REVIEW + DISCUSSION: the rose society, by marie lu

The Rose Society by Marie Lu
Series: The Young Elites #2
Published by Penguin on October 13th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Action & Adventure, General
Pages: 416
Source: Purchased
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From New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes the second book in the exhilarating Young Elites series
Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.
Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.
But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?
Bestselling author Marie Lu delivers another heart-pounding adventure in this exhilarating sequel to The Young Elites.
From the Hardcover edition.

read my review for THE YOUNG ELITES, the first novel of this series, here!

THE YOUNG ELITES is mild compared the THE ROSE SOCIETY. in terms of plot, TYE is much faster paced and has more twists; in terms of characters and conflict, TRS is definitely more complex.

“We are drawn to stories and every scar carries one.”

– pg. 213

the characters in this novel are… indescribable. they’re so distant and dark that it’s hard to see what they’re truly thinking and who they truly are – even when it’s from their perspective. it makes you wary and suspicious of everything, building the suspense for the plot. however because of this, i had a hard time feeling emotionally attached anyone. although they were really really complex, i found it all a bit mediocre because i couldn’t bother caring for them.

“Fear motivates, more than love or ambition or joy. Fear is more powerful than anything else in the world.”

– pg. 374

although the plot in TYE was murky and confusing, TRS had a clear goal from the start. we know what is going to happen before it happens. it’s reassuring but also less gripping than the first book. THE ROSE SOCIETY is more character driven, dealing with adelina being an antagonist and extremely unreliable, but i couldn’t connect with her so… *shrugs*

“True leaders are not born. We are made.”

– pg. 375

overall, THE ROSE SOCIETY was a fairly good read. the plot is interesting and perfect for the fall/halloween season. however, i didn’t connect with the characters (except for maybe one or two) and adelina is a bit too extreme for my taste. although i have to say their powers were very cool! but the romance also frustrated me. I’M MOSTLY FEELING CONFUSED. i liked it, but i was also a bit disappointed? i dunno.

[rating-report]

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spoiler-filled discussion beginning! please do not read until you’ve finished the book.

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i started this book hoping we would pick up with adelina and the beldain queen as allies then proceed to bring enzo from the dead and all would be well. BOY WAS I WRONG. this book was not at all what i expected it to be.

at the beginning, i was so glad we got our priorities straight: maeve was planning on bringing enzo back from the dead! but as the story moved on, i realized what a horrible idea that would be and how everything will probably go down the drain. when it finally happened and disaster struck in every direction, i was screaming, “UGH I TOLD YOU SO.” enzo should’ve stayed dead. enzo came back and he wasn’t enzo. adelina was blind in her so-called love for him and i wanted to slap her all over again. enzo should’ve stayed dead.

but maybe, i’m just frustrated at what his coming-back-from-the-dead did to adelina’s character, and what it did to my ruining my slowly growing ship. yes, magiano and adelina need to be a thing. this unexpected love triangle made me so frustrated. SO FRUSTRATED. magiano quickly became my new favorite character for his joyfulness and quick wit. he is on adelina’s side, but he wasn’t a dark sadist like she is. MAGIANOOOOO <33

i really liked adelina’s character in the beginning, but the last half of the book left a sour taste in my mouth. i understand that her whisperers haunt her and it’s not entirely her BUT STILL. especially that last chapter. she’s completely unreasonable and crazy. HOLD YOUR HORSES, ADELINA. she’s an antagonist, but i’m still hoping she gets better. violetta was someone i didn’t expect to like. in TYE, she was the “tess” or “primrose” of the novel (from LEGEND and THE HUNGER GAMES) and i generally despise those characters. the little sister figure that everyone finds perfect and loves, but is actually USELESS. *gags* so when i realized violetta is one my favorites, i was surprised and happy. she didn’t hold adelina back and was completely rational and NORMAL. so refreshing compared to adelina, who seriously needs to chill out. especially in that last chapter when adelina is being an asshat in denial UGH. i think i’m mostly angry at adelina because of the last chapter. *strangles*

everyone else is ehhh. queen giulietta seems more like a plot device than an actual character and teren’s obsession with her is sickening. actually, everything about teren makes my want to gouge my eyes out. i like how we go into maeve and lucent’s past and find out they’re actually a thing?! that was different and cool, but also somewhat disappointing since we only got a random chapter out of it. the whole ordeal was a bit random and we never hear about it again. :// gemma’s death was disappointing and i really wish adelina wasn’t so horrible towards her at the end, although i can see where she’s coming from. *internal conflict* the sad thing is, i wasn’t emotionally attached to it. not reeeally. i remember being so torn in TYE, but this book left me in a “oh, okay” state of mind.

i’m somewhat disappointed in the ending. it seems to me like it ended in the middle of a sentence. so she’s on the throne alone? what about violetta and magiano? and the newfound information?? what’s it supposed to mean??? well?????? it’s not really a cliffhanger, but it kinda is. in conclusion, i’m not sure how i feel. mostly frustrated and mostly confused.

what are your thoughts on this book? let me know in the comments!