Young Elites. Her characters are always so complex! How does she do it?!

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  5. OMG I THINK I HAVE TO PREPARE MY HEART BEFORE READING THIS! From all the early reviews I've read, I think it's pretty obvious this book won't have a happy ending. Anyway, looking forward to read your favorite quotes!

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    1. NO AMOUNT OF PREPARATION WILL STOP YOUR HEART FROM BREAKING! You'll have to let me know what you think about the ending, because I loved it ^_^

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  6. Someday I will have the time to read these books! Everyone adores them.

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  7. YES I'M SO EXCITED. I READ THE SPOILER PART I'M GLAD I DID. I forget this book comes out this year I'm gonna go cry in joy now

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    1. Yay! I'm glad the spoiler part made you happy haha. You'll have to tell me what you think when you read it!

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  8. honestly... I haven't read Rose Society. I forgot everything in Young Elites so I am due for a binge read once Midnight Star is out

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    1. You definitely should! It's one of my favorite trilogies now.

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  9. I haven't read Rose Society yet but I LOVED The Young Elites and I can't wait to catch up and read this one!

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    1. I hope you enjoy The Rose Society! That book is all feeeeeeeelllllsssss!

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  10. You seriously just made me want to read this. I puffy heart loved The Young Elites not so much The Rose Society. Now, I want this one like yesterday.

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    1. Yay, I'm glad I convinced you! I hope you like this more than The Rose Society.

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  11. I did have to skim through your review to avoid the spoilers that you warned of. However, those gifs you added give me all that I need to know! Eeeep!! I am so thrilled that you enjoyed it and that there are feels galore because I am so excited for this one! :)

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    1. Good idea! I'm glad that the gifs conveyed enough for you ^_^ Definitely let me know what you think of it when you read it!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  12. I'm so excited for this book! AHHHH! I plan to re-read the series before it comes out :)

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    1. I don't think my poor heart could handle all the feels from re-reading the whole trilogy in one shot. My poor heart haha. I hope you love this one!

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  13. So bloody excited for this book!!! I absolutely LOVED The Rose Society. It killed me. I cannot wait!

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  14. YOU KNOW I'M EXCITED, B. I CANNOT WAIT FOR TMS.

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  15. Ahhh, thank you for the giveaway!! Your review is probably going to me after I finish reading it!
    and YES, i really like this series! i'm so excited for the finale!

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  16. No but I read her Legend series and liked it!

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  17. Oh loved the blog i mean no spoilers and made me so excited for the book!!

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  18. So excited for this book!! I'm pretty sure my heart won't be able to take it. Thanks for the giveaway :)

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  19. I'm so excited for the release of this book so I can marathon the series! I've heard so much about this series and I loved Legend so I can't wait to read these books!

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  20. I am DYING to read this book! I finish The Rose Society recently and this book cannot come soon enough!

    Denise | @Dandelionns

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  21. Gorgeous review Brittany :D BUT NOOOOOO. This part makes me so sad :( "Enzo and Adelina are over" I have only read book one so far, lol. But I shipped them THE MOST. And I'm so unhappy that they aren't a thing in this final book. Hmph. I'm very disappointed :\ Sigh. But still hoping to love this book when I get to read it :D Aaanyway! SO glad you loved the book sweetie :D YAY. Your review is awesome. <3

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