haley49's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved everything about this book from the pacing to the characters to the plot. The only nitpicks I have are about gaps in world building and that emotional beats aren’t given the space to have lasting impact but I think that’s just the fast paced narrative. I can’t wait to read the next book(s).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Genocide, Blood, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Police brutality, Torture, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and War
sammymilfort's review
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Violence, Gun violence, Medical content, Torture, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Blood, and Physical abuse
Minor: Car accident
tjbkorean's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Great YA dystopian! Divergent-like before there was even a divergent. I love that it’s set in a post war semi-apocalyptic America and I can’t wait to dive into the second book in the series to learn even more about how the country came to be.
I am a huge fan of multiple POV books and in this one we get to go back and forth between the two main characters, Day and June. It’s fun to know what they’re thinking and how each of them experience the same moments differently.
Lots of action packed parts that keep you on your toes too. The characters are thorough analyzers and I like their attention to details. There’s a touch of mystery in it as well that lends to a great twist/surprise that adds a whole other layer to the story.
June has a ton of character development throughout the book and I can’t wait to see what she does with this new perspective on life.
There’s also death and grappling with life after losing loved ones which make it heavier and emotional but adds to the other relationships so far.
I am a huge fan of multiple POV books and in this one we get to go back and forth between the two main characters, Day and June. It’s fun to know what they’re thinking and how each of them experience the same moments differently.
Lots of action packed parts that keep you on your toes too. The characters are thorough analyzers and I like their attention to details. There’s a touch of mystery in it as well that lends to a great twist/surprise that adds a whole other layer to the story.
June has a ton of character development throughout the book and I can’t wait to see what she does with this new perspective on life.
There’s also death and grappling with life after losing loved ones which make it heavier and emotional but adds to the other relationships so far.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Classism, Medical content, Murder, and Death of parent
bri__'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this, it was thrilling and kept me hooked from the beginning. I am terrified as to how the series will play out because I know it will somehow end with me emotionally scarred (kidding, hopefully, probably). I love Day and June I find them to be interesting characters and although their relationship doesn't have much depth I am very much still rooting for its success. Definitely recommend, strongly suggest checking content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, War, Medical trauma, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Classism and Medical content
Minor: Car accident
luxxltyd's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Terminal illness
marissasa's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This YA novel based on a dystopian republic of the former America was one that while grabbed my attention enough to want to finish, definitely felt like something I would've enjoyed a lot more in middle school. I was interested in the world-building and political intrigue around the manufactured plagues and the idea that the government was hiding a lot of secrets, but I couldn't find myself caring about the main characters. June is very much the typical female YA protagonist who is super young (15) but somehow smarter, more skilled, and more experienced than everyone around her and although it makes sense for her characterization as someone who was born into wealth from government affiliation and was trained from a young age to be a solider like her brother, it also made for a very calculating and unemotional point of view to read from that I couldn't connect with. Day is also a typical male YA protagonist counterpart who is somehow cunning, charming, knowledgable, and a famous criminal despite also being super young (15) and I didn't find myself rooting for him nor believing in the connection between him and June as anything deeper than physical attraction. I will finish the series eventually simply because I want to see the fallout of their actions and see how they will challenge the government or uncover more about their secrets.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Gun violence
iris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
I loved this book so much!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Medical content
snazzysie's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Legend was an interesting read that had me hooked from the start; it was impossible for me to read just one chapter in a sitting, and had I not been reading multiple other books over the last few months, I probably would've finished it much quicker, as it is fast-paced and the chapters are relatively short. I enjoyed the story being told in the different perspectives of the two main characters. I wouldn't necessarily consider the characters lovable, however maybe it's just the upsetting circumstances they were put in that didn't particularly bring out the best in them. Speaking of, the futuristic world Marie Lu has built in this book is truly scary. What's maybe most scary is that it's not that far off from the world we live in now. Of course it is much more harsh and extreme than our common first-world cities today, and it surprised me that Los Angeles was the city she chose to portray, considering the attitude of the population in the book is very patriotic and military dependent.
I would've preferred the story if it had been less violent, especially considering the main characters are 15-year-olds, but I did still appreciate the rebelious-uncover-the-truth-and-fight-back-againt-the-government kind of vibes (reminded me a little bit of The Hunger Games in this way, how different sectors are treated differently, the rich against the poor, which was given more depth with a perspective from the inside in Legend). <spoiler kinda> I also liked the twist with the reveal of a secret enemy.
This was a solid read, 4 stars, but don't think I will continue with the rest of the trilogy. I feel like the ending satisfied me enough, and I'm not that interested <spoiler kinda> in June and Day's life on the run, or the problems they might face now that they are in a relationship>, but I did enjoy the writing style, and have other books by Marie Lu that I'm looking forward to reading :)
age rec for 15+
I would've preferred the story if it had been less violent, especially considering the main characters are 15-year-olds, but I did still appreciate the rebelious-uncover-the-truth-and-fight-back-againt-the-government kind of vibes (reminded me a little bit of The Hunger Games in this way, how different sectors are treated differently, the rich against the poor, which was given more depth with a perspective from the inside in Legend). <spoiler kinda> I also liked the twist with the reveal of a secret enemy.
This was a solid read, 4 stars, but don't think I will continue with the rest of the trilogy. I feel like the ending satisfied me enough, and I'm not that interested <spoiler kinda> in June and Day's life on the run, or the problems they might face now that they are in a relationship>, but I did enjoy the writing style, and have other books by Marie Lu that I'm looking forward to reading :)
age rec for 15+
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, War, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse
caitlinreadss's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was an easy 5 stars and a super easy book to read! It has fully put me in the dystopia mood and I could t put it down.
I’m less than 300 pages, Marie Lu has created two very loveable main characters - a super-genius, super-athletic young girl looking to avenge her murdered brother and a notorious young boy who is the city’s most wanted criminal who had supposedly murdered said girls brother (among plenty other crimes). Both incredibly brilliant characters who are more equal in ways neither could imagine.
This book is so fast- paced and so action-packed you’ll finish it so quickly and before you know it, will be on to the sequel and within these 300 pages, Marie Lu has now made it into one of my must read/buy authors - I would genuinely read their shopping list!
I’m less than 300 pages, Marie Lu has created two very loveable main characters - a super-genius, super-athletic young girl looking to avenge her murdered brother and a notorious young boy who is the city’s most wanted criminal who had supposedly murdered said girls brother (among plenty other crimes). Both incredibly brilliant characters who are more equal in ways neither could imagine.
This book is so fast- paced and so action-packed you’ll finish it so quickly and before you know it, will be on to the sequel and within these 300 pages, Marie Lu has now made it into one of my must read/buy authors - I would genuinely read their shopping list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Medical content and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
teri_b's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I wanted to discover Marie Lu for a while now and finally got this audiobook from the local library.
Loved the story ark, loved the characters and the turns and twists the story takes. In short, it is YA and I loved it for it.
Loved the story ark, loved the characters and the turns and twists the story takes. In short, it is YA and I loved it for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Medical content, and Violence