When I first finished LEGEND by Marie Lu, it was too late at night to write a full review, but I wanted to get something down on paper. On my bookmark, I wrote the following four lines:
Wow.
Dystopian YA? Yes, Please!
Optioned for film? Hell yeah!
Don't miss this one!
Honestly, there is a part of me that's tempted to leave these four lines, and nothing else, as my review. Then, there is the other, overly loquacious side of me that wants to talk about this book for hours.
I read this book in a little over a day, if you count the wee hours in bed with just me, my book, and my itty bitty book light. Usually, I take notes, writing down thoughts and page numbers for favorite passages. I was so absorbed in this story, I didn't take any notes aside from the strong cast of characters.
June is a fifteen year old girl who earned the only known perfect score in the history of the Trials. She and her elite family are committed to the Republic. When her brother, Metias, a Captain for the Republic, is murdered, June is brought up through the ranks to head up the team that will find and avenge his death.
Day is a fifteen year old boy, the Republic's most wanted criminal, and the primary suspect in Metias's murder. He remains a mystery, even to his own family.
When June starts to dig deeper into the Republic's highest officials, she realizes there may be secrets her brother was keeping, and lies she has been told. The two rivals, June and Day, are more alike than they originally think, and only by fighting one another do they uncover the truth - and realize that they might be on the same side.
What does the truth mean for June? Does it mean certain death for Day?
Great book! I stand by my first thoughts - don't miss it.
Book Extras:
Marie Lu - website
Read the first chapter
Legend the series website
(note: the trailer is hokey and not a good representation of the book.)
Legend page at Penguin
About the Book:
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (November 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 039925675X
ISBN-13: 978-0399256752
Marie Lu is the art director at Online Alchemy, a video game company, and also owns the children’s brand Fuzz Academy. She was first inspired to write Legend while watching Les Miserables one afternoon, and wondered how the relationship between a famous criminal vs. a prodigious detective might translate into a more modern story. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2006 and lives in
Los Angeles, California.
Visit Marie at www.marielu.org
*Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher at BEA
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2 comments:
I have this one and am excited about reading it. I really do love YA dystopians and think that they have become a favorite genre of mine, so this one sounds as if I need to check it out! Luckily, I own a copy!
Thanks for posting an honest review. I've actually heard this is a wanna be of The Hunger Games, but your review has peaked my interest. Will most definitely check it out before I judge it :) Thanks and glad to see you enjoyed it :)
Diana @ The Lovely Getaway
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