Synopsis: 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.
Rating: 6/5 Stars
Must read! Must have! Must buy! Must fall in
love with! Must be obsessed with!Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Dystopian
Other books In the series:
Recommended for: fans of The
Hunger Games, Divergent, Shatter Me, Cinder
My opinion:
You know
that feeling when you have so many books, but you still don't know what to
read? When several books just scream at you: Pick meeee! Read meeee! Well, I was in the middle of one of those
bookish battles and Legend came out
the winner, due to its raving reviews and popularity. And the fact that I had
it on my TBR pile for sometime now. And simply because it couples two of my
favorite elements in a book: a dystopian world and the love story between rich
and poor persons.
My first
thought after I finished it? That was
bloody amazing! My second thought? WHY
THE HECK DIDN'T I READ THIS SOONER??
Let's set
up the background so you can understand what I'm talking about. Imagine a
future world where the floods came and wiped out off the face of the Earth
whole countries and chunks of land. Now picture the United States in this
world, only it's split in two: the eastern part is called the Colonies; the
western part is called the Republic. And, predictable enough, these two powers
are at war.
Every
ten-year old kid from the Republic has to enter the Trial, a test that shows
how skilled and capable is the child. Depending on the score, if they passed
the exam, they get to go to a high school, possibly a university and then
obtain a job. If you fail, you're sent to the so-called labor camps, but in
reality you're sent straight to death.
“Each day means a new twenty-four
hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you
die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time. ”
In this
fascinating yet cruel universe, there are two teenagers very different from one
another: June, a girl who only has her older brother, born into luxury, the
single person who scored maximum on her Trial; and Day, a poor boy, living on
the streets with his family knowing he's actually dead; he's also the
Republic's most wanted criminal. Oh, and he failed his Trial. When June's brother
is killed and Day is blamed, she wants revenge.
“I will hunt you down. I will scour the
streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have
to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt
you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run.
I make you this promise: your life is mine.”
I had a
complicated relationship with June: I loved her to pieces most of the time, but
sometimes I down-right hated her. Granted, she has a lot on her shoulders, so
that's the reason why I always respected and admired her, regardless of her
heartless decisions. But she's a brilliant, beautiful, ambitious young woman
and she has to come to terms with the fact that her beloved nation might be
corrupted and pure bad. That struggle within her was done exceptionally well:
to go with logic, order and loyalty or proceed on feelings, instincts and leave
her safety blanket behind once and for all.
Day, on the other hand, I loved from the very
first second. You rarely find such a kind and selfless hero. With his easygoing
grin and gorgeous looks, he'll win your heart instantly. But there's also
something incredibly innocent about him that makes me want to keep him at bay
from danger and just hug and kiss him all day long. For Christ's sake, he
actually cries! He's not some flawless character or a killing machine with a
cold heart. Oh no. He's caring, funny, honest, strong and wicked-smart. But at
the same time, Day's just a boy. He has fears and dreams, he loves with all
he's got and he places his family before him. And he never, ever kills anybody.
"When you stand out
there," John continues in a hoarse voice, "keep your chin up, all
right? Don't let them get to you."
"I won't."
"Make them work for it. Punch someone if you have to." John gives me a sad, crooked smile. "You're a scary kid. So scare them. Okay? All the way until the end."
For the first time in a long time, I feel like a little brother. I have to swallow hard to keep my eyes dry. "Okay," I whisper.”
"I won't."
"Make them work for it. Punch someone if you have to." John gives me a sad, crooked smile. "You're a scary kid. So scare them. Okay? All the way until the end."
For the first time in a long time, I feel like a little brother. I have to swallow hard to keep my eyes dry. "Okay," I whisper.”
These two
together? Well, first of all, the amount of smartness has no limits. Second of
all, they complete each other so well! They strengthen each other, they work
with each other, they protect each other. And yes, there are some seriously
swoony moments ahead, guys.
I close my eyes at the touch of his hand."Then we are both fools.”
Now on the
secondary characters... I didn't read the synopsis right before I started
reading, so I was blissfully oblivious to Metias' death. Until it happened. And
my heart went bazinga with sadness. He was really an amazing character and I
would've liked so much more time with him.
“Forever and ever, kid, until
you're sick and tired of seeing me.”
Then
there's Tess, whom I liked. Thomas, who was just an ass-kisser not worthy of
trust. And Commander Jamison, malicious and manipulative. Well, bite me.
There's a
lot of action, battles and fights. The pace was perfectly in sync with the
plot, always keeping you engaged with the story. But there's more than that:
the fact that you don't know which side is wrong, which enemy is the worst...
Secrets, lies and revelations keep popping up just to blur your thoughts. It
all creates this epic rollercoaster that has you messed up and in deep
emotional turmoil. Yes, I said emotional. You think Legend is just some book where a lot of people unexpectedly die?
Well, yes, there's that, but you're also in for a lot of feelings. Heartache.
Betrayal. Shock. Denial. Anger. The need for justice. And, of course, love.
“What a joke! Poor little rich
girl's fallen in love with the Republic's most famous criminal.”
The ending
makes me wanna go straight to Prodigy
-- thank God it's out already. Not exactly a cliffhanger, but it portrays the
calm before the storm that will definitely make an appearance with Prodigy.
Suffice it
to say, I'm the newest addition to Marie Lu's fanbase. She blew my mind with
this debut and her writing style is deeply imaginative. On my auto-buy list,
she goes. *wink*
Legend is an incredibly well-written debut and a book
that promises action-packed sequels. Gorgeous, captivating and fast-paced, this
is a dystopian story that you shouldn't miss! Can't recommend it enough or do
it justice through a handful of words. Just trust me on this one and read it
the first chance you've got.
ENJOY! ©
0 comentarii:
Trimiteți un comentariu