The Rose Society by Marie Lu (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: The Rose Society, Warcross
Published by Penguin on October 13th 2015
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, General, Young Adult
Pages: 416
From New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes the second book in the exhilarating Young Elites seriesOnce 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?Bestselling author Marie Lu delivers another heart-pounding adventure in this exhilarating sequel to The Young Elites. From the Hardcover edition.
We are so stinking excited to be a part of the blog tour for Marie Lu’s upcoming The Rose Society! We’re huge fans of all her stuff, but we’ve been dying to read The Rose Society since we turned the last page of The Young Elites!
We had the chance to chat a bit with Marie for the tour and dare we say we adore her even more…
Describe The Rose Society in 5 words.
Aspiring villain gets her revenge.
What was the hardest scene for you to write in The Rose Society and why?
The final chapter. Oh man, it was a dark, dark, dark, painful one. I’m a mean author.
Were there any scenes that had to be cut that you wish would have stayed in?
There was an extra flashback from Raffaele’s point of view, about Raffaele and a certain prince. I liked it, but ultimately cut it out of the draft. It just didn’t fit in with the book’s pacing. It might make an appearance in the third book, though.
I know why I like Adelina but why do you think she is so well liked (considering her “villain” status)?
Thank you! I’m honestly surprised and relieved that some like Adelina, because I was really afraid that no one would. My best guess is that perhaps we all have moments of darkness and weakness in us, and we all have experienced hurt and betrayal from people who are supposed to be good to us. It was cathartic for me to write about a character who feels okay with hitting back sometimes, who can say, “Look, I’m going to go do this thing, and I don’t care if it makes anybody else unhappy—it makes me happy.”
If you could have any gift possessed by the Young Elites, what gift would you want to have?
I think Raffaele’s gift of soothing others would be a pretty nice one, although I would also like Adelina’s knack for turning invisible!
Do you have any strange writing habits?
I can’t listen to music with lyrics when I’m writing a first draft. The words will distract me. So when I’m first-drafting, I listen to long playlists of soundtracks—everything from movies to video games.
Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of The Rose Society that was your favorite?
Sure! There’s a peaceful, romantic scene around a campfire about halfway through the book. In a book full of dark and angry scenes, it was really nice writing that “serene” chapter.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished Leigh Bardugo’s masterpiece, Six of Crows, and it was so good I don’t even know what to do with myself. I just started on Jason Reynolds’ All-American Boys, and I love it so far.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
My biggest piece of advice is always to not be afraid to write something bad. It’s okay if you can’t get your first try to look good—keep going, until you have a full draft to work with. Then you can go back and tear the thing up and put it together again. But you need to have something to work with, first!
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?
I’m actually working on a brand new project right now that I am super excited about. That’s pretty much all I can say, but I hope I get to talk more about it soon.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now): “Young Hearts” (Strange Talk)
Favorite Book (right now): Totally nuts over Andy Weir’s The Martian since I read it earlier in the year. By the time this is posted, I’ve probably come back from watching the movie!
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Favorite TV show: “Breaking Bad” | Favorite Movie: “Contact”
Favorite Word: kummerspeck, which in German literally translates as “grief bacon.” Its definition is “excess weight gained from emotional overeating.” Best. Ever.
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Curse Word: “baka”, which means “idiot!” in Japanese. Probably the first swear I ever learned, from watching anime as a kid. I think it sounds kind of cute.
Favorite Food: Watermelon, and peaches! (Peaches are Day’s favorite food, too.)
I hope after that you’re just as excited as we are to read The Rose Society!!
1 winner (US only) will receive:
– A hardcover of THE ROSE SOCIETY
– A Penguin Teen tote bag
– A poster for THE YOUNG ELITES series
– A basket inspired by a few of Marie Lu’s favorite things!
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