Legend, Review

A couple of months ago we published one reader’s views on this book; below you will find another opinion.

Legend by Marie Lu (Legend, Book 1)

Plot: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths – until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death.

All ten-year-olds in society take a test to determine their aptitude and the best placement for them in the working of a society that is constantly at war with everyone around them.  June is supposedly the only one to ever achieve a perfect score, so she has been placed in college early.  The possible careers are in the military, as a worker, or in the labor fields for those who fail to pass the exam.  June is being groomed for government and the military, but she has a bit of a stubborn streak and a penchant for getting into trouble.  Her brother keeps her in line but, one night he is killed and the criminal Day is blamed with the crime.  June takes an undercover assignment to find Day and bring him in, but the boy she meets on the streets doesn’t seem like the cold blooded killer the government is looking for.  He is a bit more like a Robin Hood who is living on the streets to protect his family.June finds a message from her brother that sheds some more light on the facts of society and lends some credibility to what Day has told her of life away from the privileged sectors of society.  Together they make some discoveries that tell a more sinister story of what society has been doing and what it plans to do.

Would you recommend this book? Yes.

5 stars

–Jill