ARC Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Author: Marie Lu

Genre: Young adult, fantasy

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 13, 2015

416 pages, hardcover

Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads.

Shout out to Brittany from Brittany’s Book Rambles whose giveaway I won and received The Rose Society from.

Expect a lot of caps lock in this review. This is what my immediate reaction was upon finishing this book and what I wrote as my Goodreads review:

I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS AND NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW BRILLIANT THIS BOOK WAS.

I’m still struggling to find the words to describe how much I loved this follow up to last year’s The Young Elites (which I also LOVED). It’s rare that I read a sequel that I find to be completely up to par with the first book, but this was. Plus, it’s darker and more devious and delightfully delicious. I devoured it and this one’s not even out yet but I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE THIRD BOOK.

I got chills after the two pages. That’s the mark of a book that pulls you in immediately and doesn’t want to let you go. I swear, if I had not had to go to work, I would’ve read it straight through, and do YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO GO TO WORK?

We’ve got to talk about Adelina, of course. Man, do I love her. She’s fierce, dark, strong, and decidedly stubborn. And in The Rose Society she takes it a step farther. She isn’t afraid to get what she wants, to fight for revenge, to be mean if she has to and bitter and tough. I love her. It’s refreshing to read about a main character who is, well…a little evil. She’s losing her mind somewhat, and that downward spiral is captivating.

This book will break your heart and make you crave more of it. And that ending. No spoilers, but it’s both deliciously satisfying and slightly enraging in that I NEED MORE NOW. I’m so pumped that my teens chose The Young Elites for our November book club read at the library.

Even though I was obviously obsessed with this one, this one felt more slow-burning than The Young Elites which was packed to the brim with action. I liked the focus on Adelina’s mental state, but I think TYE was a little more intense, if that makes sense.

The bottom line: If my review isn’t enough for you, I’m not sure how else to get my point across. READ THIS SERIES. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you’re probably going to be completely enthralled, put under a spell that you won’t want to break.

Rating: 9 – practically perfect