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Lu, Marie ; Prodigy (Legend #2); "Relaxed Buddy Read" (Start Date: October 10, 2013)
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Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief
(last edited Oct 14, 2013 12:37AM)
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Middle: Pages 122-303 (86%) and then pause
End: Pages 304-end
My copy is in transit to my library! Getting excited!
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Logan wrote: "My copy is in transit to my library! Getting excited!"Mine too!!
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I jumped in early on this one. This time I have a physical copy from the library, and the blue text for Day is super annoying. : / I'm having a harder time getting into this one, even though it picks up right away from Legend. Now that they're working together it doesn't seem as tense, I guess?
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I won't be starting this until tomorrow I think
I already read this one, but wanted to get the audio CDs. They don't have any. They only have the download.
I'm starting today. We don't have schedule and questions for this one?
Doesn't look like it. Shall we say something like 50 pages a day for those of us who haven't started yet?
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We are doing this as a "relaxed" BR so will just have a few points to stop and discuss the book (and you can put comments at any stage using spoiler tags if required)
I'm thinking:
Start: Pages 1-121 (34%) and pause for comments questions
Middle: Pages 122-303 (86%) and then pause
End: Pages 304-end
Logan, I have the large print copy from the library and that doesn't seem to have blue print, just different fonts like the last time around. It's a good beginning but maybe I'm spoiled by reading 'Insurgent' recently. Day is not as compelling as Four ;)
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I also find their immediate inclusion into the Patriots a bit weird. They are trusting Day and June with an awful lot if information.
And do we smell a love triangle with Anden coming up? sigh.
Laughs. Oh Karen, I shouldn't find it funny, but I questioned the love triangle element as soon as Tess walked back onto the scene. Not sure I have a lot of hope for this one. And it's only a handful of chapters in so far.
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At least it's a different shape, potentially.
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I'll get the book from my library. It's really good.
I'm about a quarter in and I'm still waiting for this book to become more interesting.Day had very long hair and they cut them to shoulder-length so the people wouldn't recognize him. Why didn't just cut them short? That was the part that bothered me most for now. Or maybe it just bothered me because I prefer guys with short hair, haha :D
I struggled to see how shoulder length hair was a big improvement from straight out long hair too.I'm almost halfway through now and I've been in for about 20 pages. It gets better, I suppose.
I really don't like Tess though. I see that she's like the Patriots angel and stuff, but from her interactions with Day, she just seems really shallow and two faced. Anyone else having this problem with her charcacter?
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Ok, so it seems to just be starting to pick up now.
- totally agree about Day's "disguise". In paricular, how Jeanine looked right at him and quite intently, but the different coloured hair, eyes and a small scar made him unrecognisable?!! I don't buy it. This is either really bad editing, or Jeanine did actually recognise him, but is now following him to see what they are up to. I hope this is the case because I hate bad editing
- I really like what they have done with Thomas' character. I didn't see that coming. Now we need to decide if we empathise with him or if he really is that monster. How interesting also that they added the love interest with Mattias into it.
- Tess' character I am not so sure about. I'm with you there Nicole. She has kind of become a bit uber cool
- I'm glad the author found a way to seperate June and Day so now we have that tension playing into the book again. I must admit that first bit with them together was a bit of a *yawn*fest
- Does anyone else think that the Elector won't fall for this trap? Isn't it a bit obvious? I also think the Patriots are being awfully trusting with information to June and Day. Thoughts?
Start (pages 1-121 / 34%)I also thought the opening chapters were pretty boring. It's picking up now that they have infiltrated the Republic. I'm worried at this point that the Patriots are going to turn on June and Day. I don't trust the Pats any more than I do the Republic at this point. It's keeping me on the edge of my seat and anxious to find out what happens next, though, so I guess that's good. :)
I find it a little lame that after a few weeks Tess seems like a completely different person. Months, maybe. But weeks? Don't buy it.
I too liked the new perspective on Thomas. It'll be interesting to see if he experiences a change in heart toward Jameson and the Republic.
I was also very relieved and happy to learn that Ollie is okay!
The expanded world building and history is nice to have now that they're out from under the Republic's confines. It makes me wonder if this is what it's like in North Korea or other similar regimes. You can have all the power if you control the information. Thank God for freedom of the press, right?
Middle: Pages 122-303 (86%)It's hard not to like Anden. For some reason I trust him right off the bat, even though I probably shouldn't. I want to believe that he is trying to do right by the Republic.
The lie detector scene reminded me of the testing from Divergent. Wouldn't they have suspected June could beat the test though?
The little boy on the train was really heartbreaking.
Everyone is so busy driving wedges in between everyone else that my head is spinning! Tess, Baxter, June, Razor, Kaede - is anyone being honest? Is revolution even a good choice if no one knows what they want it to accomplish?
I have to push on to see where this all ends!
Oh Logan I'm so glad it wasn't just me thinking the truth test shared traits with Divergent.
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re: start
Ah yes, Ollie! Forgot about him :)
And I agree it has that North Korea aspect for me
I haven't read your "middle" yet as I'm only at 50% at the moment. Sorry I'm a bit slow with this one. IRL and the other BOM are in the way ;)
Well I'll hold off on my end thoughts until you guys catch up. It'll be more fun that way. :)
Finally downloaded the book. Logan said, "I find it a little lame that after a few weeks Tess seems like a completely different person. Months, maybe. But weeks? Don't buy it."I don't know. Tess went through a lot. Everything she believed was proven to be false. The government she loved ordered that her entire family be killed. She learns people who don't pass the testing are killed. Her brother's best friend, whom she thought she could trust, actually performed her brother's assassination. I can't imagine she'd go unchanged.
Mod
Tes was 10 when her family abandoned her, and then Day took her in. She is only meant to be 13 so I find her sudden maturity and the romantic affection towards Day has also come out of nowhere. I'm with Logan on this... her character has changed substantially in just a few weeks. I'm only at 50% of the book, but I feel like it is obvious this is a fairly new author and that is one example. I am still enjoying it, but it isn't exactly a literary masterpiece
message 32:
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Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado
(last edited Oct 17, 2013 10:47PM)
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rated it 4 stars
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I like Anden too. I understand why June put a stop to the plan, but it was also EXTREMELY trusting of her - and of Day to trust her enough too
I like where the story has headed. Things aren't so green on the other side if the fence. And of course, the reason everything seemed a bit whack with Razor and Day not being recognised have now come together
Kaede also has an important role in this book. I hope we get more info on her in the next
Only 35 minutes of reading to go! Must push on :)
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I ended up being really very impressed with this book! Despite the whole YA love triangle biz that doesn't float my boat, I loved how she developed the characters. Marie Lu really developed herself as a writer through that process I feel.
This was not a "meh" book 2 for me, as so many of them are. I ended up giving it 4 stars because I think it was a good book in its own right and sets up book 3 nicely.
How unfortunate that just as I thought Kaede would be a good character for book 3...well... !
I'm so interested in what she will do in book 3. Will Anden really be the golden child? Is Day's prognosis real? Will June work it out? Will Tess get a grip?
Pages 304-endYes! The loss of Kaede was so sudden and shocking. Here I thought we'd get a lot more of her finally. Lu spent so much time setting her up that it didn't seem fitting for Kaede to disappear so quickly.
I wasn't that happy with where this ended. I'm not feeling much motivation to read book 3. I had a similar experience at the end of Insurgent - what was supposed to be a big reveal to turn things on their head for the next stage ended up falling flat for me. As much as I really liked this book, do I care whether June and Day end up together? Or whether June and Anden lead the Republic to a better place?
Of course, I felt little motivation to keep reading after Legend, too. And I ended up loving this one anyway. :) Maybe it's just a sign that the trilogy thing is getting to me.
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Yes, it seemed off that Kaede was set up that way to be killed off. I know how you feel about this being similar to the Divergent series. Although I actually preferred this series more so far. I also don't care so much about June and Day getting together, but I would like to see what happens with the Republic.
Karen wrote: "Lisarenee - I think you are confusing Tess with June who had all those things happen to her ;)Tes was 10 when her family abandoned her, and then Day took her in. She is only meant to be 13 so I f..."
You're right I was. Oops!
Karen wrote: "I like your new picture Logan :)Yes, it seemed off that Kaede was set up that way to be killed off. I know how you feel about this being similar to the Divergent series. Although I actually prefe..."
Thank you! I got sick of my old one, and for my birthday this year one of my Facebook friends added the unicorns and rainbows to my profile pic. It makes me smile every time I look at it, so I made it my Twitter pic, and I figured why not GR too? Hee. It reminds me of those old Lisa Frank folders and Trapper Keepers.
I definitely prefer this to Divergent, but then again, I harbor ill-deserved animosity toward that series. Something about the hype just rubs me the wrong way.
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and I must admit I am frequently surprised by what books get "hype" while others remain unknown.
I think I missed all the hype to do with Divergent, so I don't have that bias. I know I had this conversation with Karen already, but ultimately I jut don't think I had the connection to the characters that I've had in other books like Divergent and Delirium especially. Even when interesting things were happening at the end, it was ruined because Marie Lu hadn't quite had me invested in her characters, sadly.
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I read Legend before I read those other books I listed. That might be another reason for not seeing the improvement ;)
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Delirium just made me squeal over every single page.
Me too Nicole! Her writing is breathtaking. I actually liked Pandemonium and Requiem better.
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I HIGHLY recommend Before I Fall. That's where I fell in love with her writing
I think I'll grab before I fall if I can find a copy. I wasn't a big fan of Pandemonium, sadly, (again because of characters) but in this thread I feel like quite a harsh critic ;)
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I agree!Karen, you're in Sydney, aren't you? How close are you to the fires? I hope not too close!
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That's so scary! Stay safe!
Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Prodigy (other topics)Schwelender Sturm (other topics)
BE PREPARED FOR SPOILERS
What is a buddy read?
About this Buddy Read
A “Relaxed Buddy Read” is similar to our usual “buddy reads” except there are less questions and break points. For example, a book may be split into three sections and those reading the book should pause at the end of the section to answer some discussion questions, make comments, or ask their own questions to other readers
Synopsis
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.