Review & Giveaway! The Rose Society by Marie Lu

                Welcome everyone I have something a bit more exciting today and that is my first giveaway of 2016!  That’s right it’s for a signed copy of the very book I’m going to be reviewing!  All the details will be down below in the rafflecopter.  I had to the pleasure of meeting Marie Lu when she visited Little Shop of Stories in Decatur GA (if you’re ever in the area I highly suggest swinging by the staff are great and make my 3.5-4 hr drive to come to their events worth every minute).  While I was there getting my copy of The RoseSociety signed I thought that there would be others who wouldn’t have the chance to meet her and I got a second copy and had her sign it as well so I could do this very thing!  Sorry for the delay but the end of the year with holidays, baking galore, and such it was a bit crazy.  So that’s enough of that, here are my thoughts on The Rose Society by the wonderful Marie Lu.  This is the sequel to The Young Elites (review) so if you haven’t read that yet there will be some spoilers for that one.

Rating:  5 Stars

                This is a villains story.  We pick up where we left off.  Adelina has suffered in life.  She has been treated badly by both family and friends.  All of this has turned her already dark thoughts down the bitter path of revenge.  When she was with the Daggers she was given the name White Wolf, and now everyone shall fear the White Wolf.  She has fled Kenetta with her sister after being cast out by those she thought of as friends.  Now looking for other Elites to create her own army with one goal, to strike down the Inquisition Axis and anyone who stands in her way.

                This book is intense.  Adelina is not a hero.  She is a villain.  Her powers are fed by fear and hate and they have grown out of her control.  There is a quote, a tagline for the book, and it pretty much sums it up and sends shivers down my arms:  Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends.  Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.  See!  Adelina has found a small piece of family with her sister and their new journey and understanding, their one rule, never use their powers against one another.  Still the sins of the past still linger in her dark mind.  In The Young Elites, I know she was supposed to be the villain even then, but I still thought of her as the hero trying to do right but being put in pretty rough spots.  The Rose Society I never had any grand delusions that she was the hero and what’s more is that I don’t think there is a hero of the book.  Everyone is dark and devious and has their own agenda.  Still I found many instances where she did ‘hero-like’ things, but as her power rages on and out of control she becomes more sinister.  I was blown away by the depth of it all.  I was constantly unsure what I wanted to happen next.

                I can’t say this enough but wow.  Everything is so expanded upon much more.  We see a wider picture of the world they live in and different characters are moving about like pieces on a game board.  Each hungry for something.  I just loved how intricate everything was.  The way characters are developed is just astounding.  More on the Daggers, even getting to know more about Teren had me on edge and considering my thoughts on that man that is something.  We also get to know new Elites, as Adelina builds her own society, two of my favorites are Magiano and Sergio.  Also while her sister was central in the last book, having been kidnapped and providing motivation, in this we get to know her more as a person and see her power unfold. 

                There is so much happening, the last half of the book was just beyond insane.  I was shocked, happy, mad, and everything in between.  The chaos and confusion of emotions was just spot on.  Marie Lu did a spectacular job in this sequel.  I can’t wait for the next book to come out so I can know more.

                 I’d love to hear your thoughts on the sequel and the series as a whole so let me know in the comments below.   Now for the giveaway, it’s pretty simple.  I’m leaving this open for three weeks and announce the winner on February 1^st.  It's also going to be open internationally so everyone can enter!  So share and spread the love!  I’ll be checking the entries of course but look forward to sending this one out!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway