Prodigy (Legend Trilogy, #2)

by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu is the long-awaited sequel to Legend, THE must-read dystopian thriller novel.

Perfect for all YA fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth. A brilliant re-imagining of Les Miserables, the series is set to be a global film sensation as CBS films have acquired rights to the trilogy. The Twilight Saga producers, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, will produce.

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor.

Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

Dystopian fiction at its very best in this thrilling installment in the Legend trilogy.

Praise for Legend:

'If you liked The Hunger Games, you'll love this.' - Sarah Rees-Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon

'Legend is impossible to put down and even harder to forget.' - Kami Garcia, author of New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Creatures

'A fine example of commercial fiction with razor-sharp plotting, depth of character and emotional arc, 'Legend' doesn't merely survive the hype, it deserves it.' - New York Times

'Marie Lu's dystopian novel is a 'Legend' in the making.' - USA Today

'Legend is impossible to put down and even harder to forget.' - Kami Garcia, New York Times bestselling author of film sensation, Beautiful Creatures

• ISBN10: 0141339578
• ISBN13: 9780141339573
• Publish Date: 29 January 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

Prodigy is the second book in the Legend series by Marie Lu. It begins just days after June and Day escape the Republic and Los Angeles. Day is presumed dead, and the Republic sees their prodigy, June, as a traitor. They are on the run, turning to the Patriots, once the very people June viewed as the enemy. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Day and June are seperated for much of this book, and the events cause them both to question themselves, each other, and the people they’ve been forced to trust. There are messages of loyalty and sacrifice, of betrayal and trust. There was a lot of character growth in this book, too, in different ways for each of the characters. In Legend, it was Day that truly resonated with me the most. But in Prodigy, that changed to June. In a lot of ways, this book was much more complex in the characters, the emotions, the storylines, and the world-building. And I really loved that these books can’t be easily slotted into any one genre. They have elements of dystopian fiction, of sci-fi, of romance. But they also have some elements of thrillers, too. But, OMG, the cliffhanger! You’ve been warned. But it’s so worth it! My recommendation: If you love books that cross genres, this is a great read. It is completely engrossing!

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

Buddy Read with the one and only Darce!

RTC !!

[celinenyx]

Prodigy is a great follow-up to Legend, expanding on the dystopian setting and characters significantly. In Legend, we meet June, a bright young girl in the military, and Day, a rebel who thwarts the Republic at every turn. This review might contain spoilers for Legend, as the blurb for Prodigy does as well.

Legend is rather standard dystopian YA fare: star-crossed lovers, a repressive government, and impossible feats of strength from its teenage protagonists. I enjoyed it, but also didn't really wow me in any way. Prodigy breaks away from the mould, truly becoming its own as it explores different aspects of its dystopian world, peeling away the superficial layers and getting to the good stuff. There is more in Prodigy on the political system in the Republic, and we get a sneak peak into how the rest of the world is faring in this apocalyptic scenario where the sea levels rose to subsume large parts of the world.

For me personally, Prodigy straddles a good line between being believably teen, while not dwelling too long on the angst either. June and Day have some significant shake-ups in their relationship, but at the same time they realise that they are in a life-and-death situation, acting accordingly.

There are some pretty great action shenanigans, solid twists, and an all-round interesting story in Prodigy. It relies less on the shock-factor of killing off characters, and actually touches on the trauma of the aftermath of these events.

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Trigger warnings: death, death of family members, war trauma, violence, biological weapons, poverty, oppression.

I tried, I really tried. This series is just not for me. I listened to the audiobook, and I hated it a bit less, but I still hated it. The plot twists were obvious. The characters, that barely had any personality, changed completely and the ending with June... Oh I did not even recognize her anymore.
It is time to accept that these books are just not for me. Maybe I would have liked them if I had read them years ago, who knows?

[writehollydavis]

This book was AMAZING!! Marie Lu doesn't know the term 'middle book syndrome' because Prodigy frickin' killed it!! So many twists and turns, I was on the edge of my seat until the very last word. The plot is full of political intrigue, romance, high tension fight scenes, and heart-wrenching conversations. Marie Lu's writing is seamless and this series is a gem. Onto book three!

[ross91]

Better than the first one, but I don't think it deserves 4 stars, and since I don't believe in half points 3 stars it is!
Maybe it's because I've listened to the audiobook, but at first I felt kinda detached.
The beginning was a little slow, but I really like the second part of this book, especially the ending. The action is great, the plot is entertaining and the characters were developed nicely.
I still don't like Day, tho.
Anden is my new favorite character. I want HIS pov!

[Sam@WLABB]

Marie Lu, why have your forsaken me? But seriously, Lu made me shed real tears. More than once! This book is as gripping and exciting as its predecessor, but Marie Lu definitely cranked up the sad factor with this one. Aside from sadness and tears, we also got a lot of answers in this book. We find out a lot more about the Patriots, the Republic, and the Colonies. Nothing is what it seems. Loved it all (except for the really sad parts)

[KitsuneBae]

Goddy heavens, Marie Lu, you just didn't go down that road? Honestly, that revelation at the end is just so over-the-top. Why don't you just kill the boy and be done with it, Author? You killed his mother, his brother, so why not just go all the way, yeah? And know what, I wouldn't be surprised if you're going to reveal in the third book that June and Day are long lost siblings.

Dear heavens, how makjang can you get?

[Vicki]

DNF at 29% on 1/23/2016

[inlibrisveritas]

It had been so long since I read Legend that I was fully prepared not to be overly enthused with Prodigy. I am a bit weary of dystopians because I’ve read so many, and I want different now. However Prodigy turned out to be quite the page turner.

It’s safe to say I enjoyed Prodigy more than Legend. There is more action, more character depth, and more plot twists. June and Day are now faces everyone knows, and they are on the run after the events of Legend and they turn to the Patriots…the rebel group that wants to bring down the Republic. I liked June a lot more in this one because she opens up a little, or in the very least tries to. Compared to Day she is not use to tapping into her emotional side and I loved seeing her break down walls. I also love that Marie Lu didn’t hesitate to break the norm with her characters. It’s nice change of pace to see a hardened female and a more emotional male lead, and on top of that have them be able to operate independently of each other. They are both strong characters for different reasons and different ways and I really loved getting to know them more, and seeing how their relationship might evolve during the midst of a revolution.

The plot and pace of this one moves very quickly, with very few down moments. And it ends on a massive cliffhanger. In all reality this one ended sort of neatly in terms of overall plot line, but it leaves a major question hanging when it comes to our two main characters and it makes me wonder just what Lu has in store for them.

Overall I’m more than pleased with the way this series is shaping up. I’ve heard CHampion is a fantastic final book, so I’m looking forward to having my heartbroken (apparently).