Published November 29th, 2011Putnam Juvenile
320 pages (Hardcover)
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. (From Goodreads)
Legend was an interesting dystopian read that I'm surprised I didn't pick up earlier. I wouldn't call it a favourite, but Legend made for an enjoyable read.
I think the characters were the problem for me. Did anyone else get the sense that June and Day were a lot older than 15? Their attitudes and actions and words made me think that they were a lot older. I was picturing them as 17/18/19 year olds. I can't quite pinpoint what it was, but the characters just did not mesh for me. Day was supposed to be a badass criminal type, but he was injured for a large portion of the book. June was obnoxiously smart in a way that seemed unrealistic. The relationship in this book seemed way too insta-love for my liking. Overall, the characters just didn't do anything for me.
The world-building was good. It is a well constructed dystopian society with an oppressive and controlling government. Aspects of it have a realistic quality. The trials, climate change, influence of disease and application of eugenics all worked together and felt like something that could actually happen. I'm excited to see more in future novels.
The story started good, then slowed down quite a bit. I found myself a little bored for a while and wishing that something would happen. I get that there were plot twists developing, but I was getting a little impatient. The ending picked up again because ACTION. There was enough action at the end to leave me wanting more.
Overall, I enjoyed Legend. Fans of the dystopian genre should definitely give this book a try. That being said, I expected a little something more from the characters. I'm hoping with some more character development, future books in the series will impress me more.
I agree that they did seem older, but I really enjoyed this book. They both have their strengths, but throughout the book they can't rely on them, which I liked. I also really appreciated that they were almost the same person. I know that sounds bad, but I loved seeing two super smart characters in completely different situations and seeing how that shaped them. This totally reminds me that I need to get to the sequel.
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