Legend

Author: Marie Lu
Goodreads Rating: 4.70
My Rating: 4 .25
Pages: 305
Reviewed by: Nicole

Goodreads Synopses:

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. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.
I really liked that this book was different than most dystopian books. I've found that within the genre, most of the books focus on the romance aspect. Of course, there are exceptions, but even within The Hunger Games there was this focus on how Katniss was developing these feelings and what they meant. Books like Delirium, Matched, Shatter Me, Eve, and even Divergent talk about how these feelings are developing and explore more of a romantic relationship. Legend seemed to focus purely on the militaristic and familial relationships which made it unlike most other books.

Besides this book being more militaristic than other books, this one had the added bonus of telling both sides of the story. You can see how June comes to certain conclusions about Day and about the Republic who she works for. I loved that we not only got to see June and her feelings about Day move from admiration and animosity to hatred and then to something more romantic. It was also cool to be able to see Day from his own perspective as he tries to help his family out any way that he can. 

I was really sad when June lost her brother Metias, since he was her only family. It was also upsetting for June to find out what really happened to him because not only did she lose her brother but also everything that she fought for and believed in turned out to be false. (As most things are when it comes to defunct dystopian governments). I loved that both of them were so devoted to their families but at the same time tried to be as independent as possible. 

I'm excited to see where the second book, Prodigy is headed and you will no doubt get a review of that in the coming months. This is definitely a book to check out.