Review: Prodigy

Book Two in the Legend series
By Marie Lu
Available now from Putnam (Penguin)
Review copy
Read my review of LEGEND

PRODIGY lives up to the promise of LEGEND and then some.  It's much bigger in scope than the first novel and adds a great deal of complexity for the setting.  As Day and June become involved with the Patriots, they learn that the rebels' agenda might not be the best for the people and that the Colonies of America might not be that much better than the Republic.  Not to mention Day and June's relationship started very quickly.  When they're separated, they are forced to examine what they really want and how far they trust each other.

I really loved how Marie Lu handled the relationship.  The book alternates viewpoints, making it easy to understand what both Day and June are thinking and how they interpret each other's actions. June in particular is awkward.  She doesn't have any romantic experience and she's already off balance because fighting against the government is the exact opposite of what she expected to do with her life.  She keeps putting her foot in her mouth and not explaining what she really meant because she's afraid of compounding her mistake.  Their whirlwind romance didn't really work for me in LEGEND, so I appreciated that Lu slowed things down and gave those two crazy kids a chance to figure out why they were together, aside from attraction, and if they wanted to stay together.

Because they do have other options.  Aside from the obvious - breaking up - they each gain a love interest.  June's is Anden, the Elector's son, and the man June and Day are supposed to assassinate for the Patriots.  June, however, is not entirely convinced that he'll follow in his father's footsteps.  Day's is Tess, his companion from the streets with whom he reunites.  While he notices she's grown up, it felt very weird because I was used to him seeing her as about ten years old.  I didn't buy her suddenly being old enough to be a contender for Day's amorous affections.

But PRODIGY would be pretty lame if it was all about the romance.  The majority of the novel is about the politics of Lu's future US and what is the ethical path to the greatest good.  Lu's clearly spent a lot of time mapping out her world.  I loved getting a glimpse beyond the borders of the Republic and the Colonies.  What happens to the Republic is life and death for June and Day, but it's small potatoes to the world's population.  (And guess what?  A lot of African countries have become the major global powers.)

Of course, Lu is also proves to be excellent at tugging on your heartstrings.  Metias's death becomes ever more tragic as more about who he was is revealed.  Any deaths in PRODIGY have maximum impact.  And let's not even talk about the major reveal at the end.  One thing is for sure: I'm going to be back for book three.

Review: Legend

Legend the Series (Book 1)
By Marie Lu
Available now from Penguin Putnam
Review copy

Part of the Breathless Reads tour

I am not known as a lover of dystopian fiction. I'm certainly no Lenore, who is currently devoting her blog to Dystopian February. But it's not that I lack an interest in the genre. Before the current YA dystopia boom, I would've told you how much I enjoyed ON THE BEACH by Neville Shute and THE STAND by Stephen King. But then I read a popular example of the genre like WITHER and I just can't get into it. Luckily, for my enjoyment, the plague in LEGEND is far more believable. It mostly affects the poor, since the rich receive vaccinations in addition to having access to better food and less stress on the body from labor. But while the people of the Republic might not have to worry about a disease killing them at a specific age, they do have to worry about their Trial at age 10. The Trial is a combination written, verbal, and physical test that determines your place in life. It's the SATs on post-apocalyptic strength steroids.

Five years ago, Day failed his Trial. June earned a perfect score. Day learned that the failures are experimented on, rather than killed; meanwhile, June rose quickly through the ranks of the military academy. Now Day must retrieve plague medicine for his recently quarantined family. And June must avenge her brother, murdered by the infamous criminal Day. Time for them to meet unknowingly and fall in love!

Okay, so I'm pushing it a little with that exclamation mark. But I felt Day and June's relationship felt rote in an otherwise engaging thriller. They spend a couple of days together and it's true love. I acknowledge that they are hormonal teenagers, but Day and June are practical, cunning, and mature-beyond-their-years teenagers. They've also got this mutual respect thing that would be a more interesting to explore, in my opinion, than the typical insta-love interest. They have great chemistry, but I wish there were more time for the relationship to build. Their first kiss seemed casual.

That complaint aside, I devoured LEGEND in a single afternoon. Marie Lu convincingly wrote two very different narrators. Day, for instance, frequently ponders the cost of things and how many of them he has bought or could buy. Conversely, June never thinks about money, aside from noting that Day thinks in small change. There were many other believable character moments, including that pampered prodigy June is the one to question her commanding officer. Smart kids (and adults) are constantly involved asking, "Why?"

LEGEND's plot hits several standard beats, which thankfully include a climax. I've been fortunate in the series I've started lately as they've all had complete beginnings. LEGEND was plausible enough to keep me reading and had the characterization to keep me engaged. I didn't buy into the central romantic relationship, but I did like the various familial relationships explored. (For those who have read the book: how creepy was Commander Jameson's treatment of Day? I vote spiders-crawling-down-your-back creepy.)

LEGEND should please dystopian and non-dystopian fans. Lu was inspired by Les Mis, so perhaps you can even convince some musical-loving friends to read this one. (Or friends who are really into Victor Hugo, if you have any.)