LEGEND
Marie Lu
Summary
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 wealthiest districts, 15-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, 15-year-old Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal, motivated to locate a cure for his plagued family. June and Day, from distant worlds, have no rationale to coincide - until Day becomes the prime suspect in the murder of June's brother, Metias. Now engaged in an intensive game of wait-and-see, Day is in a race for his family's survival as June seeks to avenge Metias's death. That is, until a shocking turn of events uncovers the truth their government has been suppressing from them all.
Setting
Main Characters
June Iparis
Daniel Altan Wing, "Day"
Tess
Book Reviews
From Marie Lu, a dystopian ‘Legend’ in the making
By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY
November 28, 2011
Legend, a page-turning if formulaic debut novel by 27-year-old writer Marie Lu, is the latest addition to the overflowing shelves of dystopian teen fiction.
It's getting more attention than most debuts because the movie rights have been sold — with a producer from theTwilight franchise attached.
First in a planned trilogy, it's set in the future amid the ruins of Los Angeles in the Republic of America (pop: 20 million). The Republic is at war with the Colonies that are east of a no-man's land stretching from the Dakotas to West Texas.
Read more here:
http://books.usatoday.com/book/from-marie-lu-a-dystopian-%E2%80%98legend-in-the-making/r573969
Post-Apocalyptic Teenagers in Love
By Ridley Pearson
DEC. 2, 2011
Overpackaged, overhyped first novels are done a disservice by their publishers, with untested authors expected somehow to justify all the gloss and glitter of a fullbore prepublication promotional blitz. Too many just don’t merit the attention. I could only stand up and cheer, therefore, for Marie Lu’s “Legend.” A fine example of commercial fiction with razorsharp plotting, depth of character and emotional arc, “Legend” doesn’t merely survive the hype, it deserves it.
What “Legend” delivers is a walloping good ride with an emphasis on believability. This is no easy feat given that its setting, Los Angeles, has been reduced, postapocalyptic style (by an environmental disaster? We’re not told), to the LandOLakes and those living with the resultant plague find their homes marked with a large red X by the military. (Marking doors has historical precedence that is not easily translated into entertainment, but don’t tell Lu.) That I gasped aloud at one daring plot device showed me the strength of Lu’s conviction: she will follow where the story leads her, even at the risk of alienating some readers. This alone deserves applause.
Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/books/review/legend-by-marie-lu-book-review.html