The Young Elites by Marie Lu

           

           After reading her previous series and the synopsis of this book, I thought that Marie Lu’s newest work, The Young Elites, was going to completely blow me away. Much to my dismay, I was greatly disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, the book wasn’t absolutely horrible. It just didn’t live up to the expectations that I set for it since I loved her Legend series so much.

            When she was young, a terrible blood fever spread all over the country, leaving some of the survivors marked with strange otherworldly powers and physical imperfections. These were called the malfetto and they were persecuted and killed when they showed signs of supernatural powers, and Adelina was one of the unlucky ones. Treated as an abomination for her entire life, she grew up estranged from her father and unmarked sister. One day, her father decides to sell her to a wealthy merchant, but she runs away before that can happen and accidently gets her father killed when her powers of illusion finally emerge for the first time and spook some horses. She is about to be burned at the stake when a group of malfettos, the Young Elites, saves her. This group opposes the government and seeks to create a world where malfettos can live in peace. Their leader just so happens to be the crown prince, and when they test Adelina for the powers that she aligns with, they are all dark and sinister. Meanwhile, she is haunted by the ghost of her father as her powers grow stronger and stronger, as do her dark alignments with them. Will Adelina be the hero of the story? Or will she end up being the villain instead?

            So first let’s talk about the “heroine” Adelina. Honestly, she’s more like the anti-heroine. She was not the best-developed character I’ve ever seen, and she felt very two-dimensional. Her character was created with little emotion behind it, and it was quite obvious; I didn’t become attached to her in the slightest, nor did I really root for her, which is typically the type of reaction that a main character should evoke. I understand that this book is actually meant to portray the story of the villain, but it was extremely difficult to feel any empathy for her; she created all of her own problems and she was repetitive, complaining about situations nearly of her own creation. Honestly, the one of the only good things about this entire book was Raffaele. He was sweet, kind, and pretty much the only good person in this story. Another thing that was completely flat was the romance. She’s supposed to have a romance with the prince, and love him so dearly, yet it seemed shallow and completely superficial; it wasn’t a satisfying love story in the least. That is a good word to describe this book: unsatisfying.

             That being said, there were also some very interesting aspects, like the different powers that each of the characters had. Some were a bit cliché, like the prince’s ability to control fire, but Adelina’s power of illusion was a more unique power that I don’t think I have ever read about in a book before (that is not to say they don’t exist, I just have never read any). The ending of the story also intrigued me, but not the part that dealt with the main character; it was the afterword that really interested me, the part that talked about an entirely different character. I found her far more interesting than the main and I only read about her for a few pages. So, she is the only reason that I will read the next book when it comes out, and I really hope that Marie Lu steps it up in this next one and blows me away!

Unsatisfying, but hopeful for the next one! 3 Smileys!!

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu

First, I would like to say that if you have never read any of the Legend series, then read it RIGHT NOW. You will not regret it and it may turn out to be your favorite series of all time, just like it is mine! Trust me; would I ever steer you wrong? Well… maybe, but definitely not on this!

Being that the Legend Series is my favorite series, it may be surprising that I actually held off on reading Champion by Marie Lu for quite a while. But, being that it is the last book of the series, I didn’t want to read it. I didn’t want the series to end, or face that fact that it was over. And let me tell you, I’m still in shock from finishing it. It made me sob harder than I think I ever have before. It ripped me apart, but I loved every second of it. Honestly, I’m not sure how much I can write about it right now because I am completely emotionally drained, but I shall try!

            Champion picks up where Prodigy left off, but I don’t want to get too into detail, so as not to give too much away to people who haven’t finished Prodigy yet. Basically, it’s about the fight between the Republic and the Colonies, as well as Anden being accepted as the new Elector Primo, Day struggling against his disease, and June working at becoming the next Princeps. And that’s all I’m going to say about that!

            I LOVE JUNE AND DAY. Especially Day <3 font="" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> They’re so adorable together and they have to be my favorite pair of all time- they’re both beautiful and broken with actual serious problems between them. In most books, it’s some insignificant, stupid little problem that always seems to get in the way of the romance. But, in the Legend series, the problem that gets in their way actually makes sense and is important, so that makes their relationship (and their relationship problems) seem much more realistic. And the fact that they’re trying despite that makes me root for them all the more. GO JUNE AND DAY!!! Separately, the characters are just as loveable as when they are together. Day’s sarcastic way of viewing the world is priceless and I love his personality; he seems like an awesome person to be around, light and funny and good. June, on the other hand, is a little darker, but her personality is also amazing, kind and strong and caring. And let’s just say near the end of the book we get to see June’s badass side again! And just as a little side not, Eden (Day's little brother) is so cute and precious! Love him!!

