Legend by Marie Lu

June is a poster child for the Republic, a prodigy who scored a perfect 1500 score on the Trial.  She is destined for great things, a shining career catching the scum who threaten the Republic.  Her world is her older brother Matias who has raised her since her parents dies in a car accident.  He is her rock and she looks up to him not only as a brother, but also as a leader in the Republics military.

Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic, a shadowy figure that destroys the resources of the Republic with attacks on their military resources.  No one knows what he really looks like, but all of the Republic is bombarded with news of his exploits.  Day fights against the Republic for his own reasons, but he maintains a quiet connection with the family he was forced to leave behind. 

June and Day live in separate worlds, until the night Junes brother Matias dies with Day's knife in his chest.  Driven to hunt Day over the death of her beloved brother, June slips into his world and soon finds him, but he is not what she expects.  Day can expect nothing less than a death sentence for his crimes, but as June learns more about Day she realises that there is more to the Republic than she ever knew - but is it too late?

This was an interesting read for a lot of reasons - even though it took me nearly a week to read it because of various distractions in the background of my life.  Both June and Day are strong voices, and the novel switches back and forth between them which keeps the action moving forward, but also allows you to really see the story from both sides in their own voices rather than listening to the voice of "god" telling you what they are feeling.  The characters are both strong which covers the occasional blip of the story being too convenient, and the pace keeps the story moving at a rapid pace towards an enjoyable and somewhat satisfying ending - somewhat because it feels like it was left open for a sequel of sorts. 

Highly recommended for teens who enjoy a good dystopian read, and for adults who would like to read something that feels a little familiar while also being fresh.  It would be interesting to see this translated to the big screen as there are subtleties in the book that come from hearing the inner voices of the characters, an understanding of their motivations that could be lost if you just focus on the action of the novel instead. 

If you like this book then try:

• The always war by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The limit by Kristen Landon
• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
• Subject seven by James A. Moore
• Game runner by B.R. Collins
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan

Reviewed by Brilla