Legend by Marie Lu

Today has been filled with excitement for many reasons...
1.) Tomorrow is my birthday YAY
2.) Tomorrow I will be attending a Michael Buble concert and...
3.) I have been waiting all week to review my favorite novel of the moment

What is that novel you may ask? oh you already know 'cause I put it in the title? Alright then...

     Legend by Marie Lu

Legend takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the former United States has been split in half. What is left of the Eastern seaboard has become known as The Colonies and the Western seaboard is The Republic of America. The Colonies and The Republic have been at war for years. At age 10 all members of the Republic are forced to take a test called "The Trial" where they will be scored on physical, mental, and public speaking tests. The Trial determines the path of the rest of your life. When Metias, 15 year old military prodigy June's older brother, is murdered by Day, the 15 year old most wanted criminal in the Republic, June vows to hunt Day down and punish him for not only the murder of her older brother but for all the other crimes he has committed in the past five years. During their journey, June and Day find out that their Government is not what it says it is. Instead it is cloaked in secrets, deception, and conformity. Day and June must then decide who they believe in: Themselves, their Government, or The Colonies.

This action packed book is a great read for both genders. Written in dual point of view of both Day and June you get intimate knowledge of what both lead characters are thinking at any given moment during the story. May I be the first to say that though both Day and June are badasses, they are bad ass in their own specific ways and compliment each other nicely. June is the prodigy who can count minutes, temperature, and length accurately in her head. She can use practically any weapon or fighting skill under the sun without even thinking. But Day is street smart. He can, and has, live on the streets with no money or food and survive. He is also better at fleeing crime scenes and leaving behind no physical evidence. This guy pulled off his first perfect crime while the rest of us were learning to ride a bicycle. He's badass. But just their skills alone is not what makes Day and June so lovable to readers. Their obvious physical losses drives these characters to be compassionate, driven, and not self centered. They are also wise above their years, its hard to imagine that all of their problems would be dumped on a 15 year old. Sucky society man.

Though this book is considered "dystopic" because of the oppressive government, there is a bit of a utopia mixed in. The fact that race, age, and gender plays absolutely no role in discrimination. No one cares that June is a girl or 15 for that matter. No one cares that her and her commander are female. Also no one really cares that Day is Mongolian. These normal discriminatory factors are left out of the story almost completely. Instead the role is filled by complete class discrimination. Meaning the rich is really, really rich and privileged and the poor is extremely poor and treated horribly by street police. Also the poor has a harder time of passing the Trial, and well, living.

I get asked why this is my favorite novel alot. and truth be told, I don't really know. I like the story, and the characters are real. I like the choices of discrimination made by the author. I have read and re-read and my only answer is that the story is captivating. You will devour the words on the page like it is the only nourishment that you have. Well it was like that for me.

Though this book does not get enough credit and it is not nearly as popular as it should be, I thoroughly enjoy reading it. I always recommend this book to anyone who likes to read novel about a dystopic society or a mystery-esque novel. So go pick up this book and start reading!

This book is a series but by advice from my friend, I decided that I would only post one book at a time. All I want to do is talk about Prodigy and especially Champion. Because too much happens in those and I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT. Thanks Lexi.

-Shawnee Smith