            As for the story, it honestly started off a little slow, but it was actually quite fitting. In the beginning (when it moved slowly), June is immersed in politics, but by the end (when it moved quickly), she was surrounded by action, in the element that she truly loves. So, it seemed almost symbolic of the way that politics is slow and tedious (to June, anyway), while the fighting is where she really belongs. However, after the first few pages, it quickly picked up and I was fully immersed in the story. I nearly lived and breathed Champion for the past two days. It was heart breaking and fun and amazing. I’m incredibly sad that it’s over and I really wish it weren’t. I now understand why Marie Lu cried while writing it.

            The ending was amazing and terrible at the same time: amazing because it was perfect; terrible because I sobbed my eyes out in a hotel room. The ending was beautifully written and heartbreakingly hopeful; it may not make any sense now, but you’ll understand once you experience it for yourself. So go read it right now if you haven’t!

Now for my last words regarding the Legend series, perhaps ever: Thank you, Marie Lu, for writing these books that will forever be held the closest to my heart and for taking me on June and Day’s journey. Thank you for writing stories that move hearts and pull tears out of our eyes. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!! Until next time!

This book was completely breathtaking and amazing! 5 Smileys!!

Legend: The Collector's Edition by Marie Lu

As some of you may know, Legend by Marie Lu is an extremely special book to me. It was the first book that I ever reviewed; it is what made me start my blog and begin reviewing other books, as well. It is also my favorite book, so you could imagine my excitement when Gauntlet Press offered me the opportunity to review the Collector’s Edition of Legend!

The book is basically set up into seven sections: the introduction (written by Marie Lu), the actual novel, the Afterword (written by Ridley Pearson), the artwork, Day and June’s profiles, two “outtakes” from the original version of Legend, and two excerpts from a book that Marie Lu wrote in high school, The Glass Sonata. Every section was equally amazing!!

In the introduction, Lu describes how her earlier works morphed together and changed to become Legend. She also gives some inspirational advice and wisdom to aspiring writers (like moi J) that was really awesome.

The “novel” part of the book was, of course, WONDERFUL. I love this book and reading it for the third time this year, it was just as incredible as the very first time I read it more than a year ago! If you want a review of the actual story itself, you can find it here!

I swear that Ridley Pearson can read my mind. The afterword literally puts my pure, all-consuming love for this book and Lu’s writing into words. Lu is one of the most gifted writers that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and Pearson’s praises of her are spot-on. She also offers some wisdom to those of us who want to be great writers like Lu.

It is in the next section where I start to get even more jealous of Marie Lu than I was of her writing alone. Not only is she an AMAZING writer, she can also draw. One person should not be graced with so many awesome talents! And I mean her drawings are SO GOOD! I can’t draw for my life; I may actually be the worst artist known to man, so I am exceptionally jealous of those who can draw. But I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the drawings that Lu has done of her characters, especially those of June and Day. They look exactly the same on a piece of paper as they did in my head and they are so beautiful, I love them so much! I’m tempted to hang the pictures on my bedroom wall so I can look at them every day, seriously!

The next part, the “profiles,” was actually really cool. It stated everything about Day and June that you could ever want to know, from their birthdays to their blood types, and their strengths and weaknesses. I really enjoyed reading this part of the book. One thing I must say, though, is that after reading these profiles, I will be even pickier about the appearance of the actors that are cast as June and Day in the movie. Because their appearances are so explicitly stated and detailed, those actors better look exactly how she describes them or I’m going to be really freaking angry! Just by reading the profiles, I fell in love with Day once again, for probably the thousandth time, and I noticed that June and I are really similar when all of her personal information was laid out so clearly. I mean, we’re both 5’ 4”, we’re pretty much the same weight, we both have brown hair and brown eyes, and we basically have the same exact personality, so if I were to be, oh, I don’t know, cast as June for the movie, I would be perfect for the role (*wink, wink, cough, cough*)! Anyway, enough about my freakishly close resemblance to June and my superior acting abilities…. J

