gracelang_09's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
Hooooly crap...that was so good.
You guys…I’m saying right now – In my opinion Marie Lu can do no wrong. I mean I should have known that The Young Elites series would be another favorite because of my love for the Legend series. At this point Marie Lu could write out her grocery shopping list and I would read it. Because I don’t want to ruin this for anyone I am going to do what I can to keep this review spoiler free…don’t hate me if something comes across as super vague.
The Rose Society picks up shortly after The Young Elites ended and we are pulled back into Adelina’s story pretty quickly. After being told by Raffaele and the Daggers that she couldn’t be one of them, Adelina and Violetta make the decision to find the notorious Magiano and convince him to help them get revenge against the Inquisition. Once they find him, he challenges Adelina to prove she is worthy of his support and if she can beat him at his own game, she will have him on her side.
Magiano turned out to be one of my favorite characters. He is a perfect balance of trickster and serious guy. He definitely has his quirks and his love of money is one of the things that Adelina tends to hold over him but I thought he was a great counterpart to Adelina. He pushes her to see that there is more to her than her markings and that she can be whatever she wants to be. I loved that about him but I also loved that he supported her even if he didn’t fully agree with what she was doing/did.
As Adelina learns more about what the Daggers are doing with Maeve, the Beldish queen, she begins to realize she needs to do something – and man, does she ever. Adelina continues to struggle with her powers and the fact that she feeds off of the fear of others only creates a challenge for her to keep herself in check. Add to that her alignment with ambition and things definitely take a turn when she realizes that with her army, she can take the crown from Giuliana.
I know Adelina is not the hero but that doesn’t make her unlikable – at least to me. I was actually rooting for her the entire time and I think it is because she really does struggle with who she is and her reactions. She never really sets out to do the bad things but because they happen and she doesn’t necessarily try to stop them, she is pushed into this role of the “bad” one. Even after everything that happened in this book, I still like her. When things go down with the Daggers, things definitely turn for Adelina and she separates herself even more from those around her.
Just a few other character notes - Teren is still Teren and he finally gets knocked down a bit which was great. I wish the Daggers had approached Adelina a bit differently. I am convinced that things could have gone differently for all of them had Raffaele and the group not cut Adelina off completely. It will be interesting to see what the Daggers and the Beldish queen, Maeve do next.
Lu does a fantastic job of continuing to build out the world that these characters live in and she also balances this with a lot of action. From the moment that first page was turned, I found myself unable to put the book down and I admit, the run ins between Adelina and the Daggers were some of the more intense moments of the book.
If you haven’t started this series…get moving on that. I can’t wait to see what Lu does with these characters and the rest of the story. You will notice that I didn’t say anything about what really happens and that is because I really can’t. So much happens in this book that if I were to mention anything else, I might give something away and I can’t do that to anyone. Just know that you should read this book as soon as you possibly can and then find me so we can talk all about it. Now…don’t mind me while I sit over here and patiently wait for the next book.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
You guys…I’m saying right now – In my opinion Marie Lu can do no wrong. I mean I should have known that The Young Elites series would be another favorite because of my love for the Legend series. At this point Marie Lu could write out her grocery shopping list and I would read it. Because I don’t want to ruin this for anyone I am going to do what I can to keep this review spoiler free…don’t hate me if something comes across as super vague.
The Rose Society picks up shortly after The Young Elites ended and we are pulled back into Adelina’s story pretty quickly. After being told by Raffaele and the Daggers that she couldn’t be one of them, Adelina and Violetta make the decision to find the notorious Magiano and convince him to help them get revenge against the Inquisition. Once they find him, he challenges Adelina to prove she is worthy of his support and if she can beat him at his own game, she will have him on her side.
Magiano turned out to be one of my favorite characters. He is a perfect balance of trickster and serious guy. He definitely has his quirks and his love of money is one of the things that Adelina tends to hold over him but I thought he was a great counterpart to Adelina. He pushes her to see that there is more to her than her markings and that she can be whatever she wants to be. I loved that about him but I also loved that he supported her even if he didn’t fully agree with what she was doing/did.
