The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Title: The Rose Society

Author Name: Marie Lu

Age Rating: Older Teen

Star Rating: ✦✦✦✦✧

Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Female Protagonist, Morally Gray Characters

Summary:

After the Daggers discover Adelina’s unfortunate involvement with Terence and her small part in causing Enzo’s death, she is exiled and banished from the group.

Bitter and vengeful, Adelina and her sister go on a journey to create a team of Elites of her own… But nobody realizes that Adelina will cause her own descent into madness, a frenzy of paranoia, and ruin her own plans.

This installment of the Young Elites series is the darkest book I’ve ever read, and shows you, what goes through the mind of a tyrant, or a killer, when they commit their darkest deeds?

Favorite Character:

Violetta Amouteru, flawed and almost as selfish as her older sister, Violetta is reunited with her sister at the end of the previous book, and we slowly get to see more of her and her interactions with her sister. (Violetta and Sergio are super cute together!!) Violetta is a bystander.

The author shows how in the beginning she wasn’t brave enough to stand up to her sister but slowly we see how Violetta stands up to Adelina, and how Adelina takes it (which is not very well). 

Storyline Development:

Small details of the first book slowly tie into the second, making for a seamless transition between the two. Adelina and her sister journey across the world of the Young Elites as they gather a crew of elites for Adelina to lead to power.

Enticing candidates with promises of riches and glory, Adelina gathers a crew that may be more powerful than the Daggers themselves. One who can control the weather, one who can take your powers away, and one who can copy your abilities, this is the bank heist crew of your dreams! Oops, I meant the kingdom-overthrowing crew of one’s dreams!

Worldbuilding:

Adelina takes over a Kingdom. She also travels through  many places, eventually killing another ruler named the Night King. Adelina even meets the MAIN love interest of her life and overall the story heats up with more conflict and enemies flying at her from every which way.

The worldbuilding is magnificent (better than in the first book), and it was so great that I don’t want to spoil it. After all, Lu’s descriptions of Tamouran traditional dress and silky clothes made me want to wear them! 

My Thoughts:

I only gave it four stars out of five because I seriously hoped Adelina would reconcile with the Daggers, or they would see that Adelina didn’t mean to betray them… Sadly, the Daggers disappointed me. And realistically they began to fear her.

Raffaele’s previous admissions that they should’ve killed Adelina before she became powerful seem to come true and make sense. But I lowkey wanted the band to get back together again. 

Overall the book was amazing with a ruthless female lead and her journey to get her revenge as well as take over a kingdom.