Review - LEGEND by Marie X. 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.

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.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills. (Book Description as listed on Amazon.com)




LEGEND came to us by way of an ARC tour. (Thank you to Julie AT A Tale of Many Reviews DOT com). We were very fortunate to receive it as it's projected release date is November 29, 2011. I know that I had been anticipating this book for a while. I kept seeing it pop up on goodreads.com, Amazon and Twitter.

The story is told from two perspectives, it begins with Day and alternates with June points of view and takes place in the future, in Los Angeles, CA. To be honest, I didn't know how I was going to feel about reading an entire book with alternating points of view. In my reading experience, I found that if there were two points of view used in a novel, I was basically re-reading the same scene twice. This was not the case, Day would start with his story and it would continue straight over with June's (with the exception of a sentence or two as to how they were deciphering their interactions/reactions). It was also interesting how Lu used a different typesetting format to distinguish the characters points of view. Day's font was gold and June's was basic black. I did not find it distracting at all, in fact, I found it be sort of like an 'extra' to the book, something like a special feature you would find on a DVD. Although the fonts were really cool, the book could have also stood alone. The characters were so distinct that the writing spoke for itself and I was able to just flip through the book without ever wondering 'who' was speaking.

LEGEND is classified as a YA dystopian read and could easily be praised along the lines with The Hunger Games and Divergent. Now, the only reason why I categorize them together is because I loved those books and they were also dystopians. I am not comparing them at all to each other except to tell you again, that I loved them and I loved LEGEND too.

LEGEND was definitely a thrilling dystopian read that was very deep and realistic. The story felt so unique and there was no way that I could have predicted any exact outcomes. I felt my suspicions and my mind kept asking questions, but after the first twist, I knew I had to sit back and keep reading because I couldn't rule anything out.

Lu's writing was intelligent but I was able to relate to it and found it easy to understand. There were a lot of local places mentioned in the novel since it took place in Southern California, and I thought it was a nice treat to see them there. This is a three book series and I sort of can't wait for the other two books. Now the only reason why I can wait a little is because LEGEND had me a little teary and gasping out loud, when my heart wasn't racing.

As I was reading the book, I found myself giving my husband updates on the story until finally I just started reading some parts out loud. I kept familiarizing him with the characters and by the time I finished reading it he would ask me to report what was happening to who. (He was very interested in the story - I think he's partial to Dystopian reads).

I fully recommend this book to all who love YA but especially to those who love dystopian reads. You will not be disappointed. It has action, twists, amazing characters and just enough romance. Usually when I read a book, I say, okay, 'where's the guy?!' but with LEGEND, I felt especially drawn to the story line and the individual characters. Even though the main characters didn't meet right away, I didn't feel like I was missing out or was biding my time till they did. If anything, I was gaining more insight to them so that when they did meet, their encounters were special and important.

Pre-Order LEGEND out November 29, 2012
Legend the Series - Official Website
Follow Legend the Series Author - Marie Lu on Twitter
"Like" Legend the Series on Facebook

Author: Marie X. Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (An Imprint of Penguin Group (US) Inc.)
Pages: 301

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars by Mary & Jenn