Legend by Marie Lu

Release Date: 29th November, 2011

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 336pgs

The Story

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 a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turns of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep their secrets.

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

The Review

A big thanks to Tina from Penguin Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Also, a big thanks to Brodie from Eleusinian Mysteries for letting me borrow LEGEND earlier this year!

I love the dystopian genre. No author can do wrong by it because I love a little bit of everything - zombies, futuristic cities, the apocalypse of any sorts . . . the list is endless when it comes to dystopian. You can go in all different directions. Anyway, over the last few years or so, dystopian books have become one of my favourite genres in young adult fiction, and I think Marie Lu pulled it off tremendously. While the book itself has received a lot of raving reviews in these past few months - with some claiming it's the next big thing - but I didn't find myself completely knocked off my feet by it. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the book. I did. It was a refreshing story.

Thinking back to when I first heard about LEGEND, I expected a strong romance and an epic adventure. Readers claimed it was the next Catch Me If You Can story. And it was. Personally for me, I loved the thrills of someone catching a wanted criminal, the action it involved when someone was tracking another one down and risking everything . . . who doesn't love something like that? Even when it comes to the setting and the characters themselves, all of it - this world Lu managed to create - seemed pretty believable especially when it came to the exploration of American wars, politics and propaganda. That alone was interesting to read about. But what really drew me into this story was Day and June. I was very happy when I found out that each chapter was switched from one character perspective to another. We got to see two very different lives and the author had written them as authentic as you can get. Overall, I got a great dystopian story and not to mention some kick-ass kids.

I wouldn't complain too much when it comes to this book. However, I have only three problems with LEGEND. The first being the main character's ages - being only fifteen. I don't necessarily believe age is a big issue for readers, but for me being nineteen, I prefer my characters to be around the age of sixteen to eighteen-years-old. I get that June and Day are incredibly intelligent and gifted teens, and I get that they were supposed to act older than their actual age because they were smarties, but still, I would've loved the book more if they were older. The second problem for me was some of the aspects of the storyline being predictable. For it being a short read, most of the time it will be predictable . . . but again, like I tell a lot of people, sometimes books should be expanded into longer books . . . so characters and the storyline itself can be fully developed. And this brings me to the last problem: the action. I loved the action scenes Lu provided readers and I was definitely entertained til the end, but I hoped for more. Maybe my expectations were a little high here. . . but judging by everyone's reviews, I expected something EPIC to happen. But that's just me being the picky one.

Most of my thoughts of LEGEND are positive ones and despite a couple of iffy things I disliked, I'm looking forward to reading LEGEND's sequel. Not to mention the movie! Yes, the movie rights were bought and it sounds like it's a win-win with it becoming an actual movie. Anyway, with a killer cliffhanger and a book filled with betrayals, deadly little secrets, and Government manipulation that goes way too far, I can definitely see this book as perfect movie material! If you like the likes of Veronica Roth's Divergent and perhaps the likes of the Hunger Games . . . then readers will be drooling all over this book and make no mistake about that!

The Rating

4/5 stars