Monday 6 February 2012

Legend review

Legend
Marie Lu
February 2nd 2012
Puffin/Razorbill


Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family's door with an X--the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it. 
Born to an elite family in Los Angeles' wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic's most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country's highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country--until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital. 
Only one person could be responsible.
Day. 
And now it's June's mission to hunt him down.
The truth they'll uncover will become legend.



Legend is another really great dystopian that is sure to grip readers with it's fast pace and action, though I will admit that I didn't think it was as amazing as I thought it was going to be.


I was fully prepared to love Legend, and I was pretty certain that it was going to be like, a 5 star AMAZING read, so I am a little disappointed that it came across as being a little forgettable and predictable. It was still immensely enjoyable though, and I really enjoyed the characters, even though I did think that they were pretty much the same people. It was a fairly quick read, and it was fast paced and gripping for the last 1/3 of it, though it did take me a while to actually properly get into it.


I think my favourite parts of the book were when Day and June first met each other, and they weren't anything to each other apart from the boy and the girl. When June didn't have to be all perfect army girl and Day didn't have to be all bad-ass thief, and it was nice for them to get to know each other without their preconceptions.


I did think that both the characters were very, very similar though. And I know that that might be the point, but if Day had been brought up in a military environment, I think he would've been like a male version of June, and vice versa. I did like the fact that they would do anything for their family, and that family came first, and the last bit of the book did make me sad (though not tear-worthy sad because I could kind of tell that was what was going to happen a mile away). I also enjoyed watching June develop as a character, and depending less on the Republic, and being less blinded by their front. My favourite character, though, was probably Metias. And he was dead for 3/4 of the book... What does that say about me, eh? But there were fragments of him everywhere through June's chapters, and I feel like we got to know him really well through June's memories. I really liked all the themes of family through this book, I guess, because so often I read books about people who'd do anything for love and not give their family much of a second thought. And even though the 2 characters didn't really have a deal of family left, they were still their priority in all this. Also, there wasn't loads of romance, though there is quite a bit... But not enough to make you think that it was a book about love or anything. But I think it will take more of a front seat in the next two books.


I didn't think there was a great deal special about the world (that makes me sound awful..) It 's not that it was bad or anything, it's just that I didn't feel there was anything that stuck out about it that I hadn't seen in a dystopia before. I don't think the book itself is as amazing as it has been made out to be, and this isn't a bad review or anything, I genuinely enjoyed it, I just think that I'm still a bit disappointed that it didn't blow me away, y'know?


Legend is a really good, fast-paced, action filled story, with good characters and just the right amount of romantic tension which you should definitely pick up if your a big dystopia fan :)



3 comments:

  1. Good review! We've been hesitant to pick this one up because of exactly the issues you raise (worldbuilding, characterization, etc.). Maybe we'll get it from the library.

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  2. I felt the same - I had such high expectations for it that even though I really did enjoy it, I still feel kind of disappointed by it ;) Everyone seems to think that June and Day were really similar, and I guess in personalities they were but I thought that in each of their own voices, they were so different! (does that make sense? ;) ) I don't know, maybe it was just the font change... ;P Great review!

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  3. Really balanced review Cicely..I like the sound of this but yeah, sometimes it's hard to get dystopians to stand out because there are so many of them and the characters being the same person issue isn't great. I think I'll still read this, I just wont have as high expectations of it as I did originally

    The Cait Files

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