Vicki
Written on Jan 20, 2016
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.
- ISBN10 1410446069
- ISBN13 9781410446060
- Publish Date 7 March 2012 (first published 1 November 2011)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Thorndike Press
- Edition Large Print ed.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 393
- Language English
Reviews
nannah
Written on Oct 10, 2015
I'd seen it it praised by all my friends on here, it was always checked out at the library and praised there, and the MC has a bad knee! What YA (especially dystopian) actually has main characters that are anything but in perfect physical condition?
And though the pace was altogether pretty good, I really didn't like much else about it. I'm not really sure what the plot was, to be honest--at least one that makes sense for both characters and both their POVs.
So Day needs meds for his brother, who is sick with the plague. Ok. The other character, June, is on this revenge thing to actually kill Day, which connects them, but like . . . the overall plot really isn't clear. What is the main motivation to keep reading? What are the real life consequences if these characters fail (other than Day's brother dying and June not getting satisfaction, because these weren't given incredible importance. As a reader, I'm not made to care about these plots all that much, so they don't seem to be top priority). The actual plot seems to come much later, which makes it seem too large for a book like this. As if the MCs plots are too personal for something of that scope--the whole Republic! Colonies! plot and the plague conspiracy--which is easy to spot 100 pages before the characters do. I'm not sure why YA dystopias feel like they need to be so grand, but here it just doesn't seem to work.
The book is written in alternating POVs (June and Day), but they sound exactly the same (with the exception of a few made-up slang words on Day's part). That's probably the reason they're typed in different fonts. Actually, they really are even more alike than that, since they're pretty much perfect in every way: both gorgeous, both ridiculously intelligent, and pretty much flaw-free. Day's bad knee doesn't actually count if it's only mentioned in convenient moments and doesn't stop him from scaling buildings, running faster than everyone else, and doing other unbelievable stunts. God forbid the young adult audience has characters with flaws. But no, characters with flaws -- especially visual flaws -- are Chiangs. You know, the dudes with scars down their faces and the prosthetic legs that are in about 10 pages but are there to be menacing, sexually harass the female MC, and be generally disgusting.
However, this book also had mixed-raced protags, too, so you win some, you lose some.
But generally, it feels like this book was written from a really detailed outline. The author went through all the ticked boxes and plot points she needed to get the story to make some sense, but it still doesn't do enough. It's still missing something. Most major twists come from characters thinking, not an actual event, and it just -- again, it just doesn't seem enough.
mary
Written on Dec 4, 2014
So the actual story goes that the United States is divided into The Republic and The Colonies and of course they are at war. The war appears to be ruled most un-democratically by the Republic, a cruel and unjust government who have divided their society into a caste system run by the elite few, oppressing the majority by subjecting them to extreme poverty., June, from the Republic's rich district, is the military's young prodigy; while Day from is slums is the country's most wanted criminal. The two are thrown together when June's older brother (Metias) is murdered, and of course Day is the prime suspect. Lots of jumping around, staring into each other's eyes, and staggering around clutching gunshot wounds... sums up a majority of this story. Meanwhile the Republic continues to tighten their grip on citizens and Day and June uncover secrets that reveal the extent of their governments cruelty and control.
I was just flabbergasted and how these two children basically (I mean 15 years old is so young) have already accomplished so much. From June as an officer for the military and Day has apparently committed countless crimes against the state, including destroying some valuable airplanes destined for the war front. I feel like the author missed the mark when deciding the ages of the main characters, it just doesn't work for me having them be that young. Yes this is young adult literature, but I would hope it could be a little more realistic. To me it makes their antics entirely unbelievable.
We are also to expect that these two kids have super hero powers. There is really no other way to explain their capabilities, like scaling the wall of a sky-scraper and leaping from windows and being able to run away. The only true difference between June and Day is their gender. They literally have the same thought process, speech patterns and attitudes.
I did enjoy the plague plotline somewhat. But it wasn't taken very seriously. And when the big secret was revealed it was a total anticlimax due to the massive hints throughout the entire novel. And by the end of the novel I really wasn't invested into the story at all. For a book touted as action packed, I found it rather dull and predictable.
The story moves slow and there really isn't much of a story to tell. There is nothing unique about this novel that makes it stand out against the other similar YA novels. I was again expecting something fresh and new, but this book failed for me. Overall thought I gave it 2 stars because compared to other YA novels I have read it wasn't offensive, the writing style was basic but solid enough, and the characters were tolerable to an extent. This novel just wasn't engaging enough for me, no investment in the characters therefore I can't come to enjoy the novel.
boghunden
Written on Jul 1, 2014
Den her bog benytter sig også af en af de allerstørste klicheer: insta-love. Det øjeblik de ser hinanden, kan man som læser se, hvordan deres øjne er blevet hjerteformede, som i tegnefilm. Det var for meget af det gode. Heldigvis er det ikke det, der spiller den største rolle i bogen, men jeg kan godt frygte, at det vil skifte hen i bog to og især tre.
