Legend by Marie Lu - Review

Author	Marie Lu
Published Date	2011
Genre	Dysopian
Preceded By	N/A
Followed By	Prodigy

Summary

June is prodigy from one of the wealthiest parts of the country. Day is a infamous street urchin, from the slums. You see, Day failed his test, and had no choice other than to steal and bet to get money. And June passed her test with a perfect score. Her brother works for the republic, and when Day and he cross paths, the Republic wants Day even more.

Review

I bought this book after a heavy recommendation from a friend. She had even called it "better than The Hunger Games". Of course, that's a matter of personal opinion, but I would definitely place this book right up there with it.

The novel takes place in a dystopian setting, and has all the things you would expect from one: a broken government, a rebellion, tests that determine who a person is, etc., etc. You'll recognize these similarities as you read the book, as well.

However, it has something else that really sets it apart. First, and foremost, one of the main characters, June, is for the government. Her brother works for the Republic and so did their parents. This factor really gave June a lot of power.

There is romance in the book, and some of it doesn't seem too realistic (for example, Day is accused of killing June's brother, but she's into him). It felt organic though, if not real. That might sound confusing, so let me try again. It feels natural in the novel, but I know it probably wouldn't have work in real life. There, that's the best I can do.

I guess that's because all of the characters feel organic themselves. Their reactions to situations never surprised me because you get to know the characters fairly well. Their personalities are easily distinguishable, but the reasons for their personalities are not. It's very fun to read why they are what they are throughout the book.

It was very exciting, too. There was never a boring lull in the middle and the ending was paced well. I appreciate how this wasn't a story about June and Day overthrowing the government like other dystopian I've read. That was certainly in the story (with the Colonies), but it was to the back and was talked about so little, it was somewhat easy to forget. It was, rather, a story about June and Day themselves, and they're journey to learning more about the world around them.

Overall, this was a great book. It was lively and interesting. Though it had it's flaws, I didn't find them to be overwhelming. There was a nice balance between action, romance, and mystery. Marie Lu certainly does a good job making you care about the characters and the story itself.

-Havityia

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