LEGEND by Marie Lu

Great suspense and memorable characters, when I started reading Marie Lu's Legend, it was unputdownable!

I've had this book in my TBR for a while, read some great reviews on it.  There was just something that kept holding me back--honestly, it might've been that golden font used for Day's POV.  A little hard on the eyes, but I got used to it.  Now, I'm glad I waited.  Otherwise I would've been pining for the sequel Prodigy, which of course isn't out yet.  Is it January 2013 yet? J

Anyway, back to June and Day.  Their story was so fascinating, and I think Lu does a great job of showing us their different outlooks.  June is a 15-year-old girl, the poster child for the Republic, an expert in military matters and the only person ever to score a perfect 1500 at her Trial.  Day is the Republic's number one enemy, a 15-year-old criminal mastermind who has outsmarted and evaded the government's attempts to capture him, the boy believed to have murdered June's brother, Metias.

It didn't take me long to grow attached to Day.  He's an easy character to like.  I think everyone knows going into a dystopian novel, there's always--always--something seedy going on with the people in power.  So, Day's crimes against the oppressive Republic don't seem all that bad.  When his family's door is marked with a strange red X, an indication of Plague, Day will do anything to save them.  Break into government hospitals, bet on illegal Skiz fights to get money for a cure, risk his life to save his mother and brothers.  That's just the kind of person Day is.

As I said, I was definitely a fan.  Plus, Day had some major skills; I mean, come on, he could scale buildings with a couple of knives!  Day was like Spiderman without the red and blue spandex J

June was a little harder to love, being an agent of the Republic.  However, Lu did a great job of making her sympathetic by showing us the close relationship between her and her brother and then ripping that away.  Metias was one of those characters, the ones you like immediately and don't want to see hurt.  I really loved how gung-ho June was about finding his murderer--I just wish she hadn't accepted that it was Day so quickly.

Though I had trouble knowing who was talking (Day and June's voice sounded very similar to me; I had to check the color font more than a few times in the beginning J), I think the alternating POV really worked here.  Through June, we get to see the inner workings of the Republic.  We get to meet sadistic, evil people like Commander Jameson--who's a woman btw--and soldiers who blindly follow orders--like Thomas.  We get to see the Republic's horrendous acts, like rounding up people in a square only to shoot them down like fish in a barrel.  What I'm saying is Lu gave us a truly terrible scenario, and made it believable by showing us, several times, the awful actions of the Republic's officials.

Good book, really enjoyed it!  I'll definitely keep an eye out for Prodigy, have to know what happened to poor Eden!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl