Monday 12 December 2016

The Rose Society

“Dear Father, did you receive my gift? Please let me come home. I no longer recognise this place, and my friends have become my enemies.” ~ Letter…

Although we won’t tell you the context of the quote, all we can say is that we think it captures some key ideas in the novel very well. If you haven’t already guessed from the blog post title, today we’ll be reviewing the sophomore novel in The Young Elites series: The Rose Society. 🌹🌹🌹
Series: The Young Elites #2
Author: Marie Lu
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 344 (Paperback)

Swift Synopsis (from Goodreads):

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?

Review:

Firstly, let’s start with the characterisation - it was very inconsistent. Marie Lu says that The Rose Society is the darkest book she’s ever written, but honestly, it wasn’t even dark. OK, maybe you’re thinking we’re biased because we’ve read Red as Blood by Tanith Lee, for instance, but honestly, it’s not that dark for the YA genre either. Ilsa J. Bick’s Shadows was much more sinister. In terms of the characters, they shift from rainbow-goody-two-shoes to blood-thirsty-murderers too quickly and unexpectedly to be realistic. The protagonist - Adelina Amouteru - fluctuates so wildly in her moods that it’s hard to relate to her. Magiano is more likeable character, but again, his emotions seem a tad too forced.

Favourite Quote:


In terms of writing, The Rose Society has nothing exceptionally spectacular. It’s not Marie Lu’s best, that’s for sure. Marie’s Legend series is much better, in our opinion; The Young Elites was also enjoyable, but The Rose Society seems to have missed its mark.

The only memorable thing about this novel is the ending. It has a major cliffhanger that’ll likely leave your screaming as well 😱😱. To us, it’s almost as if all the suspense, and heartstrings pulled was to accentuate the climax of the ending. If you have read The Young Elites, we do recommend reading its sequel - if for nothing, then at the very least for the ending. The ending is the definite highlight of the book. If by any chance you are ever reading the book and don't like it, stick around to the end.

To sum up very simply:

Characterisation: ⅖
Writing: ⅖

Ending: 5/5

Rating:

6 comments:

  1. Marie Lu is one of those authors that I just haven't got around to reading yet, but I've heard so many good things and really want to try her books.

    I'm sorry this one wasn't better but I'm glad the ending saved it for you. I hope that the next book is more enjoyable!

    Great review!

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    1. Thanks Di Hewlett! If you do try Marie Lu, we recommend starting off with the Legend series - it's much more enjoyable! Crossing our fingers that the sequel definitely nails it.

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  2. uhoh..I just got The young Elites from a friend and now I feel a bit wary about it! Good to know the ending is good..I might read it sometime!

    Great review as usual! :)

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    1. Thanks Uma! <3
      The Young Elites is better than its sequel, so don't worry too much! :):):)

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  3. Dang I hope I enjoy it more than you guys did. I love Marie Lu ��

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    1. We love Marie Lu too <3 , but this was a disappointing book for us. Yes! We do hope you enjoy it!!!!!!!

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