#Wednesday Review - The Rose Society by Marie Lu (Young Adult, Fantasy)

Series: The Young Elites # 2
Format: Hardcover, 395 pages
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: G.P. Putnam Sons BYR
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

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 and her sister flee Kenettra 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?

The Rose Society is the second installment in The Young Elites series by author Marie Lu. For Adelina Amouteru, aka the White Wolf, revenge is a dish best served cold. Adelina is a survivor. She found a group of Elites that she could relate to after her father tried to kill her, and her sister held back her powers. She fell in love with a boy (Enzo) who was killed and was blamed for his death. 

She was kicked out of the Daggers because they felt betrayed by her actions in the previous novel. Now, she is on the hunt for a new group of Elites who can stand with her against the Inquisitors, Teren, Queen Giulletta, and the surviving Daggers led by Raffaele Laurent. The only constant in her life, right now, is her sister Violetta. Violetta's claim to fame is that she has the ability to take away Adelina's powers. 

I find it fascinating that Lu has totally gone over to the darkside with Adelina compared to her Legend trilogy. Adelina is now the Sith Lord, and she even has her own Storm Troopers (Magiano & Sergio) and apprentices (mercenaries). I would call the Daggers this series Jedi Knights, but I am finding it harder and harder to forgive them for their past actions and the fact that they were so willing to follow a Queen (Maeve) from another land, while believing the worst about Adelina. 

So much to talk about in this installment. I'm just curious how Lu plans on resolving the situation she has painted Adelina into. I am curious about the whispers in Adelina's head. Are they because of her powers, or is someone using her for their ultimate weapon? While Adelina is considered the main course, as it were, Lu alternates a few other characters as well. 

I join others in saying that I will fully admit that I shed a tear or two at the ending. There is so much rage pointed in the wrong direction. There is so much darkness in Adelina's heart that you have to wonder if she will survive. You can still feel for a character even after all the horrible things they do in the name of revenge. You can still hope that redemption is on the horizon, and that the character doesn't burn out and fade away. You can also hope that the new characters introduced in this story are able to find a way to solve the darkness that drives Adelina to the brink of destruction.

"Why can't I be the father who just shrugs off the love of his daughter? Why can't I be the Lead Inquisitor who enjoys watching his pleading victims burn at the stake? Why can't I be the one who befriends a lonely, lost girl and then casts her out? Why can't I be the one to strike first, to hit so early and with such fury that my enemies cower before they can even think of turning on me? 

What is so great about being good?"  

Amazon | Audible | Barnes & Noble | Kobo