Author(s): Marie Lu
Genre(s): Dystopia, Young Adult
Publisher/Release Date: Putnam Juvenile / November 5, 2013
Series: Legend (Book #3)
“Please don't take him away from this world. Please don't let him die here in my arms, not after everything we've been through together, not after You've taken so many others. Please, I beg You, let him live. I am willing to sacrifice anything to make this happen- I'm willing to do anything You ask. Maybe you'll laugh at me for such a naive promise, but I mean it in earnest, and I don't care if it makes no sense or seems impossible. Let him live. Please. I can't bear this a second time.” -June Iparis
Case Study
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything. (synopsis from Goodreads)
The Game's Afoot
Series enders are hard, particularly when the prior books set such a high bar. There are a lot of expectations, always so many questions that need be answered (especially after Prodigy's WTF ending!). Needless to say, I was nervous going into Champion. But I shouldn't have been. Champion was exactly the ending I was looking for - emotional, strong and wholly satisfying. Legend is one of those series that gets better with each book you read. The world building is incredible, so real. It's not hard to imagine that Lu's dystopian future isn't so far off from our own. The iron-fisted Republic and the corporate control of the Colonies seems so fitting and uncomfortably familiar at the same time. The series is a trailblazer in the dystopian genre, taking such strong, likeable characters and throwing them in a despotic world full of political tension and all out war. It's an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish, that's for damn sure!
Champion also raises the stakes for our MC's, Day and June. While both fiercely independent and strong-willed, they never waver in their convictions. They are as strong apart as they are together and you find yourself rooting for them either way. I love the mad respect they have for one another, their loyalty and their passion. They aren't perfect but that's what makes them so likeable. They grow and learn from their mistakes and from one another. I SHIP THEM SO FREAKING MUCH, and how could you not after reading something like this:
“There's a conflicted look in Day's eyes, a joy and a grief, that makes him so vulnerable. I realize how little defense he has against my words. He loves so wholly. It is his nature.”They are perfectly imperfect. Just like their ending.
Bittersweet, gut-wrenching but leaves you with a touch of hope. Let me just tell you right now, Champion's ending isn't sugar-coated. While it's not quite as brutal as Allegiant or Mockingjay (both of which I have MAD respect for ), it isn’t the happily-ever-after that most people expect. And this is something I really appreciate. We're given the best of both worlds. Champion's ending is left open to interpretation, so you, the reader, can take it wherever you choose while still having enough closure to feel satisfied. All in all, Legend is a series with heart, definitely something worth investing in.
Summary Prognosis
Champion was a perfect, albeit bittersweet, series ender to the Legend trilogy. Imaginative, honest and poignant, Lu has created a realistic dystopian universe with strong yet relatable characters, cinematic action and one hell of an emotional ending. Because I love this series so much, and as extra incentive for you to read it too, I'm offering up my hardcover copy of Legend. You can enter for your chance to win this Legend-ary giveaway at the bottom of this post.Rating: ★★★★★
Read It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
Discuss It: Goodreads | Author's Website
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This series sounds great and I would love to read them one day. Do you know I still haven't read Mockingjay?? Shame on me! I've no idea how that series ended.
ReplyDeleteWHAT?!?! Stop what you're doing right now and pick up Mockingjay STAT! So good!
DeleteI LOVED the ending of Champion. I think if I described it to someone who hasn't read the series, they might roll their eyes at it. And I might even feel that way if it occurred in another series. But with THIS series and THESE characters, it was perfect.
ReplyDeleteI loved the ending of Mockingjay, too. And I wasn't a huge fan of the Divergent series - the books were pretty average, IMO - but I had a lot of respect for that ending.
Stephanie @ Inspiring Insomnia
I feel like Champion gave us the best of the best of both worlds --- it truly WAS perfect! I feel the same way you did about Divergent. The series was sort of 'meh' for me but I think Roth killed it with that ending. She kept true to the characters to the bitter end and wasn't afraid to kick it up a notch.
Delete"Perfectly imperfect" is a really good way to describe that ending. It wasn't what I expected at all, but I liked what happened in the end. Agreed on how it falls in the brutality scale as far as series go, too!
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden
I agree, Wendy! It broke your heart just enough to make it resonate but with just enough hope to keep you smiling. I ADORED it.
DeleteLoved the ending, it was great :) I need to finish Allegiant, I have 100 pages left! So close, but yes I would agree, the ending is not the most happily ever after but it is perfect for the series!
ReplyDeleteAshley @ The Quiet Concert
What were your thoughts on the Divergent series as compared to, say, The Hunger Games and Legend series? As much as I loved the concept of it, I didn't really enjoy it as much as THG or Legend. Mad respect for the way she chose to end it though.
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