The early buzz surrounding Legend made us a bit skeptical. Anytime you begin comparing the latest dystopian YA novel to the great Hunger Games trilogy, you had better have some serious characters and plot to back it up. Luckily, Legend does not disappoint.
It's the year 2130 and the United States of America no longer exists. Instead, citizens belong to The Republic, a nation perpetually at war with the Colonies and Patriots. Day, is the Republic's most wanted criminal. June, is the Republic's most prized student. When Day is accused of murdering June's older bother, the Republic recruits June to go deep undercover to root out Day's true identity and bring him to justice. But after making contact with Day, June soon realizes that he cannot possibly be as sinister as she has been lead to believe. Her suspicions are confirmed once she stumbles upon a cryptic blog left behind by her brother, telling her to beware the Republic. It soon becomes a race to discover her brother's true killer, rescue Day from the wrath of the Republic, and uncover the truth behind the plague that continues to ravage the cities.
We found subtle hints of 1984, Romeo & Juliet, and Les Miserables- all blending nicely together in this one. In fact, the author admits to having been inspired to write Legend after wondering what a modern day version of Les Miserables would look like. We are intrigued and a bit bummed since we know that we have a long wait until the second book comes out. This is definitely one to read if you are a fan of all the dystopian novels. Not quite as much action as The Hunger Games, but the romance and politics are there and who knows, book two could be a real show stopper.
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