Legend takes place
in the future United States, but the states have been divided into two separate countries, the Republic and the Colonies. Within the Republic, all children at
age 10 take a Trial, to assess a number of things, including their physical and
mental abilities, and to find a place for them within society. The ones with
high scores are privileged, given access to education, wealth, and thorough medical attention. The ones with lower scores are sentenced to a life of
poverty, menial labor, and sickness. The ones that fail are said to go off to work
at labor camps; however, they are never seen nor heard from again.
June is a young elite, the first person ever to score a
perfect 1500 on her Trial. At the ripe age of fifteen, she has already finished
college and military training and is well on her way to working up the ranks.
Day, on the other hand, is the Republic's most elusive and wanted criminal.
After he fails his own Trial, he manages to escape and has been giving the
Republic grief ever since, carrying out elaborate heists and slews of perfect
crimes.
"Sometimes if
feels like we're the same person born into two different worlds."
And that about sums up the character dynamic. The two
protagonists come from opposite ends of the spectrum, but they manage to
essentially be the same person.
It is not a bad thing that these two people are so similar.
For one thing, they are both fiercely loyal, highly intelligent, and, best of
all, absolutely lethal. For another thing, they both hold strong ties to
family, and these ties represent their singular weaknesses. I personally did
not find it unbelievable how they make minuscule perceptions that lead unerringly to the truth. I overlooked the unlikeliness of this kind of
perceptiveness, because, quite simply, it fit with both of their characters.
The only thing I
find unbelievable about the main characters is the fact that these two geniuses
are fifteen years old. Because of their smarts, their skills, and even their
social graces, both Day and June seems years older than what they are. But I
guess that is why they are called legends,
why they are called prodigies.
As far as this dystopian world goes, I for one am glad that
Marie Lu left so much to the imagination. I detest nothing more in dystopia
than the author trying to explain everything away with little trinkets of fictional
history that don't actually make sense. Many of them try to get us from Point A
(our current time) to Point B (the world of their story), but this is just
exhaustive and counterproductive. In Legend's
case, only the date of the month and the day of the week are given. There is
minimal history and no implication at all of what year it takes place in.
Furthermore, I don't think this book actually needs to be a
dystopia. In fact, it may be better if the Future USA took no part in it at all.
This world does not need the states
(or any other real country) to be a
complete story. The world could stand on its own. Because of the overpopulation
of dystopia in the book pool, I think Legend
would've had more potential had it separated itself from the genre.
The story passes in a whirlwind, but it is never too rapid
to follow. Rather, it is so compelling that the pages just slip by. Aside from
a few minor questions, like what happens to Day's father and what the Colonies
are like, I think the amount of information provided is perfect. It does not
get bogged down in the details, but almost everything is provided for you if
you pay attention. Sure, elements of the story are predictable, but, in this
case, that does not make it any less enjoyable.
Perhaps for the first time in a long time, I am greatly looking
forward to reading the sequels. I have a love-hate relationship with series, as
they take a good deal of dedication and time when there are just so many other great
books to read. It's been a while since I've finished a
book and have been hungry for more of the same characters, of the same world,
and of the same story. This book did that for me. This is by no means my
favorite book, but I am still highly impressed with it. It has been a
refreshing taste of dystopia. And here I thought the genre was dying out.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that has the faintest
interest in dystopia or even science fiction/fantasy. Even if you end up
disliking it, the story blazes by so quickly there's no excuse for not reading
it. If all of Marie Lu's other books are as good as this one, I intend to read
every single one of them.
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