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Legend (Legend) (Paperback)
Short Description for LegendLos Angeles, California Republic of America. He is Day. The boy who walks in the light. She is June. The girl who seeks her brother's killer. On the run and undercover, they meet by chance. Irresistably drawn together, neither knows the other's past. But Day murdered June's brother. And she has sworn to avenge his death.
Full description- Publisher: Puffin Books
- Published: 02 February 2012
- Format: Paperback 304 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Science Fiction
- ISBN 13: 9780141339603 ISBN 10: 0141339608
- Sales rank: 6,928
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Reviews for Legend
Legend
First of all I'd like to thank Lindsey from Puffin books for sending me this paperback copy to read and review. I had heard good things about this dystopian novel so I was really excited to be offered the chance to read it.
Second of all I'd like to say wow! This is such a gripping read, I was hooked after just a few pages and from then on I struggled to put it down. I found it really easy to visualise everything that was happening, it felt like I was reading a movie.
The story is set in an America of the future, no longer The United States it is a very dark and different world to the one we know today. Plagues, wars and children being forced to take trials that will affect the rest of their lives are just some of the horrors that this future world has to endure. Controlling all of this is a government full of secrets and corruption, it's no wonder there are people who attempt to fight against them to discover the truth.
This brings me onto Day - handsome, brave and desperately seeking justice for the wrongs that have forced him away from his family. I loved his use of the word 'goddy', this is now one of my new favourite words! June is intelligent and also brave, you can really sense her feelings of loss and confusion as she struggles to figure out who she can and can't trust.
The story alternates between Day's and June's point of view, they are both strong characters who are not afraid of danger and this made for such an exciting read. My heart was literally pounding with fear for them whenever they got into tricky situations.
When Day first meets June he has no idea who she really is and vice versa. You could tell that there was a connection between them which would obviously complicate things for them both and I couldn't wait to see how they would react when they found out each other's true identity. I did keep forgetting that they were only fifteen because they both seemed very mature, I think perhaps the events of their childhood are responsible for this and in my opinion this would explain their maturity.
The last few chapters were really tense and had me on the edge of my seat, there were a few shocks and some really sad moments that all added to the emotional atmosphere of the book.
This was an engaging, action-packed story that I couldn't get enough of - I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy. by Kate VerrierLegend
I was very excited to read Legend as I'm a huge fan of the ideas behind dystopian stories and this one has had rave reviews. I did enjoy it, but unfortunately not as much as I'd expected to. Saying that, the book was entertaining enough, had several good points to it and I would still like to read the sequel. I believe that the film rights to this book have been bought, and I do think that it has a very cinematic feel, maybe making this better off as a film.
Legend is set in the urban setting of futuristic Los Angeles and follows two protagonists, Day and June. There is a war in America and Day and June are on opposite sides. June is a prodigy, a soldier who works with the Republic. Day leans more towards the Patriot side, he is a Robin Hood character who steals from the rich to give to the poor. He is also the most wanted person in the Republic. There is a plague that is ravaging the country and has infected Day's family. There is a lot more to the plague than a simple virus outbreak though, and several people come to realise this throughout this book. Whilst attempting to steal a plague cure, Day is accused of killing June's brother. June then makes it her mission to capture Day.
The plot itself is interesting and there is a lot more to still be explored in the sequels to this book. I don't think that the plot was anything particularly new, at least not so far, but it'd be unfair to judge that just from the first instalment. There were quite a few similarities to other Dystopian books out there. The world building could've been stronger - The setting wasn't terribly clear and I would've liked to know more about the two sides at war and exactly why, but again, there is room for exploration of this. Lu does start to hint at some reasoning by the end of this book, which makes me anticipate the second book to really see what's going on.
For me, the strongest aspect of this book were both Day and June. They both seemed to be strong characters and well formed. Day was loyal, brave and compassionate and June was a brave, self-determined character. I thought that they were both very likeable. Despite both having different views and upbringings, they were morally quite similar. They were also both logical and clever, though I think that they jumped to conclusions too often. I felt that the way that they worked things out so quickly and without much evidence sometimes weakened the book. Whilst we didn't learn all that much about other characters, including Tess (Day's friend), Matias (June's Brother) and Day's family, I thought that they were very solid and intriguing.
What I didn't like about Day and June was the insta-love. As soon as they met, they seemed to fall in love, which seemed unrealistic and felt a little 'lazy'. There was certainly potential for chemistry between the two characters, and I did see some as they interacted. I do like the two characters though, and together they did work well. The fact that their relationship was forbidden added to the suspense. I do look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses later on.
Legend is an action packed and reasonably fast paced book that I think the majority of young adults will enjoy. If you like a lot of action and perhaps a 'thriller' feel to your reads, you will probably enjoy it. Although this wasn't one of the best dystopian books that I've read, it was decent enough and I would like to see how the rest of the series pans out. by Stephanie Forster (Stepping out of the Page)
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