Book Review: Prodigy (Legend #2) by @Marie_Lu

Prodigy, is the second in the Legend trilogy. Legend is the first. The third, Champion, released earlier this month.

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic’s most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots – a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?

I’m glad I waited until now to read the sequel . . . because now I don’t have to wait before diving into Champion. I discovered my new favorite way to read trilogies.

June and Day continue to Las Vegas, where they team up with Razor, a high-ranking Republic officer with loyalties to the Patriots. They agree to help the Patriots assassinate the new Elector, Anden, in exchange for replacing Day’s knee and helping them find Day’s brother Eden.

June turns herself into the Elector. Instead of finding a sleaze-bag the Patriots told her to expect, she finds a person yearning to create a new chapter for the Republic. Anden is nothing like his father.

Thus begins the heavy game of politics infused in the book. The politics aren’t so dense you can’t follow, but you also don’t know whom to trust until the very end. Meanwhile, Day is the new face of the Patriots, and his public appearances rally the people like Anden never could.

One of Prodigy’s strengths is the continual character development. Tess plays more of an important role in this sequel, not only forcing Day to critically analyze his relationship with June but also to question it. Most normal relationships have some doubts, but especially a relationship developed quickly in a time of high stress. Eavesdropping on these doubts made the relationship more realistic.

Did I mention Tess is also in love with Day? And Anden has feelings for June and wants to make her his Principes? This is no simple love triangle!

Even characters we thought we knew everything about still return to surprise us. What we learn about Metias makes his death even more tragic. Despite Thomas’ solidified villain-role, we find way to care for him.

In this sequel, we also receive our first glimpse of the rest of the world. While the Republic is visited by Plagues and barely scraping by, the world at large is in a very different spot with strong opinions about the Republic. This only reinforces the three dimensional world Day and June live in.

Worried Prodigy won’t live up to the Legend’s action? From explosions, to dive-bombing planes, to cat and mouse chases—you won’t be bored.

You may not like this book if you hate politics or dislike emotional cliffhangers. But if you want action and enjoy romances that don’t take over the book, then you should pick up the next book in the Legend trilogy.

Be sure to check out Lu’s sketches of Day and June here.
Check out Lu’s website here.
Follow Lu on Twitter here.
Like the Legend trilogy on Facebook here.

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