Monday, November 28, 2011

Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu





Author: Marie Lu
Release Date: November 29th, 2011
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (A Division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
3.5 Stars - I liked it



Synopsis:
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.

Mildly Spoilery:
I recieved this ARC from a friend and could not wait to read it.  I tried to wait till closer to it's release date, but started it anyways.  I will start with what I did like about this story.  The book is told from both June, and Days' points of views.  It was nice to know what they were both thinking and feeling.  The dystopic future that she writes about correlates nicely with some names of early revolutionary times, such as Patriots and Colonies.  It is like the second coming of America from a tyrannical rule.  I liked the scary drama associated with the Republic (government) injected people with viruses just to study them, a true horror.    


My biggest problem with this book as in any book I read, it was predictable.  You knew June was going to free Day, you knew that they would get away from Republic with the help of the Patriots, and you could guess that Day would want to come back and rescue his little brother.  Like a lot of dytopian novels, the way the world ended up messed up is left as a mystery.  I do like to know a little about what happened to make the world the way it is supposed to be in the story, but unfortunately there was barely any kind of reference.  I also did not feel the world around the characters.  

I do not want my review to deter anyone from reading this book.  It was a good read, just not one that kept me turning the page itching to know what would happen next.  I believe a lot of people will disagree with my review, but this is me, just being honest.         

synopsis and photo courtesy of Goodreads


1 comment:

  1. I reviewed this one recently too. It was totally predictable but I loved Day and I enjoyed the writing so much that I still loved the book. I found June's character pretty unrealistic but still am eager for the next book.

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