Legend

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Level: Young Adult
Location: YA Lu

In the future the Republic of America, once known as the western United States of America, is at war with the eastern colonies. The plague is a constant threat, especially if you can’t afford a vaccine. Ten year olds report to a guarded stadium for The Trial, which decides if one gets to go to college and which one, or even high school. Others will be sent to factory jobs and those that fail are sent to labor camps never to be seen again.

Day is considered a criminal and the number one enemy of the Republic. His fingerprints don’t show up in any government records. He’s trying to hurt the Republic and help his family survive. He’s tough, resourceful, observant, and skeptical. He makes bombs, but doesn’t kill people or try to hurt them unnecessarily. He can emphasize and sympathize with others. He seems to be the complete package, combining the good traits of both Peeta and Gail from Hunger Games. He’s more up front than Four in Divergent.

June lives a privileged life with her brother, the only family she has, and attends the top college where at age fifteen she is in her final year. She has a problem following rules, but is totally committed to the Republic. She seems a little gullible at first, but that might be the circumstances of grief. She comes off as a bit of a brat at first, but she starts growing and changing early on in the story. She has the physical abilities of both Katniss (Hunger Games) and Triss (Divergent) plus some. She’s better at faking than Katniss and can figure out when she has been played in time to do something about it.

Both of these characters try to avenge a loved one’s death. Both are very intelligent. Imagine what might happen if they shared information and started connecting the dots when things don’t make sense.

Legend has plenty of action, a change to try to figure things out, suspense, and a bit of romance. A fan of Hunger Games or Divergent here’s a book for you! I really liked the use of a different font and color for the two characters. It made it easy to switch back and forth between the two narratives. The end of the story is a slight disappointment as it could be the end of the story, which isn’t a great ending, actually a fizzle after all the suspense, but it is also written in a way that leaves an opening for more. After all, can they really let the Republic get away with what they know it is doing now.


Bottom Line: Liked it, liked it, liked it! I’ve already recommended the book to three people while writing this review. By the second time I picked it up I didn’t want to put it down until I finished. Legend is a fast read dystopian full of action in what may be a series or trilogy. It has a strong likeable male character, Day, and a strong female character, June, who will grow on you as she grows through the book. Nothing is ever as it seems in a dystopian world and once these two stop fighting each other they uncover the Republic’s secrets and cover ups. Guys will like this one. For fans of Hunger Games and Divergent this is a must read (Unless you hated Mockingjay).

Beautiful Creatures

Title: Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Reading Level: Young Adult

Location: YA Garcia

“There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave.”

Ethan Wate lives in a small, old southern town in South Carolina where nothing much happens and everything is always the same. As a member of one of the older families in town, he is treated well, gets decent grades and is quickly becoming one of the stars on the basketball team. However, since the death of his mother, none of this matters. He can’t wait to leave Gatlin and its antiquated ways behind. That was before he met Lena Duchannes. As the niece of the town recluse, Lena is anything but welcome in Gatlin. Although Ethan knows he should avoid befriending this social pariah, he can’t seem to leave her alone. It doesn’t help that she was making appearances in his dreams long before they ever met. As Ethan gets closer to Lena, he learns her haunting family history, and the reason she dreads her upcoming 16th birthday. Lena’s very being depends on them learning the secrets of an old artifact which played a central role in the beginning and horrific end of a love story that would forever alter generations of Lena’s family.

It took me awhile to write this review because I loved the book so much. The authors do a wonderful job of realistically portraying the small, southern town of Gatlin. They expertly describe the scenery, sounds and people of this place so much so that the reader feels like everything in the book could possibly exist. I enjoyed Ethan as the narrator throughout the book. Many fantasy novels, especially ones that include love stories, have female narrators, so I though Ethan was a nice change of pace. The love story between Ethan and Lena develops very well, but I never felt as though it was the main focus of the plot. In my personal opinion, the real driving force for the plot lies in Lena, her intriguing family members (like creepy Uncle Macon and Boo) and their history. They kept the book moving for me and the relationship between Ethan and Lena was more of a pleasant side effect. I wish it would have wrapped up a little better, but it does not leave you with a cliffhanger. I don’t want to give anything away, but Beautiful Creatures was a wonderfully crafted story with interesting characters and the perfect setting. Don’t miss it!

The Bottom Line: It’s obvious that I loved this one! It is not my favorite of 2009, but it is certainly up there. Read it for the hauntingly, mysterious storyline and the realistic, not-too-sweet love story. This is the first in a planned 5 book series. I assume the next will be released around December 2010.