Legend

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

This is one of my new favorite dystopians.

The fact is, this isn't one of those books that struck some deep chord inside of me.  It isn't a book that changed my outlook on life, and it isn't a book that talks about some pressing issue in society today.  What is it, then?  It's an incredibly entertaining book with wonderfully developed characters, smooth writing, and action that never stops.  It's a book that will grab you from the start and you won't realize it's over till you hit the final page.

My favorite part of Legend was probably the characters.  Some side characters were rather one dimensional, like the Commander, or Chian.  But then you had those really wonderful side characters; you had Tess, young and sweet and capable and utterly devoted to Day.  You have Metias, who I can't really say much about without giving away the book.  You have Thomas, who can be so terrible at times, who follows orders without thought, but who still cares about June, who probably thinks he's doing right.

And then there's the main characters, Day and June.  I have a love-hate relationship with dual POV.  When it's done right, it can be excellent. Sometimes it's exactly what a book needs.  But when it's done wrong, it ruins the book for me.  Maybe the author switches POVs at the most awkward and unnecessary of times; maybe the two narrators sound completely identical (this is particularly painful if it is a boy and a girl).  In any case, it's not fun to read through.

Marie Lu did it right.

Day and June were two entirely different people.  They were both intelligent, observant, agile, attractive.  In many ways, they were very similar people.  But their minds, their voices, were entirely different, and I loved that. Also, get this--Day . . . sounds like . . . a boy.  An honest-to-G-d boy.  And June, the supposed genius? Sounds like a genius.  Not in an obnoxious, I-will-shove-your-genius-face-into-these-pages kind of genius, but simply someone far more intelligent and observant than average.

They're both talented to the point that some may label them Mary Sue/Gary Stu.  But to me, they never came off that way.  I think there are three main reasons.  One: they had emotions.  They had emotions, ones that leapt off the page.  When a character we know for only one chapter died, I almost cried.  Whatever June and Day were going through, I felt it, as if I were the one who had lost a loved one.  Two: they had families.  They had family members, existing family members, that they cared about, that they would do anything for, that they placed above everything else.  In the YA world, where most families are dead or completely inconsequential, the huge role their families played in this not only set Legend apart but made the characters far more sympathetic.  And three: Their dynamic.  Quite simply, their dynamic was brilliant.  June and Day had incredible chemistry.  I am not just talking about the romantic element, or even just with each other.  The way they acted and reacted with this whole set of characters was just so realistic and genuine that I wanted to give Marie Lu a big high five. A really, really big high five.

The writing did exactly what it needed to: it let you focus on the characters and the plot.  There wasn't anything exceptional about the writing, but there didn't need to be; it moved the plot along and didn't distract the reader.  In an action-filled dystopian novel like this, simple writing is often the best choice.

And then there's the plot.  It's not one of those insanely unique and complicated plots that you just sit there gaping over and wondering how in the world the author ever concocted it.  But it was gripping and fascinating and extremely entertaining, and that's all I really ask of any plot.

I should be deducting a star, because there is little-to-no world-building.  We get almost no explanation about how the world came to be this way.  We aren't given a very clear idea of what the Republic and Colonies even look like (hoping there'll be a map in the next one).  But honestly? I'm giving this five stars. Some people rarely give five stars because they use that rating to mean something was flawless. I don't.  I have almost never found a book without flaw.  I give a book five stars when it was so fantastic that I can't give it anything lower. That was Legend for me.

Here's hoping the next one comes out soon! There wasn't a cliffhanger, thank G-d, but I still can't wait for the next book in this series.Thank you for being brilliant, Marie Lu.

5 stars.

Dark Inside

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

This was a really fantastic read.

I've been wanting this book for months.  I mean, Jeyn is awesome, the premise is awesome, the cover is awesome, the reviews were awesome, so that all led me to think this would be a pretty freaking awesome book.  And I was not wrong.

There are many things I liked about this book.  It was horrifying and haunting and thought-provoking.  The writing was powerful and even beautiful in certain places. 

But possibly the thing I liked most about this book is one of the reasons I like dystopian/apocalyptic novels in general: I loved seeing just how people, real people, reacted to such a horrible and devastating situation.  Jeyn really took us to the heart of the human spirit and showed us how some can be so courageous in the face of danger, and others so cowardly, and how sometimes, they can be both.  Not all of our characters are heroes.  One of the main characters even commits an extremely selfish act that hurts many others, but the thing is . . . I didn't hate him for it. I thought I would, but I didn't.  Because when I think about it, really think about it, if I had been in that situation . . . would I have done any differently?

The answer is no. No, I probably wouldn't have.

And that's what's so great about this.  There is no pretty sheen to Jeyn's characters.  They are real, intensely flawed human beings, and I love them for it, and I loved seeing just how people changed when tragedy came calling.  Who became the leaders, who became the followers. Who became the heroes, and who became the cowards.  Who couldn't be quite sure what they were.

I only had two problems with this novel.  The first is that some of the dialogue was a bit awkward. The majority of it was actually very realistic, but there were a few lines--mostly ones by Daniel or Chickadee--that just sounded awkward when I tried to say them.  However, I'm going to be lenient here, because despite being unrealistic the lines were really powerful/intriguing.

The second problem is that I still feel a bit left in the dark.  I mean, it's made 100% clear on the last page who Nothing is, though it isn't directly spelled out, but we still have very little information about the Baggers and the evil that's possessed them.  I realize this is only the first book in a series, I just would've liked a bit more information.

But really, overall, this was a stunning debut novel. Harsh, gritty, and surprisingly deep, Dark Inside is a book I would recommend to anyone who likes their books dark.  (That makes me think of coffee.  "Harsh, gritty, in a surprisingly deep cup, Parkland Coffee is a coffee I would recommend to anyone who likes their coffee dark.")

Final note--the cover! I freaking love the cover.  It's so, so fitting.  With the fading, dusty city in the background, the shaded forms, the deep earthquake cracks, the eyes with black veins like the Baggers--it's perfect, and very eyecatching. Bravo, Simon & Schuster!

4 stars.