Champion by Marie Lu

Summary:
He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be 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. (from GoodReads)

Review:
After I read Legend I merely liked this series but then when I read Prodigy I was in love. I was curious to see how Champion turned out. Luckily for me I enjoyed it very much, though it wasn't my favorite of the trilogy.

Champion throws us into the action a couple of months after the events of Prodigy have unfolded. June and Day have gone their separate ways (which is a tragedy in it of itself). June is the princeps-elect, which means she works closely with the Republic's Elector. Day, on the other hand, has been seeking treatment for his illness, while also looking after his younger brother who has been sick as well. A lot of sick people in this book, folks. It was never fully explained why Day is having these severe headaches (unless I missed it) though it's alluded to some experimentation that he underwent previously. If you say so book. Luckily for the readers, Day and June are reunited pretty quickly.

Champion takes on a different tone than the previous novels, because this time it's not the Patriots against the Republic. There is a new enemy (the Colonies) which serves to unite the two feuding groups of Legend and Prodigy. This dynamic was certainly interesting and showed that people would rather fix their own broken government than be invaded by another foreign one.

Marie Lu certainly had her hands full because there is a lot going on this trilogy! Not only does she create two dystopian governments, but a third one is thrown in for good measure. June and Anden travel to Antarctica, where people get points for good deeds and lose points for bad behavior. The more points you have, the better paid you are and the better status you have in society. I think she should have saved that concept because you could write a whole book about it! This author has a wonderful imagination.

Champion was very fast-paced and action-packed. The romance between June and Day continues to flourish. I loved reading from June's perspective because she thinks like Sherlock Holmes. She can calculate the amount of steps it will take to get from A to B and the amount of force she should use to knock someone out. I love seeing her in the streets as a soldier, which is what she's suited to. The only thing I didn't really like about Champion was the ending. It's pretty cliché. I'm not going to say but you'll see when you read this novel. Overall though I really liked this trilogy and can't wait to see what Marie Lu writes next!

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

2013/Putnam Juvenile/369 pages.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Summary:
June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I think I like Prodigy better than Legend which is such a surprise because the second book of a trilogy usually falls prey to the Middle Book Syndrome. Regardless, I'm very happy because I got an exciting story out of my good fortune (and Marie Lu's fantastic writing).

I read Legend over a year and half ago, so in the beginning I had trouble remembering exactly what  happened. But as I kept reading, the details came back to me so I was still able to enjoy the story. What I love about this trilogy is how action-packed and intense it is. June is a trained fighter and a genius, so she is a master at analyzing a situation and figuring out what to do. Day is super graceful and strong, so he can easily run around, cause diversions and escape captors. Together they are practically unstoppable and that's why I loved reading about them. Even though they are both young, they definitely have the ability to start a revolution and change the way their country operates.

The romance (particularly between June and Day) is an important part of the book and I enjoyed reading about it. My one complain about Legend was that the romance between our two narrators was too rushed so I was glad to see it develop more in Prodigy. The author couldn't resist with adding in secondary love interests and I would have preferred if the drama could have just been between Day and June sans jealousy and love triangles (or rather, squares). Day's longtime ally and friend Tess has a crush on him and it's obvious that the new Elector is infatuated with June. I didn't get the Tess love triangle because isn't she like thirteen? That's a little young even if Day is only two or three years older. I didn't mind Anden as much even though he is also five years older than June. A tad unrealistic, especially since June is 15. As you can see I'm really rooting for June and Day to be together!

There were plenty of twists and turns in the plot and the characters go places I didn't imagine (the Colonies, anyone?). The parallels with the Colonies was a nice touch and how it's not so much different from the Republic after all. The ending of the book was totally unfair, but in a really good way.

Overall, I'm really looking forward to Champion and I only have to wait until November to read it! It really is my lucky day.

Rating: 10 out of 10!
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2013/Putnam Juvenile/371 pages.

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.