Legend (Legend, #1) in Addicted to YA

Feb 20, 2013 Veronica245 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I like Dystopian Fiction, but there so much of it out there now, and not of it is even remotely good, for every "Hunger Games" and "Divergent" there is a "Matched" and "Delirium", I didn't know which one would be Legend, and lately I've been scared of being disappointing, but I wasn't this time, the book has a few annoyances, but overall is a very good fast paced read, and I have already uploaded the second book on my kindle :) I am really looking forward to it, Day and June are likable and more ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2012 Book Sp(l)ot rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2011-release, series, audiobooks-or-combo-audio-and-print, favorites, fave-authors-and-or-series

What was your biggest 'surprise' novel of 2012? The one that gave you something totally other than you were expecting from it? For me it was definitely Legend by Marie Lu -- which may be a bit of a cheat as it was released at the end of November of 2011, but as I read it in 2012, it's counting.

Something I read about Legend prior to its release dissuaded me from reading it when it was first released. Then, since then, I've only remembered that I decided not to read it - not why - and not read it. What was your biggest 'surprise' novel of 2012? The one that gave you something totally other than you were expecting from it? For me it was definitely Legend by Marie Lu -- which may be a bit of a cheat as it was released at the end of November of 2011, but as I read it in 2012, it's counting.

Something I read about Legend prior to its release dissuaded me from reading it when it was first released. Then, since then, I've only remembered that I decided not to read it - not why - and not read it. But a few weeks ago I was looking for a YA audio book I hadn't read/listened to before and came across Legend.

Whatever convinced me not to read it back in 2011? I curse you.

I can't remember the last time I fell in love with a books main character and wished for him to be real. (Even if the fact that he's fifteen makes that thought slightly creepy on my part.) It's likely been since Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry or Carolee Dean's Take Me There that I've loved a male YA character and his relationship/interactions with the other/female main character so much. Day isn't the classic bad boy character, but he's also not a tender wrongly portrayed innocent.

Day and June did seem older than their fifteen years. While June's age was given right away and then some information was given that also, actually, explained her seeming older, Day's age was not (I don't think) given for a bit longer and I thought he was older. In Legend, however their age works - both them being fifteen and them seeming older - quite brilliantly.

Now that we know I LOVE the characters - like I'm madly in love with Day, June has a German shepherd which kind of wins me over on its own but then she's pretty snazz, too - what about the plot? This isn't a novel that forgot about its plot in favor of its characters. There's the Republic with its districts that are separate and not equal, the war, and the how everyone's fate is decided in the Republic. Marie Lu came up with a society for Legend and seems to have thought it out really well.

The story doesn't skimp on the violence but it doesn't add it in where its not necessary (or if its unnecessary it's necessarily unnecessary, if that makes any sense). It may be hard to read about/listen to but it's an important part of the character's tale and moves their story forward.

For how much more we get to see of their world as well more of some characters I heart so madly, I cannot wait for Prodigy's release at the end of January. (So thing that I cursed earlier - about four paragraphs up? Yeah, I kind of want to thank you now because I only have to wait a month now.)

(A small note on the audio book, I love that as the book has two narrators -- Day and June -- the audio book has a separate narrator for each character.)

Rating: 10+/10

Other books you might also enjoy: Take Me There by Carolee Dean, Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles and Article 5 by Kristen Simmons ...more

Like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Talia rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, i-own-this, fantasy, ya, to-reread

There are some spoilers in this review. You have been warned.

My mother actually recommended this book to me, after she had heard the author, Marie Lu, do an interview on NPR. I may be rather biased, as YA novels set in a dystopian world is my absolutely favorite kind of book, but I definitely enjoyed reading Legend.
Yes one can gripe that it's just the same story as many other novels (Delirium, Uglies, Divergent are all just a few that come to mind) but Lu is able to craft a world that is not onl ...more

Like · see review

Oct 10, 2014 Kristie rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-lit-dystopia

I would probably give this book 2 1/2 stars if they had half-star ratings. This may be one where the subsequent books make me enjoy the story more, but it's hard to tell at this point. The plot was action-packed, but in general, the story kind of dragged, and I did not really care much about the main characters. Marie Lu seemed determined to fit every YA trope into this book--civil war, totalitarian government, plague, predetermined destinies, and a mysterious "trial" for children. And of course ...more

Like · see review

Jun 02, 2014 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Loved the ideas, however I do not like that we don't learn what happened to the US to turn it this way. Nice dystopian book and ideas. On to the next one! ...more

Like · see review