Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Goodreads | Amazon 

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 went into Legend with high expectations, and I came out with equally high spirits. Legend is one heck of a ride, with a cat-and-mouse game, two young people who could not be different bound together through fate, and a truly exciting story.


I'd been waiting for this book for a while as everyone seems to love it, and for the most part, I did enjoy it. However, the description does list the book as 'suspenseful', but I'm sorry to say that I didn't feel the suspense, wherever it was, at all. I'd pretty much predicted where this book was going from start to finish, and while I liked the nonstop adventure, originality and mystery definitely weren't features of this book for me.


This book was told using multiple POVs, which I really enjoyed (and I'm not being biased here, although I am currently writing using multiple POVs, so I found it educational as well :P). My last multiple-POV book was Jodi Picoult's Handle With Care, which simultaneously irritated me and caused me to excessively headdesk, so I was very glad that this book was done well. June and Day are both fairly likeable and developed characters, although what I did find mildly cliche was how there were so different and yet brought together. 


What this book also lacked for me was substance. Plot, world building, both of which are extremely important for YA dystopia, were both mysteriously absent in the story. And in some parts, it seemed like the author didn't really think about the plot long and hard. I just predicted what would happen in the story from the first glance at the synopsis, and that killed the story for me. Also, the world-building, which is what I always read dystopia for (not the romance!), was almost nonexistent. We are told about the oppressive government and how the Trial always favours the rich, but how did this place come to be? What happened to change our world so drastically? A few sentences woven in good places throughout the book might've done, but unfortunately, this book lacked even that tiny bit of world building.


At the end, what saved this book from my epic wrath was the author's writing, the action, and the romance. Like Veronica Roth, Marie Lu manages to write action scenes that make you squeal with delight, and while I didn't find this book quite as amazing as Divergent, the action was nonstop, fun, and fulfilling. 


While I thought the romance in this book was completely unnecessary, as June and Day could've become good friends or companions or whatever without being actually romantically involved, there must be some romance in YA. So under the circumstances, I found the romance pretty sweet. I was totally rooting for their (inevitable) relationship while I was under the spell of Legend, and I do hope to see MOAR of their relationship in the next book.


Legend seeks out to deliver a lot, but ultimately, it isn't quite my perfect dystopia. However, with fantastic writing, nonstop action, and a pretty cute couple, I would recommend it for fans of action who don't mind minimal world-building in what is meant to be a dystopian novel. Three and a half stars.

★★★

It was okay/It was good