I forbindelse med det her begyndende oprør mod systemet, kan June nogen ting, der gør det meget lettere. 60% inde i bogen har hun pludselig de vildeste computerskills, som ikke har været nævnt før. Nej. Bare nej. Det virker som om, man har haft brug for en evne der, og så bare opfinder den. Det fungerede ikke for mig. Jeg er med på, at hun er mega klog, meeen…. Hun var virkelig en omvandrende computer, og det var for meget af det gode og blev urealistisk.
Men! Bogen kunne alligevel noget. Jeg læste den på en enkelt dag, for det var faktisk ganske fin underholdning. Nogen gange, er det alt, der skal til, for at begejstre. Jeg havde brug for noget let underholdning og det fik jeg. Normalt, når jeg giver en bog tre stjerner eller mindre, så gider jeg som regel ikke læse resten af serien, for der er tusind andre derude, som jeg har gang i. Det er anderledes med den her, for jeg tror faktisk godt, jeg vil læse resten. Der er noget, der trækker i mig.
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Feb 17, 2014
Legend by Marie Lu is an entertaining read for those who enjoy military-based dystopians, but it ultimately fails to separate itself form the rest of the pack in terms of characterization and plot. Basically, it is a fun story, but it is a story I have seen numerous times, and its success with individual readers will depend on how new the tale and the dystopian genre are to them.
Just from reading the jacket summary, one can see the plot line is very standard. An elite solider in a dystopian military society gets entangled with a boy from the slums. Romance and the revelation of the evilness of the society are revealed. The book reminded me particularly of Reboot by Amy Tintera. Of course, Legend was published before Reboot—but that cannot erase the fact that I feel as though I have read at least one variation of this story before. Even more minor, individual plot elements are predictable, but I will not go into details, for the sake of those who still have to read the book. Nothing was wrong with anything that happened, but finishing a novel when you know exactly where it is going can seem like a futile exercise.
The characters could still have saved he book and made it a more exciting ride. Lu writes the book from the alternating points of view of June and Day—and each character even gets a different color and style of font. (Note: Day’s font is a deep gold, and though I had no trouble with it and have seen no complaints of others, I can still imagine this being difficult for certain readers.) However, June and Day sounded rather indistinguishable, and both of their voices were bland. June, as someone trained for the military from a young age, has been conditioned to approach things factually, with little emotion. And the one pleasant surprise is the little details she observes, thrown right into her narration. Day has less of a reason to sound so detached, and, more confusingly, June repeatedly describes him as someone who is passionate with deep emotions. I wish his own voice would portray more of that side of him.
As to their romance: it was instalove. There is little more to say on that point. Perhaps they were falling in love with the idea of the forbidden, as much as with each other. I assume they stay a couple over the course of the series, but I actually think it would be fitting if they drifted apart after meeting other people. I would love to continue reading the series if I had any guarantee of that happening because it would be a unique twist YA and would feel very right to me (if not to any other readers).
In the end, I have to emphasize that Legend is not a bad book. There are just so many dystopians out right now that this one gets lost in the mix, and its plot is already looking cliché—even if the it is the one being copied by other dystopians. The writing is solid and Lu has some good material to work with. I think the series would be worth pursuing if 1) we see more character development and 2) we see more of the war between the Republic and the Colonies. That bit of backstory was actually the most interesting thing about the novel for me, and we see very little of it because June and Day are focused first and foremost on how their society is messing with their own lives. (Fair, since there are people out to kill them and all.) If these two can move on and look at the larger picture in their world, there might be space and material for Lu to work with to create more original sequels.
Nessa Luna
Written on Oct 12, 2013
A while ago, I came upon an app that allowed me to read certain books for free, for a certain amount of time (about a month). It was a Dutch app, so that meant Dutch books, but that didn’t bother me that much (I want to read more Dutch books). One of the books on the list was ‘Legend’ by Marie Lu, a book which I had added to my to-read list a long time ago, but never really bothered to read, until now.
It was actually a bit of a pity that the book was in Dutch, because I think I might have enjoyed it better (aka given it a higher rating) if I had read it in English, because my god, the writing was so childish. Just like the last Dutch book I read (Outside In). I just looked up the translator of both these books, and found out that both Legend and Outside In were translated by the same person, Sofia Engelsman. So I might just avoid Dutch books translated by her from now on.
I just don’t get why you would translate a YOUNG ADULT book to something so childish. It just felt really weird, especially because the subjects in this book were quite dark (the ‘plague’, and the murder of June’s brother, doesn’t really seem like subjects for a children’s book).
When I looked past the childish writing, I actually read a good story. I liked every part of it, and though I couldn’t really relate to any of the characters, I definitely enjoyed it. Because the story was Dutch, I got through it really easily (it doesn’t matter how much English I speak/read/write, I will always be a Dutchie on the inside).
