The Rose Society is the second book in Marie Lu's Young Elites Trilogy. I was initially attracted to this series because the author, Marie Lu, wrote one of my favorite series-- Legend. I read the Young Elites as soon as it came out, unfortunately I found myself to be very disappointed and not very invested in the series. So when the Rose Society came out, I bought it... but I never bothered to read it until two years later.
I'll admit, the Rose Society is far better than The Young Elites. Once the world has been set up, The Rose Society is just able to dive into the action. I'm writing this review after finishing the series, and I have to say, the Rose Society is by far the best book. It is set up very well, and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying it.
The characters are pretty interesting, and while I found I still wasn't particularly fond of Adelina, I found that I actually liked two new characters introduced in this book-- Magiano and Sergio. I also remained to be interested in Teren. Still, I wasn't really invested in the main characters. I was on Adelina's side, as proven with my annoyance with those against her, but I still didn't particularly like her. I think the most interesting thing about this series is the conflict. There were three forces all working against each other in this book, and that's the part I found most enjoyable.
I'd probably give the Rose Society 6.9/10 stars. Not quite a 7, because it didn't really leave a lasting impact on me. I know a lot of people were left speechless after finishing the book, perhaps I was not because of how disconnected I felt with the characters? I did have fun reading the action scenes and I can't emphasize how much I enjoyed all the conflict between the central characters. That was the fun of the story, but otherwise I wasn't really left with anything.
Sorry the review is so short, I just can't think of much of anything to say about this book other than it was good. Better than its predecessor. If you're on the fence about reading this one, go for it. I promise it's more enjoyable than the first book.
Synopsis:
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 flees Kenettra with her sister 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.