Legend (A Legend Novel, Book 1) Kindle Edition

In this novel, our world has been transformed (both politically and climactically). What was the United States has splintered into warring states. Day belongs to the lower class, but has left that life to attack the dominant party where he lives—the remains of a Los Angeles convulsed by rising water and fierce storms. His purpose in life is to cause the Republic trouble—robbing banks, blowing up jet fighters, and generally creating chaos. But he also keeps track of his family, supplying them when possible with food. When his younger brother becomes a victim of the plague, he knows that he must steal the vaccine to save him.June is Day’s opposite: she comes from the upper class, she is the only person with perfect scores on the Trials, a series of tests that determine a child’s path in life: education, salary, living conditions. She, like her older brother, is training to become part of the military. But then disaster strikes her: her brother is killed during a raid on a hospital. And the military immediately identifies Day as the murderer and allows June to focus her entire being on capturing Day and participating in his execution.The novel, itself, moves back and forth between chapters from each of their points of view. This is a powerful structural format that allows the reader to follow their changing understanding of the world and the factions they support. Lu’s writing is fine, and my only real frustration was that the major plot twist was obvious from quite early on in the book. But otherwise, this novel seems true to the genre: good folks vs bad ones; a bit of romance; some nice action sequences. I was a middle-school teacher for much of my career, and I think that many of my students would enjoy this book, and would be dashing off for the sequel, Prodigy. And it’s great to see powerful female characters!

When the lead sentence in a novel reads "My mother thinks I'm dead," you've got a pretty good idea there's a lot of exciting action in store for you. And so it is in Legend, the first entry in Marie Lu's award-winning young adult trilogy.A militarized nation engaged in perpetual warLegend is one of the more prominent examples of the flood of dystopian novels for young adults that have appeared in recent years. Lu's protagonists, far-future teens Daniel Wing (known as "Day") and June Iparis live in what today is Los Angeles. The state of California is part of the Republic, a nation that covers much of the American West. Dominated by the military and governed by the Elector Primo who is now in his eleventh term, the Republic is engaged in perpetual war with the Colonies, a more advanced nation somewhere to the east.Razor-sharp class distinctionsClass distinctions in the Republic are razor-sharp. A wealthy elite rules through the military, often serving as high-ranking officers. The vast majority of the population is desperately poor. Every year, a new strain of a horrific disease known as the plague ravages poor neighborhoods. Vaccines are available only to the elite. At age 10, every child in the Republic is subjected to the Trial, which measures intellectual ability, physical prowess, and emotional stability. Only those with superior scores are admitted to high schools, universities, and the military and thus gain the opportunity for advancement.Far-future teens on opposite sides of the class divideAt age 15, June and Day dramatize the contrast between rich and poor. June, daughter of a wealthy family and younger sister of a captain in the military, is a prodigy. She's the only person ever to have achieved a perfect score in the Trial. However, June is something of a rebel. "The Republic's favorite little prodigy is in trouble again," she notes as she heads off again to the dean's office at her university.By contrast, Day's score was abysmal. His mother and two brothers live on the verge of starvation and are constantly at risk of succumbing to the plague. Having gone into hiding to sabotage the military, Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic. "I'm not the most dangerous criminal in the country, but the most wanted," Day reflects. "I make them look bad."We know that June and Day will meet. But how? That's the story. And it's a very good one. Legend is a great way to start a trilogy.About the authorMarie Lu was born in China but has lived in the United States since the age of five. She writes for young adults. The Legend Trilogy is her most popular work and will soon be adapted into a film.

