Review: Legend series by Marie Lu
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Amazon, Goodreads
“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”
About the series
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.
Review
Legend: Legend was an exciting, engaging read, though it doesn't really stand out in my mind in the YA dystopian genre. What I find interesting about the world Lu crafts are the disparities between the nations: the Republic, militaristic and the Colonies, corporate-driven. The Republic is a controlling society that caters to the needs of the rich. They help ensure this by spreading propaganda inaccurately portraying the country as a superpower while also forcing annual trials that determine the preteens' future careers... but, as discovered in the novel, aren't what they seem. June and Day are great as main characters; Lu creates depth to their backgrounds and personalities. The action is great in Legend, for those looking for a fun, quick, entertaining read. My rating: ★★★★Prodigy: Prodigy starts where Legend leaves off. June and Day become more involved in the Republic's and Colonies's political drama. I didn't like this novel as much as the first one; I think it's mainly because I got irritated due to all the love triangles. I felt annoyed by June and Day constantly being confused by their feelings but then again, they are only 15, which is something I was always forgetting. In Prodigy, readers are really introduced to the Colonies, which functions completely differently from the Republic but still caters to the rich. If I were to rank the novels, I would put Prodigy last. My rating: ★★★
Champion: I didn't really feel the first half of Champion; I felt like the writing was on the dull side and I wasn't into the plot. It really picks up in the second half, and I almost cry at the ending. Lu does a great job of wrapping up the story and June and Day's relationship. I can't say much without giving away spoilers, so I'm going to leave it at that. My rating: ★★★★
OVERALL - Legend is a solid, action-packed series for those looking for an entertaining read. I did get irritated by the multiple love triangles and the writing was a bit dull in places, but overall it's a good series. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy the YA dystopian genre. I don't think those who don't typically read the genre would like it.
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