As Adelina learns more about what the Daggers are doing with Maeve, the Beldish queen, she begins to realize she needs to do something – and man, does she ever. Adelina continues to struggle with her powers and the fact that she feeds off of the fear of others only creates a challenge for her to keep herself in check. Add to that her alignment with ambition and things definitely take a turn when she realizes that with her army, she can take the crown from Giuliana.
I know Adelina is not the hero but that doesn’t make her unlikable – at least to me. I was actually rooting for her the entire time and I think it is because she really does struggle with who she is and her reactions. She never really sets out to do the bad things but because they happen and she doesn’t necessarily try to stop them, she is pushed into this role of the “bad” one. Even after everything that happened in this book, I still like her. When things go down with the Daggers, things definitely turn for Adelina and she separates herself even more from those around her.
Just a few other character notes - Teren is still Teren and he finally gets knocked down a bit which was great. I wish the Daggers had approached Adelina a bit differently. I am convinced that things could have gone differently for all of them had Raffaele and the group not cut Adelina off completely. It will be interesting to see what the Daggers and the Beldish queen, Maeve do next.
Lu does a fantastic job of continuing to build out the world that these characters live in and she also balances this with a lot of action. From the moment that first page was turned, I found myself unable to put the book down and I admit, the run ins between Adelina and the Daggers were some of the more intense moments of the book.
If you haven’t started this series…get moving on that. I can’t wait to see what Lu does with these characters and the rest of the story. You will notice that I didn’t say anything about what really happens and that is because I really can’t. So much happens in this book that if I were to mention anything else, I might give something away and I can’t do that to anyone. Just know that you should read this book as soon as you possibly can and then find me so we can talk all about it. Now…don’t mind me while I sit over here and patiently wait for the next book.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
For real guys...if you haven't started this series or caught up to reading this book you need to fix that. I love this series and the audio is just as great as reading the actual book. I really, really (really, really, really) need to know what happens next so anyone who wants to send me a copy now...feel free. I would totally take you up on that.
Check this audio out if you're looking for a new one to listen to!
Check this audio out if you're looking for a new one to listen to!
geldauran's review against another edition
3.0
This is probably more around a 3.5 for me. Or maybe it averages out at 4- 5 stars for Adelina and 3 stars for everything else.
I think the book suffered for including Maeve's POV, I don't think she offered any interesting perspectives, motivations, or feelings to justify her inclusion. Raffaele and Teren also had chapters, but theirs were short and included significant character exposition.
The effort at romance in the book was distracting and not particularly meaningful. I remember the last book concluding with Maeve speaking of her feelings for Lutece, but this was essentially dropped from the book except for one very short moment. Teren and the Queen were more interesting, but it still wasn't explained all that well. They interacted well, but there's some significant piece of the past that I felt needed to be explained to really invest in that relationship.
The star of the book, naturally, is Adelina. Adelina's character development, her story, her thoughts and journey and struggles are so, so well done. Adelina moving from a victim, to an anti-hero, to essentially a straight-up villain is fascinating, and Lu really does it perfectly. She just delves into the darkness and its great.
The world-building and side characters (anyone other than Adelina, Violetta, Raffaele and Teren) just felt a little weak. But I still find the book delightful because of Adelina.
I think the book suffered for including Maeve's POV, I don't think she offered any interesting perspectives, motivations, or feelings to justify her inclusion. Raffaele and Teren also had chapters, but theirs were short and included significant character exposition.
The effort at romance in the book was distracting and not particularly meaningful. I remember the last book concluding with Maeve speaking of her feelings for Lutece, but this was essentially dropped from the book except for one very short moment. Teren and the Queen were more interesting, but it still wasn't explained all that well. They interacted well, but there's some significant piece of the past that I felt needed to be explained to really invest in that relationship.
