Monday, January 16, 2012

Legend by Marie Lu

Summary:
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' 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.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I was very excited to read Legend, because I heard many good things about it. Even though it wasn't perfect, I still really enjoyed this novel and can't wait to see what happens next.

What I liked a lot about Legend was how action-packed it. Since the Republic is very military driven and June is part of that culture, there were different missions and such that she took part in which were exciting. I also loved that June was a strategical prodigy; it's so nice to have an intelligent protagonist. I could tell that June was smart because she was very observant and could had the Sherlock Holmes power of deduction.

Since the book changes point-of-view, we also get the perspective of Day, who is very street-smart and is a bit of a legend around town. Some of things he supposedly did seem a little far-fetched, so I'm not sure if we're just supposed to believe that he has superpowers or if that the "legend" became exaggered. Either way, I liked reading about him, though I did like reading about June better. Her narration gave us more information about the government and world she lives so I liked that better.

With every dystopia, there are always complaints about the world-building, since it never seems good enough. While I would love to know more about how/why the Republic was formed, I think it makes sense that we don't get much history. The characters don't even know that there used to be a United States, so I understand why the reader might not know all the details.

I am a big fan of romance in books, but only if it's done well. I usually would never say this, but I think the author should have held off on the romance until the second book. It gives us some good scenes, but I would have liked to see Day and June get to know each other a little better before all the feelings of romance are displayed.

Overall, I really liked Legend and thought it was very exciting and action-packed. Some of the twists I did not see coming at all, which made the book even better.

Rating: 8 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library.

2011/Putnam Juvenile/305 pages.

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