The Sunday Review: LEGEND – Marie Lu

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.

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

I’ve been toying with the idea of tackling this trilogy for quite some time, but after The Hunger Games, Divergent and Razorland… well, I kind of needed a break from dystopia. But post-reading slump, and after seeing a few people raving about these books at great length, I decided to give them a try. 

I enjoyed this book. The action flows seamlessly, the two main characters are pretty kickass (and there are a few other interesting characters in there too – like Ollie, June’s dog) and the plot does have a few great twists and turns. There was enough here to entertain me and get me through to the end of the book, and I think that for fans of Divergent and THG who are looking for something to fill that particular void, there’s a lot here to like.
  
But that’s not to say it was perfect. It started off with a lot of promise. Kickass girl with amazing combat skills? Super ninja kid who has been sneaking in and out of buildings and compounds and evading the authorities so effectively for years that they don’t even know what he looks like? 

Dude. Epic beginning. Then the thing with June’s brother happens, and I thought wow. This could really turn the expected on its head and pit the two protagonists against one another – which would be the first time I’ve read this type of YA book where the author subverted the expected love interests. I was impressed.

For about three chapters. Then the plot quickly reverted to exactly what I would normally expect. It’s not a bad story or anything, don’t get me wrong. In fact, I think its main failing was that it came so close to doing something unique – close enough for me to see how it would play out in my mind – so when it failed to do so, I was disappointed. I wanted the author to take some risks with her characters and risk alienating a few readers who want to travel well-trodden, romantic ground in order to provide those of us who are bored with something new and exciting. And it came so close. So I think that disappointment lingered and left me feeling ambivalent.

Because of this, it ended up being a good-but-not-great read for me. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to die-hard fans of THG, Divergent or Razorland, and I’d know they were getting an entertaining read that would live up to their expectations. But it isn’t one I’ll be telling everyone out there to read. It’s one of those that is good – for its niche. Good enough that I’ll be continuing on with the series because I am curious to see what happens next, so there are two more chances to wow me!

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