The star of the book, naturally, is Adelina. Adelina's character development, her story, her thoughts and journey and struggles are so, so well done. Adelina moving from a victim, to an anti-hero, to essentially a straight-up villain is fascinating, and Lu really does it perfectly. She just delves into the darkness and its great.
The world-building and side characters (anyone other than Adelina, Violetta, Raffaele and Teren) just felt a little weak. But I still find the book delightful because of Adelina.
jool's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
itadakinasu's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first time I've ever read a sequel that blew away the first in a series.
Adelina here is at her worst, which is also her best. All the angst from The Young Elites grew into hate, anger, and bitterness in The Rose Society. These are emotions I can get behind, much stronger and more interesting than angst. Now we don't just have perceptions of betrayal to work with; we have actual betrayals and false hopes. This makes her fury and mercilessness understandable and even justifiable.
Although Adelina is, without a doubt, a cruel and unstable person, it's hard not to sympathize with her. She wants to be loved and accepted, but time and again, she's rejected. She tells herself that she shouldn't trust, and when she does, it always comes back to bite her. That being said, I really didn't like how she treated Violetta throughout the story. Clearly, this is intentionally written and even believable after Violetta and Adelina's childhood. But I just can't accept that. Of course, this is a good flaw for Adelina, being so full of piss and vinegar that she takes it out on people who don't deserve it.
Also, I'm so glad that Lu finally confirmed my theory from The Young Elites!
This book takes everything great about the first book and brings it to a whole new, much more awesome level. I felt so many emotions while reading this: sadness at broken friendships, tension at the conflicting romantic feelings, anger at both Adelina and the people who betrayed her, and hope that Adelina will eventually be redeemed. I can't wait for the next in the series!
Adelina here is at her worst, which is also her best. All the angst from The Young Elites grew into hate, anger, and bitterness in The Rose Society. These are emotions I can get behind, much stronger and more interesting than angst. Now we don't just have perceptions of betrayal to work with; we have actual betrayals and false hopes. This makes her fury and mercilessness understandable and even justifiable.
Although Adelina is, without a doubt, a cruel and unstable person, it's hard not to sympathize with her. She wants to be loved and accepted, but time and again, she's rejected. She tells herself that she shouldn't trust, and when she does, it always comes back to bite her. That being said, I really didn't like how she treated Violetta throughout the story. Clearly, this is intentionally written and even believable after Violetta and Adelina's childhood. But I just can't accept that. Of course, this is a good flaw for Adelina, being so full of piss and vinegar that she takes it out on people who don't deserve it.
Also, I'm so glad that Lu finally confirmed my theory from The Young Elites!
This book takes everything great about the first book and brings it to a whole new, much more awesome level. I felt so many emotions while reading this: sadness at broken friendships, tension at the conflicting romantic feelings, anger at both Adelina and the people who betrayed her, and hope that Adelina will eventually be redeemed. I can't wait for the next in the series!
cpshadowclaws's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
book_fantasy7's review
4.0
This is the perfect sequel to The Young Elites. It is almost better than the first book. Although it is a dark book, it is still very good. Adelina is a fantastic character. She is more of a villain than a hero. It is refreshing to see such a unique story.
scrollsofdragons's review against another edition
5.0
I really adored this book a lot more then the first time that I'm giving it a full five stars because this book was just awesome.
The world building is not fully coloured out but everything else is amazing and we get more detailed points of views from other characters that were a great addition. Adelina, you go girl, own that shit. Seriously, all the girls in this, rocked. Magiano, such a darling mischievous thief with a heart of gold. Teren, I'm starting to like him more.
“True leaders are not born. We are made.”
The world building is not fully coloured out but everything else is amazing and we get more detailed points of views from other characters that were a great addition. Adelina, you go girl, own that shit. Seriously, all the girls in this, rocked. Magiano, such a darling mischievous thief with a heart of gold. Teren, I'm starting to like him more.
“True leaders are not born. We are made.”