The Rose Society
by: Marie Lu
3 stars
So, to answer my question from my review of The Young Elites (How far into the darkness will Adelina go?): VERY.
Overall, this novel was dark and sad...even depressing at times. Because it's all revolving around a character that is so obsessed with revenge that she can't see how that is killing her. The Adelina of TRS is not the Adelina of TYE. Or maybe a better way to think of it is that all the "good parts" of her from TYE are gone. And by the end, she fully accepts her role and steps into her complete power.
Yes, it was a dark novel, but there were certainly some lighthearted moments and new characters that were able to start to bring some love back into Adelina's life. I also love how deep Lu makes the characters and how even though you may not have liked a character before, perhaps now you start understanding their motivation more. Or maybe a character pissed you off but then later you find yourself understanding them more and why they did what they did. There were so many layers for the supporting characters, which is wonderful and adds dimension.
I think the start of this novel wasn't as powerful as the first--it didn't really grab me for a while. But once I got into it, I was hooked again. And the last quarter or so was intense. And my heart broke for Adelina all over again. Soooo curious about how this trilogy is going to end! I don't really want redemption for her--I like the direction this is going with her being the villain. It's so new! BUT I have a feeling some sort of redemption will be headed her way. Whatever is done I'm sure Lu will make it amazing and I can't wait to read it.
Read my review of The Young Elites here.
xo Sara
Curious about how I rate books? Read about my scale here. Warning: it's super scientific.
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