After reading the two outtakes, it made me realize that an author cannot include everything that he/she wants into his/her book. I also realized that the ending of Legend as it was when it was published is INCREDIBLE. The alternate ending (which was one of the two “outtakes”) was definitely not as good as the ending that we know and love. If she had ended Legend with the alternate ending instead, the second book would have been completely different, which is crazy to think about since I love the second book so much! The second “outtake” was a scene that Lu had originally written into the story, but she ended up taking it out. It follows Day, Tess, and June as they steal some hotdogs from an unsuspecting vendor for their breakfast. It was a fun scene to read, but ultimately I agreed with Lu’s decision to cut it out of the final product; it wasn’t exactly necessary to the advancement of the plot, but it was amusing to read nonetheless!

The last section of the Collector’s Edition consists of two excerpts from a book that Lu wrote in high school called The Glass Sonata. This is where Day originally shows up, but his personality is more cruel and merciless than that of the Day we all know and love (a lot) from Legend. Even though she wrote it in high school, the story and writing are still amazing, at least in the two sections of it that I read. I really want to read the rest of it! The story was super interesting and it was a fantasy novel (and I love me some fantasy, let me tell ya) that followed a character similar to Day. In the book, society is divided into two groups: the Aristans and the Salans. The Salans are like slaves, while the Aristans are their masters. All of the main characters are Salans. We even see an early version of a Skiz fight, but it's more like if The Hungers Games and a Skiz fight had a baby, then it became even more intense than its parents. The narration of the story is told by Anden, the character who later develops into the Elector Primo’s son in Legend. There is also an early version of June in this book. Even though her name is not June and she comes from the lower, slave class rather than the high class (like in Legend), you can definitely feel June emanating from that character. I think that it takes amazing skill to be able to define a character so well that you can tell it is her, even when she is in a different body with a different name and completely different consequences. Even in high school, Lu was an incredibly gifted writer and I am even more jealous of her! But don’t worry; my jealousy only contributes more to my awe-inspiring respect of Marie Lu!

This book shows me that some people are just born gifted writers, and Marie Lu is definitely one of them. If you love Legend as much as I do, then you should definitely check out this book! It was completely awesome and wonderful and it offered so much new insight on the Legend series that makes reading it so much more enjoyable! I definitely recommend it!!

This was such an awesome addition to the Legend series! 5 Smileys!

Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

Let me start off by saying that the Legend series is one of my favorite series of all time. I love it so much and it’s so amazingly awesome. The first book in the series, Legend, was, of course, spectacular, and Lu did not disappoint AT ALL with her second book, Prodigy!

            After June and Day escape from the military center of Los Angeles and narrowly avoid Day’s execution at the expense of his brother’s life, the two flee to Las Vegas in the hopes of meeting up with the Patriots, the rebel group opposing the Republic, and Tess, Day’s childhood friend. Meanwhile, the Elector Primo dies from his long-term illness and his son, Anden, assumes the position of Elector. When they arrive, the Patriots want June and Day to aid in a plot to assassinate the new Elector. June goes undercover and gets close with the new, young Elector and she discovers that he may not be the bad guy that the Patriots make him out to be. Will June and Day be able to kill what may be the Republic’s only hope for change? Or will they stop the plot before it’s too late and find out who the real enemy of the State is? Find out by reading it! Seriously, do it NOW. You won’t regret it, I assure you!

            Once again, Lu has astonished me with her amazing characters. Both June and Day have such depth and there was a lot of character development in this book, considering that it was a sequel. June is still as fierce and determined as ever. Day is kind-hearted and enthusiastic. I love both June and Day because they are so amazing and I wish that I could do half of the stuff that they can do. They can scale buildings like it’s nobody’s business. I want to be able to do that so bad! I mean, they have an otherwise rough life, but the physical feats they are capable is astounding and I wish I cold be as cool of them. Oh, jealousy. (See my Legend review for more reasons why I love June and Day)  As a last note on the characters, let me just mention that Kaede is really awesome. Okay, that is all.

