I don’t usually do this, but since I’m pretty backed up in reviews, I will be reviewing some of the series I’ve read into one review for the whole series. It’s just easier to help get caught up.
Title(s): Legend (Book #1), Prodigy (book #2), and Champion (book #3)
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend
Genre: YA Dystopian
Pages: 305, 371, and 369
Edition Read: Paperback for Legend, Kindle eBook for Prodigy and Champion
Blurbs:
Legend:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Prodigy:
Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic’s most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots – a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?
Champion:
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.
But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.
With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.
Review
This will go under the category of “Why didn’t I read this sooner?” I’ve known about this series ever since seeing Marie Lu speak at YallFest several years ago. I even bought my copy of Legend there because I was really interested in it after hearing her speak at one of the panels. And it still took six years (according to GoodReads) for me to get to it.
Sigh.
I loved everything about this series. It was so well written and suspenseful. You never assumed that everything was going to turn out alright in the ned (and it didn’t, not really, not the way you would think). I love both of the main characters. June is brilliant, strong, and a badass in her own right, but she’s still a young girl who has been used and manipulated by her country. Day is also brilliant, strong, and badass, but has not grown up with the trappings of wealth and status that June has, instead becoming one of their most wanted criminals.
They are enemies from opposite sides of the spectrum until June realized the truth about the Republic. One thing I loved about these books is that it doesn’t shy away from how hard it is for her to have to completely change her thinking about the systems in place that she has always trusted. When she goes against the Republic, even knowing how awful they are, she misses it. It is a struggle. It is part of what makes it difficult for her and Day to be together (not to mention the people trying to kill them). The other thing that I really liked is that although the Republic is corrupt, it’s not like the other side of the war is the “good guys.” The Colonies are pretty terrible too, just in different ways. I wish we had gotten to spend a bit more time in Antarctica though – that place just seemed cool (no pun intended).
If you are a fan of YA Dystopian novels, then you should definitely check this out. The story world is great, the characters are great, the ending broke my heart but had a feeling of hope on the very last page. So good.
GoodReads ratings: 5 stars for each of them.
Categories: Books I've Read
Life With No Plot 
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