Legend Series

Legend & Prodigy - Marie Lu

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.

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

 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?

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THOUGHTS:

Legend and Prodigy are both excellent books. I really enjoyed reading it. At first it was hard to understand who was narrating (main character), because in all honesty I thought Day was a she. However, first lets start out with the positive aspects of this series. One, I loved it. Two, the author did a brilliant job of creating layers within a character. I get really frustrated in reading a book that has very flat personalities, but Ms. Lu did an excellent job of bring color into every character (especially the evil characters). Three, when I read a book that has flipping narration, it sometimes gets confusing or irritating. Suddenly, I don't know whose perspective I am reading from and I just give up on the book completely, because it is hard to follow. However, this is not the case for Legend series. Ms. Lu does an awesome of two things, embodying the main characters and seeing different perspective of a situation introduced without difficult transition.

Now comes the boring or negative part of the series. I think that the characters are great, but I don't think that there was time for each characters to tell their own stories. You get a sense of who they are, but as a reader you don't get a sense of bond with them. Obviously, I understood the two main character because it was focuses on their perspectives. Second, sometimes I would have difficulty comprehending what kind of world that the characters are set in. As you read the series, you learn more about the world or the environment these characters grew up in. As a writer, I know that it is difficult expand a "setting/world" beyond what the biggest focus of your story is.

I highly recommend this series. There is a lot of action and conspiracy that I think you will enjoy. It is an adventure book. In this book, there is a strong female character, which I am a sucker for. There is also romance in the book, but it is not as prominent as the conflicts each character has within themselves and the world.

3rd book is called Champion. I am currently reading it, but I haven't found the time to finish it. When I do read it, I will write another review.

RATE: 4/5