            The story Lu wrote was full of twists and turns and there were a lot of things that happened that I could not guess beforehand. I didn’t even know who the actual evil person was until June figured it out. It’s awesome when the reader figures things out at the same time as the character does because then you get so caught up in the story, and that is how Prodigy was. It was SO AMAZING. Lu also once again did a phenomenal job with the multiple points of view. As it switched back and forth from June to Day, I could tell which character was talking because the two narrations were written so differently. It’s not often that I like books with multiple points of view, but I love this one! The only criticism that I have of the plot is that there was one unnecessary death, but that could just be my grief talking because I’m still not over it. People who have read the book, you know who I mean. So many tears! Also, the ending? The people who haven’t read this book yet, prepare yourselves for that because preparing definitely needs to be done before reading this ending. My heart broke a little and only the next book will be able to heal it. Write quickly, Marie Lu!

With amazing characters, an awesome storyline, and dynamic narrations, Prodigy was probably one of the best sequels I have ever read. I am so looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Champion, but I have to wait until November to read it! The wait shall be painful, but I shall carry on!

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!! 5 Smileys!

Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu has officially become a legend in my mind. From the very first page I was drawn into this story. First, a brief explanation of the setting:

      It is the future. The United States is long gone and most suspect that it never even existed at all. Instead, it is broken up into two sections: The Republic and The Colonies. These two sections are at war and each side is determined that they will win. The Republic is ruled by the Elector Primo, who is all-powerful and does not need to run in order to get elected. Yes, people, he can self-elect himself. Craziness. Anyway, all the children of The Republic must take a test called The Trial,which consists of an interview portion, a written portion, and a physical test, when they turn ten. Those who fail are doomed to poverty while those who pass are destined for greatness. Because many don't pass, the majority of the "sectors" are riddled with poverty-stricken hobos. There is another thing that haunts this "great nation" too: A horrible plague that infects many of those in the poor sectors that can't afford medicine or vaccinations. It's just a coincidence that the plague is only in the poor areas, isn't it? Maybe this Republic isn't as great as it seems...
 

Now, a summary of some of the main characters. Actually, only Day and June because they're the coolest:

        Enter Day, the Republic's most notorious criminal. He steals, gambles, and is an overall awesome person.

       Enter June, the Republic's greatest prodigy, their perfect little soldier. She is bathed in riches, attention, and a good education. But she's not exactly content. Her courses are never hard enough and when she tries to perform at her highest level, she gets in trouble. She, too, is an awesome person.

Now, why this book was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING:
    First, let's start off with the two point of views. One chapter was told in Day's point of view, then the next was told in June's point of view. Doing this allows the reader to see all sides of the story and to really see what June and Day are like. I'm very glad she did this. On the outside, Day seems like a no-good criminal who is not to be trusted and should be killed immediately. Seeing inside of his mind, we get to experience the way he is thinking and see that he is not only what he appears to be. June would be another completely misunderstood character if this story was not told from her point of view. On the outside, she seems to be a rich, bratty, snotty girl with no regard for the rules and a cold human being. Being able to see inside her mind, we can see how smart and lovely she really is. Everything she thinks makes sense, unlike some of the other YA heroines that I can think of...*cough, cough Hush, Hush* Also, there are times when June and Day aren't together that are necessary to the story line and we would not get to see that if it were not double sided.
  The heroine really made this book spectacular. June, the military prodigy, is said to be a genius and she follows through. Yes, people, she really is smart, just like people say she is. They don't praise her and build her up just to have a wimpy, stupid girl. She's actually smart, strong, and awesome.
      Day also made this book amazing. He was good-looking (always a good thing, right?) and he was smart, sweet, and tough. He wasn't some wimpy guy who was afraid to take risks. His entire life was a risk and he tried to do the best that he could. He tried to help his brother when he could barely help himself. Just an all-around good guy if you ignore all of the crime and dirt.
      From the first page, I could not put this book down. Literally. I just stayed up pretty much all night (even though I had school the next day) and read it until I fell asleep reading it. The story line is so awesome and the mystery is good. I also waited in anticipation for the moment where June and Day meet, the moment they talk, the moment they kiss. Everything between them was so precious, whether it was in the middle of a battle or just sitting there.
    In most books with dual points of views, I always like one of them better. I skim through the part that I didn't like until I came to the section of the character that I like. In Legend, I gobbled up every word of both points of view and loved every minute of it. This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time.

  I give this book 5 Smileys! That means that it was AWESOME!