Legend has two POV’s; Day’s and June’s, and though I kinda ‘hate’ multiple POV’s, these weren’t really that bad. It might be because the two character were so similar, that I didn’t really feel a difference (in another review, I read that the reviewer thought that Day and June were just the same person but with different names and other things, and I kinda agree with that). And the POV’s were just neatly announced, one chapter would be from Day’s POV and the next form June’s.
In the end, I enjoyed Legend, and other than the childish Dutch writing, there wasn’t really much I didn’t like about this book. I will definitely read the second book, because I just want to know how the story goes on, and if they ever find Tess and Eden again! If you have Legend on your to-read list, you should definitely go and read it soon!
inlibrisveritas
Written on Jul 17, 2013
The United States is broken and is now two different nations that are at constant war with each other. I thought the world building was interesting and enjoyed learning a bit about how the two nations (Republic & The Colonies) was formed. I also liked the idea of having a trail to decide your place in society, where failing could mean your death. There is danger of plagues and a ton of poverty. However the world-building is not the focus in this one, so in some cases it lacked a bit of extra substance. The story is one built on emotion and fueled by the mystery of what is truly happening in the Republic. I had no issues guessing some things but I definitely enjoyed the ride to finding out for certain. What this one lacks in world-building and uniqueness makes up for with the characters.
The story is told from two point of views, June’s and Day’s. June is a 15 year old girl who has aced her trails and belongs in the upper class elite. She’s tough, smart, and athletic…but she”s not perfect. In fact it too me a bit to warm up to her, but as the book progressed I found that I really did like her. She’s very resourceful and her loyalty is unquestionable. Day matches her perfectly in some areas while being her opposite in others. He’s a rebel and does whatever he must to provide for his family, even if it means stealing. I think I was most surprised to find that he was actually incredibly kind. Their relationship is kind of predictable but I think my overall love of Day made it bearable. I mean he’s basically a perfect candidate for my harem of book boyfriends/girlfriends. There are some side characters that had some very strong feelings about, in fact when I look at my notes there seem to be a lot of insults instead of helpful comments. Of course I can’t say who they are because that’s part of the mystery! I did call them a rat though…
So while Legend may not have been the most unique dystopian on the market I did find it to be really fun and interesting in spite of that. Not only do we get some great action, we also have some mystery going on as the story unfolds. I look forward to seeing where this series goes with book two and three, and I definitely look forward to seeing Day again.
neddieb
Written on May 23, 2013
Rinn
Written on Dec 22, 2012
With the amount of Young Adult novels, particularly of the Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic genre, being released in the past year or two, it is especially difficult to find the stand-out ones, let alone write one. But Marie Lu has managed to create something really fantastic with Legend, that definitely deserves its comparison to The Hunger Games.
I had seen this book on many a blog, with such strong praise and positive reviews that I immediately added it to my 'to read' pile. Combine that with the Hunger Games vibe, and I was sold. However, when my copy finally arrived from the library, I was initially put off by the blurb, claiming that June and Day are 'irresistibly drawn together'. One of my pet hates - that occurs more often than not in YA novels - is insta-love. Insta-love that is so deep, the couple just know they're going to be together forever from day one. No thank you. Lu also shows that there could perhaps be the opportunity for a love triangle, but takes that away - another thing I was very glad about!
So I was delighted to discover that it is not insta-love - but insta-attraction. Much more realistic, and not all consuming - June doesn't spend her time pining after Day, or vice versa. They are both far too strong a character for that, and that is another thing I really enjoyed about the book. Both protagonists were street smart and intelligent, and didn't let bad events get them down, but instead used them as a reason to work for a good cause. And whilst sometimes their strength might make them seem a little cold - mostly in June's case - this is another good thing, as YA novels often suffer from flawless, or flawed in a cute way, characters. For example, there is one scene where June is witnessing something particularly horrible, and she merely watches without flinching. She is also, at least for the first half of the book, very snobby about the Republic, looking down on the Colonies and Patriots.
One element that Lu could have perhaps built on a little more was the reason why the world was like it was. What happened to divide the USA up? Why are there three main groups? Perhaps this is explained properly in Prodigy, the second book, and I will be reading it to find out. I was able to guess some of the rather important plot points, but there were also some truly shocking moments, that could certainly rival some of those created by Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. I didn't find myself as emotionally invested in these characters though, and I'm hoping that this will change with the next book.
Overall, this really was a fantastic read, building up for what I believe could be an explosive trilogy. The ending was not quite a cliffhanger, but definitely left the story open enough for me to want more - and I'll be ordering the next book from the library as soon as I've got through my stack of current library books!
Amanda
Written on Nov 20, 2012
Though fairly predictable plot-wise, Legend was still fun to follow the characters as they unraveled secrets and nefarious plots. The ending was very Divergent-esque, but I do like that it opens the world up a bit and gives us great possibilities for the next book in the series.