I started this book listening to the audible version on my commute to and from work. Having gotten about a fourth through the book, I couldn't wait to continue it. I then picked up the kindle version and finished the book in one sitting.I really enjoyed this book. Action propels the plot at a fast pace, which keeps you absorbed in the story until the very end. The dystopian world of this book is interesting, and the horrors portrayed by some of the characters shock you.June is super smart and resourceful. I really enjoyed reading the sections in her perspective and seeing her growth/change over the course of the book. She really was a prodigy.Day's character felt more flat than June's to me. He was definitely clever like June, but at times his personality didn't feel as defined. He is compassionate and someone I was rooting for throughout the book, but his character didn't feel like it changed much throughout the book. However, I still enjoyed reading all the parts in his perspective.This book was rather a bit short, but with how fast-paced the plot was, I wasn't bothered by the length. The ending wrapped up nicely and there wasn't a huge cliffhanger that would make you want to scream about how incomplete it felt. Since I really enjoyed this book, I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

I am really lucky that I came across the Legend series this year, 2020 and not when it was first released in 2011. The last book Champion, gave me a book hangover for days! Thankfully, Lu had decided to revisit the original trilogy and add the fourth and final instalment (Rebel) last year. 5 YEARS LATER!!!I adored the legend trilogy. It’s a fast- paced, action- packed emotional rollercoaster. I have never been so invested and broken due to a series before. I was constantly on edge whilst reading. The events happen so fast and consecutively, that you don’t have time to process what you’ve read. The books are only around 400 pages as well, so I managed to finished the trilogy in about 5 days. Needless to say, I was very sleep deprived! I recommend you don’t read the books consecutively, no matter how tempting, because you will be overwhelmed with everything, and A LOT happens. I has a ‘book hangover’ for a days after finishing Champion because I finally had a few days to process all that had conspired. Though, it was only satisfied once I’d read Rebel.It is a YA dystopian novel set in a ‘future’ America, which has been split into The Republic and The Colonies. The countries are war- torn and constantly in battle, with propaganda infused throughout the streets. The narrative is evenly split between the two protagonists, Day (Daniel) and June. They both live in The Republic. Day is known as the ‘Most Wanted Criminal’, who lives off stealing from the country to fend for his family. Whereas June is an aspiring yet rebellious student who is training to join the military. She is tasked with tracking down Day, and the story begins from there.I adored the series so much and I brought all three novels in one purchase, which is something I never do. I was not disappointed. The storyline is very dark, depressing and tragic. Lu did a fantastic job of making it seem like a predictable series for the reader, before surprising us with many events that I was not anticipating at all.I fell in love with both characters. I LITERALLY CRIED FOR THEM. Their lives were so difficult and it was so upsetting reading about the two young teenagers, coerced into making decisions that weighed heavily on so many lives. The plot is engaging, thrilling and very dramatic.SPOILERS ALERT!!!There were a few grammatical errors in the first novel, but the remaining three were fine. Also, I do have to grudgingly mention that I was not convinced with the love story between Day and June. Surely, Day should despise June? His mother and brother were killed because of her, and his younger brother Eden is taken for experimentation yet, he is the one who sympathises and empathises with her situation and circumstances? Obviously she is a product of The Republic just as much as he is, but still. If someone was even slightly responsible for the murder of my loved ones, I would not pursue a romantic relationship with them, EVER!! Or at least, I would wait a good decade. I wasn't convinced, but I let that slide because there was so much going on that I didn't get a moment to really think about it. Only now once I've finished the entire series, am I thinking about how stupid that was. Their chemistry does improve significantly in the following books and it becomes more likeable, and I do love them both together so much but it's just so unrealistic to believe that Day has no anger towards June.I really enjoyed this series. I would strongly recommend.

Whilst this might fit the mould of YA Dystopian novels in every possible way (hello corrupt society, trials to prove your worth, rich vs poor, power hungry officials, a forbidden romance and a rebellion just in sight) but it's so addictive and moves so quickly that I didn't actually care that it might not have been super original. I mean, if I'm honest, I'd probably read a cereal box if Marie Lu had scribbled on it.Day is a boy living in the poor sectors. Sectors riddled with plague. And he is doing everything he can, mostly undercover even from his family who think he's already dead, to try and make the lives of the poor that little bit easier. He's after the cure for the plague, and he'll do whatever it takes to sabotage the more elite government to get his hands on a vial.June is a Prodigy. Scoring 100% on the Trials, a series of tests all children must take to determine their rank in society, she's enabled herself to slip right into a government job alongside her successful brother. Until Day murders him. Now she will stop at nothing to capture Day and get her revenge. Of course, with a corrupt government running the job it's only a matter of time before June begins to unravel the truth behind what is happening in the poor sectors, and the real story behind her brothers murder.I think the ideas within this book are pretty generic, we've definitely seen them before in this genre, but what's interesting is the execution. The pacing of the story is fantastic, and the book and chapters are quite short, so everything moves along really quickly. I don't know why but this always makes a book seem so much quicker and easier to stay in interested in! Equally the split narrative really worked - I'm not usually a fan of juggling multiple perspectives in my head but June and Day's alternating voices really complemented each other. They aren't the most interesting of characters, but for some reason I liked them anyway! Bizarre.I did struggle with the romance. Not because it was particularly instalove-y (although it was). This would usually bother me. But what niggled at me more was that both of the characters should absolutely loathe each other, as each of them holds some alleged responsibility for the death or suffering of one of their family members. For me, even having a hand in such an act would be enough for me to shove you straight onto my "I hate your guts forever more" list. But not in this case. There seems to be no consideration in fact for either character even really contemplating forgiveness - they just hand it out like animal crackers in the playground! Pretty frustrating and a bit too convenient for my liking.So whilst this was far from perfect, I really liked the world building and the action kept me hooked so I'll definitely be interested to see how this develops in the next book.

Such an incredible book. This is my first time rereading a book and this book is definitely worth it. I love the way Marie Lu writes her characters. So strong and stubborn. She is one of my favourite authors. The way Day, 'Daniel', is written is so good. He is this boy coming from the poor section, but strong. He is such a loveable character despite him being a thief. I think that is why. He cares. The way he is taking care of his family, even though he can't engage with them and can't tell them that he is alive and also at the same time taking care of Tess as if she is his little sister. June is just so fun, but also I think she is always confused about what she wants. Does she trust him or not; loves him or doesn't? But that's what makes this more exciting, like you don't know what she's gonna decide. But Lu always gives us a pleasing ending. And not so annoying as this book doesn't end with an annoying cliffhanger. Of course still does have a cliffhanger as what's gonna happen now? What their next move? How are they gonna save the other people they care and love? Are they going to trust each other more on the way? Or even love? Although I already kind of remember one or two things that will happen since this is my second time reading it, I'm still very excited for the second book.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are great, the storyline is good and the plot develops at a good pace.June is a great character. She’s a strong and clever character who only knows what her upbringing has allowed her to know. She believes what she does because she doesn’t know any better. Her brothers death changes everything for her though. It leads her to Day, and from that, she learns the truth.Day is also a brilliant character. He’s seen the truth. He’s been part of it. Considering his life and upbringing, he is such a good person. I absolutely love the connection he has with June and reading their relationship slowly develop is brilliant.I really dislike Thomas. Everything about him. He comes across all caring, but his views are so for the Republic that he doesn’t question anything. It’s the same with the commander.The storyline is brilliant. It’s a case of June slowly learning the truth. I love the way society is described. We learn about the different fractions slowly, and at the end, we still don’t truly know which one is right in their views. I’m intrigued to learn more about the Patriots and the Colonies.Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It’s storyline is great and with brilliant characters.Jessreviews.co.uk

I am a big fan of dystopian fiction, the likes of Hunger Games, Matched and Divergent. This book met the criteria. It had an excellent plot and interesting characters. It could’ve been really something. I struggled with believing the love story here. It all seemed too convenient and fast paced. I was able to follow all the other motivations but the love story seemed wrong. It probably could’ve worked just as well had they just been friends. It felt a bit too fast paced in general - interesting concept but maybe could’ve been thought out a little more. Nevertheless, I will purchase the remainder of the trilogy as I want to see how this ends.