Review - PRODIGY by Marie Lu

TITLE: Prodigy (Legend 2)

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: