Prodigy, by Marie Lu, is the second book in the Legend series.
After Day’s failed execution, June and Day are hurrying to Las Vegas in order to seek shelter with the Patriots. Day is in desperate need of medical attention and the Patriots are the only ones who may be able to achieve his goals of finding Tess and freeing his brother, Eden. In return for assisting Day, the Patriots ask for Day and June to aid them in assassinating the new Elector, Anden. As the two follow the Patriots’ plan, June notices that something is off. Are the Patriots really what they seem and what ideals does the new Elector have in store for the Republic?
Once again, Day and June take turns narrating the story. Day’s only goals are to make sure Tess is safe and reunite with his brother Eden. Day’s character does not change very much throughout the story, but he is plagued with many internal struggles. June is haunted by Metias’s death. With only Day to hold on to, she is willing to do anything to help him. As she is swept back into the Republic, she meets Anden, whose philosophies are radically different from what she thought. Both characters remain smart and independent, but their love for each other plagues them with insecurities. Neither character feels deserving of the other's love. Situations seem to be constantly tearing them apart, yet, pulling them together at the same time.
Prodigy is an amazing sequel to Legend. Although the characters barely grow, they are placed in situations that test their maximum mental and physical capacity. The plot twists and turns throughout the story and is very hard to predict. Marie Lu is very talented at writing action scenes. Not only can you clearly picture it, but you also feel as though you are there with the characters. Day and June’s love is captivating and heart-breaking at the same time. While Legend focuses on the action, Prodigy provides time to dwell on the romance between the two main characters. Both characters are given possible love interests that create two love intertwined love triangles. The love triangles are dealt with beautifully. We are saved us from the agonizing pain of listening to characters contemplate love interests. Like in the previous book, it is easy to tell who is narrating. June's story is written in the same brown, black while Day narrates in an aqua blue. This book is enthralling and gets readers emotionally invested in the story. Each plot twist makes the view of the setting change. Prodigy perfectly fits the allure of dystopian novels by giving us a setting that feels like it could happen in the future. The world politics of the setting is fascinating, even if it is only touched on once.
I give this 371 page book 5 stars.
Series Analysis
The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu is a amazing dystopian book. The story takes place in the country of the Republic several years in the future. It follows Day, the Republic's most wanted criminal and infamous freedom fighter, and June, the Republic's most beloved prodigy. After the death of June's brother Metias, the two drastically different characters meet. This series is full of plot twist that no one can see coming and is action packed. It is also capable of getting the reader emotionally invested in the story line. Goodreads gives the series an average of 4.296 while this site gives the series an average of 4.666. Everyone who is a lover of dystopian books and needs a slightly new spin on an average dystopian novel, this is the series for you.
Legend Trilogy
The "Legend" Trilogy takes place in a country known as the Republic. The Republic is constantly at war with the Colonies. Both the Republic and the Colonies lie on the land that used to be the United States of America. The Patriots are a group of people who seek to see the the two countries unite and form the United States once again. The series is narrated by Day, the Republic's most wanted criminal, and June, the Republic's beloved prodigy.