RATING: 4½ stars (out of 5)

“Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, so she destroyed them all.”

Have you ever wondered how a villain became the villain in the first place? What influenced their choices and their actions and their motives? Why they decided to become the people they are?

Well, Marie Lu’s Young Elites series is the perfect answer for you.

This series is a dark fantasy story, set in a bleak and wicked world full of magic, complex villains and heroes (or a really twisted aspect of what could be considered a hero), political turmoil and unrest, and a frightening, perverse reality.

Our main character, Adelina Amouteru, is a survivor of a blood fever that occurred when she was a child. The blood fever left very few survivors and left strange, permanent markings and scars on their bodies. Others obtained strange abilities that made them powerful, dangerous and feared by the populations, cursed as demons and referred to as Young Elites. Adelina discovers her own abilities under her own unfortunate circumstances and is propelled into a world where everyone, it seems, is an enemy. She’s slapped left and right with obstacles and troubles, and, when she’s finally had enough of the betrayal and cruelty of others, she makes a choice in her life that marks her as an enemy of society.

Now, in The Rose Society, the events of which take place right after that of its predecessor, is the sequel to the first book, the Young Elites, so I won’t spoil anything, but, I will say, this sequel was everything I wanted and more. I think it’s one of my favorite books of the year and it’s only been out for a little less than three weeks.

I found The Rose Society to be fast-paced, enthralling and addicting. Marie Lu’s words flow with such ease and elegance that it’s hypnotic to read and you can’t help but be sucked into this treacherous world. The natural flow of her narrative brings to life characters that you shouldn’t like but do anyway and a society where daily life is so horrid that it almost feels painfully real.

What I found so amazing was how this story takes Adelina and our complex cast of characters down into an even deeper level of darkness.

In comparison to the first book, with only Adelina’s private thoughts as any indication of evil lurking in our antihero, the Rose Society takes it up several notches; death, despair and darkness are the surrounding influences here, and it is evident. Adelina should be unlikable for her actions as they are swayed by her selfishness and her ambition. However, the reasoning behind her villainous action is grounded in an anger and fear and darkness that is so easy to be sympathetic towards that I still couldn’t help but loving her.

Also, the new perspectives and the new characters in this novel brought so much more life and thrill into the story that it had me itching for more once the story was done. This cast of characters drives the decisions and dilemmas of the story and highlight the consequences with great ease.

Now, while I didn’t like the ending all that much, it makes sense that I wouldn’t. Mid-series endings aren’t as impactful or interesting as their predecessors and possible successors, but this story ended on a revelation so unsettling and surprising that I’m absolutely picking up the next book as soon as it comes out.

Overall, this was the perfect sequel to read for me, and, while it might not be for every kind of reader, you should definitely give it a chance! This series epitomizes all my favorite things in literature—magic, complex characters, and a frightening yet mesmerizing world—and it definitely won’t disappoint for all you fantasy book lovers.