dystopian – Girl Knows Books

Hi everyone! Today’s post is about Legend, the debut novel written by Marie Lu. Let’s get right to it, shall we?

June Iparis and famed-criminal Day have very different lives. While June comes from a posh apartment in one of the country’s richer sectors, training to join the military, Day hides out, tripping up the government wherever he can. They both live in the Republic of America, which is currently fighting a fierce war with the Colonies, their neighbor. June, a “prodigy,” is incredibly loyal to her country, “glorious” Elector Primo and all. Day, on the other hand, is a fugitive, watching his face be broadcast across the JumboTrons of Los Angeles.

Yes, very different lives indeed.

June has always been interested in Day’s story. But she’s not only interested when her older brother turns up dead in an alleyway one night with a knife in his chest–she’s vengeful. And she’s not going to let Day get away with it.

This book was a pretty solid read. The characters were well-done, and it is very possible to get sucked in if you aren’t too careful. (And while I wanted to throw something at June sometimes, that didn’t affect how much I enjoyed the story at all.) The plot was pretty good, also, and definitely creative.

One thing I did notice was that the romance in the book seemed to develop rather quickly at times, to the point where it was a bit unrealistic. I also wasn’t as interested during the latter half of the story, I found, but out of the whole, there were numerous parts that I really loved.

Overall, Legend is creative and enjoyable, and if you’re a fan of dystopians (and maybe even if you’re not) you might want to give it a try. Have a great day!

Literary Quote of the Day: “You try to walk in the light.” –Legend, by Marie Lu

P.S. If you enjoy Legend, there’s a sequel!

P.S.S. WHOA LOOK IT’S A NEW HEADER! WHOA LOOK IT’S A NEW BACKGROUND! 🙂

Okay, I know that there’s been a lot of buzz about this book lately, but I just couldn’t resist putting in my two cents after I read it. At first, I have to admit I was worried. After hearing all the good stuff about Divergent (by Veronica Roth) the last thing I wanted was to be disappointed because I had my hopes up too high. (Besides, when you buy the book with your own money, you kinda want it to be worth it.) I shouldn’t have been worried. Really. I love this book! Not only are the plot and characters great, but the actual writing isn’t too shabby, either. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Ahem. Beatrice is part of the faction Abnegation, as is the rest of her family, in what used to be Chicago, Illinois. But she may not have to be Abnegation for long. In just a little while, all the sixteen-year-olds in the five factions will be tested, to find out what faction they are most compatible with. And the day after the testing, they will choose which faction they will officially become a part of. But Beatrice’s results are more than she bargained for. She’s Divergent–meaning she belongs in more than one faction. And that’s the just the start of it. After she chooses–donning a new life, new friends, and even a new name–things only get more suspicious. Could it be her once perfectly-safe life isn’t all that it seems? (Well, duh.) As I said before, this book is great. And I’m sorry if this sounds redundant because of all the reviews and stuff you’ve already heard, but as I also said before, I had to say my piece. So, if you haven’t done it already, you just have to go to the nearest library/bookstore/whatever and get this book!