LEGEND by Marie Lu

LEGEND was a book that I couldn’t put down. I do love dystopian books, and this one was a fresh concept of a no longer United States divided into the Republic and the Colonies. There wasn’t much to go on as far as how we got to this point, although there were little clues along the way that make me think we could get more backstory in the next book – and I do hope there will be a next book! In some books, it would bother me that I didn’t know how they got to this point, but in this one, I barely even noticed it because I was so wrapped up in the action-packed, suspenseful, intrigue aspects of the story. I appreciated debut author Marie Lu’s writing style. It was very straight-forward and focused on the action and details of what was going on, constantly moving the pacing forward with little clues for both the reader and the characters. 

Speaking of characters, I was hooked on both Day and June, which was good because the story unfolds from alternating points-of-view (clearly noted in chapter title, text font, and color). I appreciate the complexity of stories written from multiple perspectives, and it really works for this case and is so necessary for discovering the whole truth of what’s happening. Day and June both have heart and want to do what’s right for their families, and they both have big brothers to be admired. I’m a sucker for a great big brother in a story (probably because I’m the only girl with an older and younger brother myself), and this one has two to love! Day and June are believeable in their actions and intentions, and they’re smart, but young. It’s all of that that helped me to root for them both to figure out the political situation, work together, and succeed. The romance elements are there, but don’t take over the focus of the story; they were written with a deft hand. Secondary characters abound and we get to know their role in the story as it unfolds – some become even more important than I could have thought.

I ended this book with a feeling of contentment, hope, not wanting it to end, wanting to go back and re-read it, and desire to read the next book! I was definitely emotionally invested in this book and these characters. LEGEND is perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT. I will absolutely be passing this recommendation on to my students.

Read An Excerpt at LegendtheSeries.com