Prodigy or Prisoner?

“Idiotic reply, June. 
Why don't you punch him in the face while you're at it. 
I turn even more flustered when I remember 
that I have actually pistol-whipped him in the face before. 
Romantic.”

--Marie Lu, Legend

Genre: YA Dystopia
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 374 pages
Publication Date: January 29th, 2013
Source: Bought
Preview Reviews in Series: Legend
Goodreads 

Goodreads Description

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. 

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

My Thoughts

Not gonna lie. I haven't felt this much anxiety while reading a book in a while. That heart pounding intensity, the dread of turning the page in fear of what may happen next, the blind RAGE that some characters bring out in you, but most importantly the compelling way a story is written. The last few book 2s in series that I read have absolutely blown me away and Prodigy is no exception.

We get SO much more world building in this installment, it is well needed and perfectly placed. We see the world as a whole and what is actually going on inside and outside the Republic. The story itself just doesn't stop moving. The plot constantly is turning and keeping you on your toes and always second guessing everyone's motives. The political intrigue of this story is great. This isn't a watered down version of a more complicated story. Marie does not talk down to her readers and this story is complex and so smart. The only qualm I have is that the issues in Legend are not really addressed. The entire Plague situation is brushed upon but the fact that they were orchestrating the use of a biomedical weapon and unleashing it into homes on purpose was never really talked about. That bothered me. These books almost complemented each other and built in another direction rather than continuing a linear focus. I'm sure Book 3 will address these but I still wanted this talked about. 

June and Day. Love. Time a million. This was where my anxiety always came from. They are both so darn stubborn and shy away from their emotions for each other. These two idiots say the same exact thing to themselves in their heads, and then they both go say or do something stupid on the outside. I wanted to shake them. Get over your internal craziness and just speak your feelings. You like each other...like a lot! And their witty banter? Adored! Laughing out loud. See chosen quote at the top. This is not a negative by the way, clearly Marie is doing great at her job if she can bring out all these emotions in me.

Wanna know what another emotion that I had was? Rage. Blinding rage. I can't really go into too much detail but one character in particular made me want to get physical and not in the jazzercise way. And it made me sad, too. It was a character I loved at one point and now I just wanted to stab them in the eye. OH! You know who totally surprised me and stole my heart? Kaede. She is fierce, man. Strong, independent, and a total badass. I love her. I would like to be her friend.

I cannot wait until the third book comes out. There are a few unanswered questions still that I am DYING to know. I loved that this book brought out so many emotions in me and gave me that amazing (and totally frustrating) pounding in my chest. Def recommend if you love Legend or any other dystopian story with a strong political aspect and a good amount of romance.