Legend by Marie Lu

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Penguin
Published: November 29, 2011
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopia
Source: Bought - Easons

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. 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. 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.

 From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Well, what can I say that hasn't been said already? Simply, 'Legend' kept me happy throughout the book, ecstatic I should say, and finishing it was like finishing a large meat-laden pizza.
After the story was up and going, it got seriously addictive, and had I the time, I probably would've finished it in one sitting. The story, characters, world-building and plot-flow were all near-flawless.

Legend starts off with one of our two protagonists, Day, who is supposed to be dead to everyone but his brother John. While waiting for the Republic's soldiers to examine and pass by his family, he watches his worst nightmare unfold, and the door of his old home is marked with an 'X'. The Plague's signature. But this case is special, with a vertical line splitting the X in two. Of course, Day can't sit still while one of his family members succumbs to the Plague, and decides to steal medicine to help them. And.. that's how the glowing splint is sparked into a fire. You know, a fire that you don't get burned by or anything, but you're so intrigued by.

Anyway, though I love when books are straight to the point and don't waste any time, I couldn't help but feel behind in the beginning. When you're reading a dystopia, you want to be given enough insight to understand the first few chapters, and then build on the knowledge of the unique world and all that. Or at least that's how I am. I kinda felt like the author, Marie Lu, forgot how unique her novel was and didn't give us enough time to fully adjust to the flow of the book before setting things off. It's not much, but it did take a little longer to get into the book because of that.

After that, however, I honestly wasn't able to put the book down. I'm already a late sleeper, but this book definitely made that worse! The flow of the book was brilliant and Lu's great writing is to credit! I freaking adored her writing style, so easy to read and effortless. It was just amazing!
I thought the dual perspectives was a good addition, and though it doesn't really have anything to do with the writing, different font, one for Day, one for June, was really cool as well! Haha

Oh my God, how awesome were these characters? I mean, it was hard to believe that June and Day were both only fifteen, but other than that, they were just perfect!

Day can only be described as awesome. That's the only suitable word in the English dictionary. Even though I loved Day's character, I was just blown away by June. It can be quite annoying when fictional heroines start off strong but completely crumble when they meet their soul-mate, suddenly a damsel in distress. Lu wrote the character of June in such a way that even though she felt something for Day, she was controlled. And when she found out that Day "killed her brother", she didn't feel obligated to forgive him because they're hopelessly in love and all that. It felt realistic and very satisfying to follow another strong fictional heroine.

I think it's obvious that I really enjoyed this book. Personally, the writing was actually the highlight, and I can't wait for my copy of the sequel Prodigy to arrive! Definitely recommend to lovers of YA dystopia!

Thanks for reading guys!