AUTHOR:
Marie
Lu
GENRE:
dystopia
PUBLICATION
DATE: May
22nd 2012
SOURCE:
own
BLURB:
June
and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector
Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic
edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager
to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies.
They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new
Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
In
this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller
with high stakes and cinematic action.
REVIEW:
I
read a lot of the recently published YA over the course of last year
and I can admit that Legend
was – and still is – one of my favorites. Needless to say, I was
both anticipating and dreading the day I could finally read the
sequel, Prodigy.
Turns out I shouldn't have been so afraid – I'm happy to tell you
that the second book in the trilogy definitely lives up to its
predecessor!
Prodigy
picks up almost exactly where we left June and Day in Legend. They're
going to meet the Patriots in Las Vegas. Marie Lu doesn't let her
characters – nor us – catch any breath before we're thrown into
the world of conspiracies, murders and revolution. We get to see both
sides of the coin. On one hand, there are Patriots who are fighting
against the oppression of the Republic's government. On the other
hand, a huge part of the book is dedicated to June getting to know
the new elector, who doesn't seem to be as bad as the Patriots paint
him... What is wrong and what is right? Will June and Day make the
right call? Answer to this question, and many more, is in Prodigy,
and hopefully in the next book.
Just
like Legend, Prodigy is an action packed, emotional roller-coaster.
The world building improved and Marie Lu's writing style is more
mature, more seasoned. To be honest, I was scared for a second there
that the writer's going to take the love triangle route. The
possibility of that – rather disliked by the readers – trope
still remains, but I have faith that Marie Lu will surprise us in
this department too.
Compared
to the Legend, the voices of the two main characters got definitely
stronger and a bit more distinctive. I enjoyed both point of views,
with June's astute attention to detail and Day's confusion.
The
secondary characters are probably the only thing I had an issue with.
They felt paper thin, one dimensional, expendable. Other than Day and
June and partially Kaede, I didn't care about anyone in particular.
It's a shame, really, because good secondary characters could liven
up the plot and dialogues with the diversity of personalities.
Big
props to Marie Lu for including LGBT hints! Not only does she mention
a crush one of the resistance boys has on Day, but also dedicates an
entire subplot involving June's brother and...
But
let's not spoil the fun, shall we? All I will say is that I like how
it's not a big deal in Legend's
world. Love is love, regardless of the gender. I feel like it should
be something explored more often in futuristic YA books.
To
sum up, it's a great sequel! Definitely worth reading and I don't
feel disappointed. All that waiting had paid off and we got a
riveting book that is hard to put down. I recommend to read it in one
go, because you will be unable to stop.
Be
prepared though, everybody. The ending will shatter your hearts into
smithereens.
Overall:
