We are celebrating Marie Lu and her New York Times bestselling series THE YOUNG ELITES. The paperback of book 1 is out now, and the VERY MUCH anticipated second book THE ROSE SOCIETY comes out on October 13th. This installment chronicles power-hungry Adelina’s rapid descent into paranoia and madness, as she pulls together her own society of gifted and ruthless malfettos, determined to overthrow those persecuting their kind.
We love a good villain, (I mean, who didn’t love The Darkling a whole lot), and Adelina is just that kind of character. If you’ve read The Young Elites, you know she is definitely not your typical heroine.
To celebrate the upcoming release of The Rose Society, Penguin asked us to create our own ‘Villain Squad” complete with our own identities!! We couldn’t resist something so fun and creative and because we adore Marie Lu we want to help spread the word as much as possible about this incredible series!
When we started thinking about how we wanted to create our Villain Squad we knew we wanted to do something different from your typical superheroes. We put our heads together with our besties over at Swoony Boys Podcast and decided on a bookish theme for our squad. Why? Well have you met us? We are all about the books. We thought about bad book habits and how those are already villainous and then BAM! We had our squad. All that was left was naming our group. That was where things got a little complicated. We couldn’t think of the perfect name, but all it took was asking Meg’s hubby what he would name a bookish villain squad. He didn’t even hesitate before responding, “451 Squad.” If you get the reason why you get bonus points, if you don’t? Just ask our friend Ray Bradbury.
Now that you know our squad name, it’s time to meet the members of the team.
“The Tauntress”
She can’t help it, she loves teasing those who aren’t reading the amazing book she’s got in her hands.
Jaime has been known to tease those around her by laughing, gasping or tossing her book down in frustration while she’s reading which is only meant to tease the people who aren’t able to read the amazing books she’s reading.
“Lady Spine Bender”
She loves her books so hard, she bends their spines.
Erin can’t help but bend her books as she’s reading, she gets so engrossed in the story she needs to get as close to the it as possible!
But that’s not our whole squad! Meg & Kass round out the members – You can see their badges here, but you have to head on over to Swoony Boys Podcast to find out their Villainous qualities.
We loved book one of this series and I am seriously all kinds of excited to get my hands on The Rose Society! Check out the summaries below, and we’ve included goodreads and buy links so you can just go grab them now!
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
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 that murdered her love, the Crown Prince Enzo Valenciano.
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?
Penguin is hosting a giveaway for a much coveted ARC of The Rose Society (US only)
So who are some of your favorite villains?? Who are those characters that you love but maybe aren’t supposed to?? Want to be part of our Crew? Come up with your (bookish) villain and link your post in the comments!
Recent Comments