Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

15-year-old Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic.  Not the most dangerous - Day is always careful never to hurt anyone, his hits designed only to destroy the Republic's reputation, not its citizens.  JumboTrons across Los Angeles light up with a description of his crimes and a different photo every time, because the Republic has no idea who he is, or what he looks like.  Only his older brother John knows he's still alive - his mother and little brother Eden believe he's dead, killed in a Republic Labor Camp after failing his Trial.

June is the Republic's most valued military asset in the war against the Colonies and their Patriot terrorists.  A prodigy born into an elite, wealthy family, she received an unheard-of perfect 1500 on her Trial.  Her education hyper-accelerated by the government, June, at 15, is the youngest senior at Drake University.  Still, there are drawbacks to being a genius - at four years younger than her classmates, June doesn't have a lot of friends, just her beloved older brother, Metias, a captain in the military.

When Day's family is infected with the Plague and quarantined by the military, Day is desperate to find a way to get the Cure to them.  The rich are always vaccinated against the new strains of the Plague - but Day grew up in the slum districts.  He knows that without his help, his family will be dead in weeks.  When Day raids the Los Angeles Central Hospital for medicine, he barely escapes with his life, jumping three stories to the ground, leaving his knife behind in a young captain's shoulder, and vanishing into the sewers.

From the moment June is told Metias is dead, her entire being is focused on revenge.  She goes on an undercover mission to flush out the terrorist she knows murdered her brother, haunting the slum districts looking for whispers and rumors of Day's identity and location.  But when June finally finds him, she discovers not all is as it seems.  Day possesses secret knowledge the Republic is willing to sacrifice anything - and anyone - to keep secret. 

You won't be able to put this one down as June frantically hunts for answers through the dark streets of a pretty scary future Los Angeles.  Not sure who to trust and with everything she thought she knew turning out to be a lie, June is one tough, smart chick who fights hard and dirty to keep the people she loves safe.  If you loved Divergent and The Hunger Games trilogy, this dystopian adventure will have you on the edge of your seat with its fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled plot.  Check out this awesome, action-packed read @ the library today!

Megan
(now reading Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories - with stories about clockwork and gears, automatons and airships by Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, and Holly Black, among other awesome authors, how can you go wrong?!)

Watch the book trailer for Legend!