REVIEW: Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu

Title: Champion
Series: Legend #3
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: November 5th 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 369 pages
Source: Bought

Summary from Goodreads:
He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

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• Similar to the first two books, I continue to love the alternating POVs.
• Loved the integration of Day's Brother Eden into the storyline.  Shos and emphasizes Day's love for his brother and his caring side.  
• I am not a big crier when I read but those last chapters/epilogue definetly had me tearing up a bit.  Lu's ending was heartbreaking, heart warming, good and sad all at the same time.  Truly a well done series conclusion. 
• Champion was full of action with a fast pace plot.  So much was going on in the Republic. 
• I loved the chemistry and dynamic between Day and June.  It was full of love, sometimes hard love but truly great.  
• The love triangle/square faded away/was not a focal point in the story.  

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• Some of Day's actions at the beginning of the book.  They just made me angry with his decisions. 
• While I do love Day and June, sometimes their stubbornness was exhausting. 

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Champion is an action packed, emotional, fantastic ending to the Legend series.  I definitely recommend both finishing or starting the series!
  

Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

Title: Prodigy
Series: Legend #2
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: January 29th 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 374 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

No real spoilers but be weary!  See Nicole's review of Legend here!

The story picks up right where Legend ended. June and Day are in Vegas and have no choice but to seek help and join the Patriots. In exchange for medical assistance and the safe return of Day’s brother, both, June and Day must fulfill their new mission. June is given a mission to penetrate the Republic through the new Elector, an old friend, Aden. Meanwhile, Day’s job is to rally the people and become a figurehead for the Patriots. Their combined end goal: Assassinate the new Elector.

June, bitter from her brother’s death, goes along with the mission until Aden tells her his new radical plan for change. Aden is not his father; he seems to want good change. With growing doubt in the patriots, June must decide if she is really fighting for the right side.

Prodigy did not disappoint, I went in with high expectations and the story did not let me done. The alternating POVs is fantastic, I love hearing what both Day and June are thinking. Prodigy hits the ground running, Lu wastes no time starting the action. There is a lot more war strategy, fighting scenes, and political scenes compared to Legend. The relationship between Day and June grows but never overshadows the other elements of the story; the relationship is full of love and trust but still has some unease.

Lu continues to do an excellent job of building both Day and June as well as the other secondary characters. I did not think I was going to like Aden, but I am definitely rooting for his success. I do NOT like Tess, but I feel like she was perfectly developed, a childhood friend who wants to be seen as something more. While there are other characters that have feelings for Day and June, I do not think there was much of a love triangle which I was happy about.  The relationships in the story, both friendship and love, are so believable, making it easy to connect to the characters.

I am not going to lie, the ending broke my heart. But the more I think about it, I have to applaud Lu, the ending had a bit of everything. There was a good amount of resolve yet there was still sadness and some cliff hanger-like parts. This was me:

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I wish I had a refresher on Legend before I started. Having read Legend almost a year ago, some of the small details were a little fuzzy. The only other small issue I had was the chapters about the Colonies, while I am glad I got to learn more about them, I still felt a bit confused and wanted more details on their lifestyle and roles.

Overall, Prodigy was a 5 star book, it was a solid second book and I am impatiently awaiting the next one. Prodigy was full of action with a blend of dystopia,love and a hint of heartbreak. The excitement and suspense carried through the whole story while including more details about the Republic’s history.  Even the plot twists surprised me! 

NOT SO MINI REVIEW #53: Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

Title: Legend

Series: Legend #1
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Pages: 305, Hardcover

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

So, unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard about this book. (No offense intended to those of you that live under a rock). This is probably one of those books that has gotten enough positive ratings that, if you haven't already, you should probably just jump on the bandwagon and read it so you won't be left out of the next conversation. BUT before you do, I suggest you don't buy into all the hype.

I mean that in the best possible way. This is one of those books that we have all heard so much about that all comments and reviews have morphed together and expanded into this overwhelming gigantic unavoidable ball of positiveness. At that point, the reality of the book is preceded by its reputation and you begin to expect, rather than hope, for an amazing read. But naturally all of our expectations are different based on our unique definition of awesome and since this book can't be all things to everyone - it will fail to meet the expectations of some. This is what happened with me and Legend.

Don't get me wrong - this is a damn good book and I enjoyed it. I can't really think of anything it lacks.  But if I am honest,  I can't really think of anything that would make me single this book out among others, like my 5 star reads.  The characters are strong. The plot is engaging.  But that can be said about a lot of books. And after all I heard about it, I went in expecting it to knock my socks off and that may have had an effect on my overall rating because at the end of the day, sure I enjoyed this book but my socks were most definitely still on.

The unfortunate fact that I expected more than I reasonably should have is probably what left me feeling a little disappointed and why you see 4 stars instead of 5 at the start of my review. But this is definitely a solid 4 star book.

So I realize I have yet to actually say anything about the book. You've probably heard it all but here goes - I really liked June's strength. I liked how she easily matched Day, if not exceeded him in intellect, combat skills, stealth, deception - you name it. She was fierce. I also liked how she didn't give in easily to her emotions but stayed dedicated to her mission until natural events led her to change. She was always in control of herself and I admired that. I also liked Day. He was dangerous but he fought for the good guys. My favorite mix. And the story was well-paced and had a lot of action. But the dystopian world was just ok in my opinion. I will end with my favorite quote from June:

"In my mind, I make a silent promise to my brother's killer. I will hunt you down. I will scour the streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine.”

Anyway, mini review fail. Sorry.

I'm Waiting On Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine to shine a spotlight on upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating!

Goodreads Sumary

Title: Prodigy
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date:January 29, 2013
Pages: 384, Hardback

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. 

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action

I LOVED the first book in the series, Legend. I loved this dystopia book, the alternating POVs, the plot was fast pace and the characters were just awesome. Cannot wait for the Prodigy!
What are you waiting on?