Legend (Legend Trilogy, #1)

by Marie Lu

[mary]

This book honestly took me a lot longer than it should have. I could have easily completed it in one sitting, but I was bitterly disappointed and a little betrayed. Again another overly hyped book (Throne of Glass...) that I just didn't enjoy.

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.