Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Legend

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Legend by Marie Lu

7 reviews

maximus_midnight's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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achay91's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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sammymilfort's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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emily_smith2007's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Legend

Maria Lu

Los Angeles, California, The Republic of America: He is Day; The most wanted criminal. She is June; the Republic’s prodigy.

The United States is long gone and now divided into two. 15 years old June Iparis was born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s Wealthiest sectors. 15 years old Day was born in slums. He is known for his crimes against the Republic, but his motivation isn’t as malicious as it seems.

Neither of them seem to have reason to ever meet, but when June’s Brother, Metias, is murdered she swears to avenge him. Day becomes the prime suspect.

On the run and under cover they meet by chance. They are both intrigued by each other. Neither of them knows the others past. Can they put two and two together?

Day is in a race against time, he must protect his family. The Republic is filled with plagues and has been for a long time. The rich and elite get vaccinations each year but the poorer section of the population is left to fend for themselves.

The Republic is brutal, militarised and nationalistic. However, is there something ever more sinister? How far will the Republic go to keep things hidden?

The book is told in the dual perspective of Day and June, which I loved. It does hit close to home because of how the Plagues are a key point. It almost made it even more real to me as aspects were very similar to Covid and lock down.

I will give it a 4/5 (8/10) stars, because I really enjoyed it. I loved listening to it on audiobook, the narration was great. I loved the characters and their energy. The contrast of societies was really interesting, I liked the juxtaposition that it gave the story. I also enjoyed the fact that the romance was a prominent story line but there was also lots of other story lines. It didn’t feel like it took over.

I would recommend this to 12/13+, anyone that enjoyed The Hunger Games, and anyone that wants a book that has a hint of mystery but has a much bigger plot. If you feel like reading a book with strong characters in that aren’t perfect, If you enjoy Dystopia, romance, law and army’s/war then I think you will enjoy Legend. Even if you just like the sound of it give it a go.

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marissasa's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This YA novel based on a dystopian republic of the former America was one that while grabbed my attention enough to want to finish, definitely felt like something I would've enjoyed a lot more in middle school. I was interested in the world-building and political intrigue around the manufactured plagues and the idea that the government was hiding a lot of secrets, but I couldn't find myself caring about the main characters. June is very much the typical female YA protagonist who is super young (15) but somehow smarter, more skilled, and more experienced than everyone around her and although it makes sense for her characterization as someone who was born into wealth from government affiliation and was trained from a young age to be a solider like her brother, it also made for a very calculating and unemotional point of view to read from that I couldn't connect with. Day is also a typical male YA protagonist counterpart who is somehow cunning, charming, knowledgable, and a famous criminal despite also being super young (15) and I didn't find myself rooting for him nor believing in the connection between him and June as anything deeper than physical attraction. I will finish the series eventually simply because I want to see the fallout of their actions and see how they will challenge the government or uncover more about their secrets.

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snazzysie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Legend was an interesting read that had me hooked from the start; it was impossible for me to read just one chapter in a sitting, and had I not been reading multiple other books over the last few months, I probably would've finished it much quicker, as it is fast-paced and the chapters are relatively short. I enjoyed the story being told in the different perspectives of the two main characters. I wouldn't necessarily consider the characters lovable, however maybe it's just the upsetting circumstances they were put in that didn't particularly bring out the best in them. Speaking of, the futuristic world Marie Lu has built in this book is truly scary. What's maybe most scary is that it's not that far off from the world we live in now. Of course it is much more harsh and extreme than our common first-world cities today, and it surprised me that Los Angeles was the city she chose to portray, considering the attitude of the population in the book is very patriotic and military dependent.
I would've preferred the story if it had been less violent, especially considering the main characters are 15-year-olds, but I did still appreciate the rebelious-uncover-the-truth-and-fight-back-againt-the-government kind of vibes (reminded me a little bit of The Hunger Games in this way, how different sectors are treated differently, the rich against the poor, which was given more depth with a perspective from the inside in Legend). <spoiler kinda> I also liked the twist with the reveal of a secret enemy.
This was a solid read, 4 stars, but don't think I will continue with the rest of the trilogy. I feel like the ending satisfied me enough, and I'm not that interested <spoiler kinda> in June and Day's life on the run, or the problems they might face now that they are in a relationship>, but I did enjoy the writing style, and have other books by Marie Lu that I'm looking forward to reading :)
age rec for 15+

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lucilaroife's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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