The Rose Society by Marie Lu

 

  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.

Synopsis and picture credit to goodreads.com

This book is so different from every young adult book I have ever read. The Rose Society is an extremely dark novel, told from the perspective of Adelina, who is basically a villain. If you like happy books with sweet romance, this book is definitely not for you. Your heart will slowly be breaking, but the alluring story will continue to draw you in, sadly leaving your heart broken by the time you finish this book.

I love Marie Lu's writing style, because it is easy to understand, yet she can easily wind a complex story. Lu's writing style is hypnotic. She combines short and long sentences nicely, giving the story almost a poetic feel. I love how she described emotions and the scenery in a very clear way, making it easier for the reader to become engulfed in the story.

Now, the characters. I feel there's very few likable characters. All the characters have their own hidden, mostly corrupt motives, making it hard to like any of the characters, who appear frequently through out the story. Maeve has good motives, but since the story is being told from Adelina's perspective, she is the enemy and we are supposed to be rooting against her. But the corrupt nature and conflicting interests of the characters make them feel more realistic and developed, seeing that no real person is completely good and sparkly. I have mixed feelings about Adelina as a main character.

Adelina's dark personality makes it difficult for the reader to root for her, because, well, she likes pain and killing people. Through out the novel, Adelina's hatred towards those betray her fester inside of her, turning the poor girl more evil. I often felt the need to slap some sense in to her and remind her that the killing of the people is kinda bad, no? She seemed more sadistic than in the last book, which is understandable.

There was some romance in this book, not a whole lot, but some. I don't want to say who love the love interest is, because it would spoil the book in more ways than one, but I will say that the romance, to me, seemed a little all of sudden and not 100% necessary.

  I recommend this book for people who are looking for something different to read. The Rose Society is the second book of the Young Elites and it contains the same dark themes found in the first book. In my opinion, I would find that this book would be more enjoyable if one re-read the first book as a refresher, before reading the second book. There are quite a few characters and it is hard to keep track of who exactly they are, without having read the first book recently. Something tells me that this book will not end happily, but I think the most satisfying ending to me would be if Adelina died at the hands of someone she wronged. (Just speculating) I think it would be a very fitting ending to a dark story and eventually the consequences of all of her evil actions needs to catch up with her.

Overall, I would give this book a 9 out of 10. Have a good day and I hope you enjoyed this review!

- Kalee

Legend Review by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Synopsis and image from goodreads.com

Overall Review:
    I like this author and this book. JC and I were originally going to review together, but school is a pain. So you guys are stuck with just me. Back to the book, because I have an uncanny ability to go off topic (and spell peek wrong). This will be a short review and will only contain the overall review. Just a heads up, this review does not contain any major spoilers, but it does contain a predictable one.
    Before I get started on the book review, I want to say something about the author Marie Lu. Not only is she an amazing author, but she's a great artist as well. I look up to her as both an artist and a story writer. Now onto the book review itself.
    The story and setting itself are not anything that unique. Legend is set in an era where the people are ruled by their suppressive government. Only the best of the best (and the luckiest), like June get to live good lives. When I first read the synopsis of this book, I thought, "Oh, gee, another dystopian novel." The way the author presented the characters and the story made it worth reading. The little details that she added into the society made it seem very original. The story was very well done, too.
    Lu took the simple concept of a girl attempting to get revenge for her brother and a boy trying to keep away from the authorities to a whole new level. Inevitably, the two end up meeting, and I love how their relationship develops. (Very minor, but predictable spoiler) Day and June do end up getting together, but the relationship seems predictable given the circumstances. There are a few problems and ... issues that come up in later books though.
    I loved both Day and June. When the story was being told from their point of view, you could tell who was narrating. It was not just the color of the text was different either. There was no need to keep on flipping to the beginning of the chapter to see who was narrating the chapter. (Allegiant, anyone?) I don't know how the author did it, but she really effectively told the story through both of their eyes well. June is the girl who is too smart for her own good. She's a bit naïve, but well educated. Day is the tough guy who is not as cold-hearted as he seems. As the synopsis says, he has an underlying purpose and his purpose is, to say the least, understandable. If I had to choose a character out of the two, I'd have to say I like Day better.
   The side characters were nicely developed as well. It has a bit of everything. Each character introduced ends up have a bigger purpose in the story. Legend has many strong female characters, and none of the characters feel overpowered. I especially love Kaede, who is an (for lack of a better word) awesome character.
   I don't know how to write about the conclusion without spoiling it. All I will say is it felt very satisfying. It wrapped up the story all, but it still made me want to read more. This is definitely a book that you should check out and the rest of the series (although not superior to the first book) is also very good! Even my sister, who is not an avid reader, enjoyed this series. I did also hear rumors that there might be a movie in the works, but don't take my word for it. Thank you for reading!!

Overall Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Kalee