Wolf Reads: Legend

Legend is the first dystopian book from of the Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu.

The Republic is on the verge of war and the on the brink of a plague outbreak.

June is the best of the best. She is the country’s one and only unrivaled prodigy, at least that was what had been told. She has been groomed for success in the high military’s innermost circles. Her elite life soon takes a darker road when her brother is murdered. She is chosen as the undercover agent sent to find the killer, Day .

Day is the Republic’s most wanted criminal. Born in the slums, the only things on his mind are family and survival. Stealing, breaking in, blowing up things, jumping from a three-story compound, you name it, it was necessary. His life in the shadows flipped when he became a suspect, and when he saw the girl in the bar.

The two are never meant to cross paths. They are the keys to uncovering the truth, unfolding the mysteries and the “sinister lengths” their country will go to keep its deepest, darkest secret.

The story is told from first person perspective, from both June and Day’s POV. Because of this, we have a front row seat to see the inner workings of the main characters minds, narrated by the clear voice the author crafted for each character. Their thought process, their personalities and ‘their side of the story’ are shown. The events in each chapter connect beautifully with events woven together smoothly, from different views as the POV alternates.

The characters are intensely interesting. Some of their personalities do overlap and those that do are a big part of what makes the first person perspective so gripping. They are brave, gutsy, extremely intelligent which leads to a new type of thought process, how they deal with different situations, their chemistry through one’s eye and most, fortunately, lots of action and suspense.

“The memory fades, and I’m left hanging on to the ghosts of his words.” ― Marie Lu, Legend

Because the characters are placed in completely opposite positions in the society, extreme contrast in the imaginative dystopian society is shown. Specific elements of a dystopian society, such as the reformed housing system, inequality, propagandas, and control are also illustrated throughout the story. And if you look carefully, the clues that beckon a rebellion are already in place.

What was very intriguing was that in the first half of the story, how each main character saw each other was particularly different from what we see in their POV, especially how Day sees June. June has to go undercover in the slums and report to the military who started suspecting her loyalties. This forces her to have multiple alter egos, one soft for the mission and later on, one cold and brutal for the military that was needed in order to survive, save and do what needed to be done.

A sci-fi story soaked with spine-tingling action, impossible romance, dangerous political games and dark mystery webbed together in an inventive dystopian society, with demise lurking at the back. This book will not be a disappointment. It is highly addictive and I do recommend you to read it.