Monday, April 8, 2013

Legend and Prodigy by Marie Lu


I may be the only YA enthusiast in America to have missed these two novels, but I'm glad I've finally seen the light. Filled with great characters and an involving dystopian plot, I'm really glad I picked them up right  as Prodigy hit book stores everywhere.

The main characters, June and Day, are seemingly as opposite as can be. June is a born prodigy: smart, cunning, and completely loyal to the Republic created in the wake of a war that separated the United States into regions which constantly fight each other. Day is a rebel with street-smart skills and daring, living almost alone on the streets, trying to steal enough to save his mother and brother who suffer now from one of the "plagues" that are killing hundreds in the Republic. When June is assigned to find Day and stop his covert hijinks, she is surprised by what she finds. And Day, only focused on his family and using his Robin Hood type skills for good and not evil, is shocked to find himself in the company of a Republic prodigy.

So, can the two work together for the common good? What is that good? Will there be love? Will there be war? While all these questions may seem like you've seen them all before in other books and movies of late, Lu has created her own world and this world poses unique, interesting questions about the role of government and the polarization of our beliefs. While not quite as engaging, in my opinion, as Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth(see my earlier posts on these), they are action-packed, YA fantasy of the highest quality.Give them a try if you haven't already, and tell me your opinions!

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