City News

In the dystopian young adult novel Legend by Marie Lu, the United States is divided into the Republic and the Colonies while in a constant war. This book mainly focuses on the Republic and its rigid social hierarchy as well as its ongoing epidemic plague. Among this confederation are two main characters that the book alternates between their point of view.

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. She is the only person ever to earn a perfect score of 1500 on the Trial. The trial is a standardized test that evaluates people’s intelligence and athletic ability. The people who score higher live a good life while the people who fail get sent to labor camps. As you can see, this is pretty unfair, especially those who can’t afford the resources for studying. June has an older brother named Metias who also works for the military and a dog named Ollie.

Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. No one knows what Day looks like, but hey do know that he is responsible for some of the most extravagant crimes. Day’s mother thinks he is dead, however his older brother John knows he is alive. His younger brother, Eden, unfortunately becomes sick with the plague. Day wanders the streets with his best friend Tess, who is a girl also from the slums. Together, they scavenge for money, food, and most importantly, plague cures. Day is extremely intelligent and portrays amazing athletic ability. Despite this, he failed his Trial.

There are many things about this book that I admire. I love the alternating point of views, as it gives me a sense of how two people on the opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum look at the Republic. June is proud of the Republic, and, like every other military individual, is determined to win against the Colonies. Although Day is living in the Republic, he doesn’t respect their way of doing things. He believes it is completely unfair that the top people stay at the top and the bottom people have to suffer. The upper class all get vaccinations and cures for the plague while the slums die out and have to quarantine.

I won’t spoil too much, but eventually June and Day meet. June is assigned to hunt Day, but to do it, she must blend in with the slums of the Republic. However on this mission, her view changes and she realizes how horrible it is for the majority of the people living in the Republic. I love this character development and June continues to change her ideals as the story progresses.

This book is the first of a trilogy and I cannot wait to read the other two! The story is packed with adventure, plot twists, and it exemplifies a corrupt society. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Check out Legend from NBPL!