Legend (Legend #1)by Marie Lu
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I’m not sure what I expected of Legend, but I certainly didn’t expect what I just read. This was a very interesting concept and I really enjoyed all the main characters. I think I finished more than half the book in one sitting, and that’s saying something. This is a hard review to write, because so much happened and I don’t want to write a review that flings spoilers everywhere.
I’ll start with Day. He is a wanted criminal by the Republic, and he is on the run for his past crimes. All throughout the book we see Day coming back to visit his family in the Lake sector, checking out for their well-being and continually fretting his mother or two brothers will have caught the plague that simultaneously pops up in the poorer sectors. When something goes wrong and a special red X is marked on his family’s door, Day’s whole world collapses-he would do anything for his family. One thing leads to another and Day becomes the prime suspect for the murder of a Republic Soldier.
In comes June. The only prodigy to ever receive a perfect score-1500/1500. It’s unheard of and makes her a special tool for future use by her oh-so-beloved Republic. Always begging her brother (and her mentor, since their parents died in a car accident) to let her tag along on missions, June and her brother have a very close relationship that not even little mishaps at school can deter. But, a special bond is severed when her brother is murdered on the streets one fateful night-the same night Day makes a move to get the medicine his family needs. And, coincidentally, the night Metias was going to talk to June about something of great importance.
The murder of Metias sets the whole book in motion, causing every trivial event that happens after to become of the utmost importance. Even something as simple as a hand gesture that has become habit could tip someone off. Everything matters. But, more than that, we start to see people’s true colors, even if the characters in the book don’t want to see them. This swings both ways-for the good and the bad. Not everyone is who they seem, and some people, are who they have always claimed to be.
The familial relationships in this book seemed to shine compared to the romantic aspect, in my opinion. Day and John’s relationship was admirable and heartwarming. June and Metias’s relationship was adorable and heartbreaking. The emotions evoked by these families were heavy ones, ranging from the slightest joy to the most overwhelming heartbreak. I can’t even begin to explain how much I adored these family ties-they were very powerful, and I don’t normally care all that much for families in a story.
I think the hardest thing for me to grasp onto was the world they live in. If you look at the beginning of my review, I have merely mentioned two different ways of living-Republic and the poor Lake sector. Even now as I try to explain the different sectors or parts of the ‘country’, I don’t know how to say it or what to say. I didn’t completely grasp every territory, and this is probably a large part in my confusion.
I liked the idea of Day and June being together, and while there were some cute moments, there wasn’t anything that evoked strong emotion out of me. I think that made me sad as well. I loved the story/storyline, but I didn’t completely feel the connection between the two. Oh, I know it’s there, but I didn’t feel a lot of passion like I had expected to. Normally I would have, but for some reason, I am just waiting for more between these two before I will be satisfied.
A very fun, entertaining read that I definitely killed in one day’s (haha) time. I am very anxious to start Prodigy, the next installment, because it seems to be a winner among the Legend fans. I also hear through the GR grapevine that I need to be prepared for a cliffhanger that tops all cliffhangers. Or maybe I read it was an ending that tops all crazy endings? I don’t know. I think I’m numb when it comes to cliffhangers, because I just keep reading books that will only make me squirm and plead for the next and final installment. I guess we will see what Prodigy brings and if I’ll survive another ending that is sure to destroy me further.
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