Prodigy by Marie Lu | Book Review

(Legend Trilogy #2)

Published: January 29, 2013

Synopsis (from Amazon):

June and Day arrive in Las Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation to give voice to a people silenced for far too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if, truly, the new Elector can change the Republic for the better? What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengence, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

My Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding)

Book Information

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Genre(s): Young-adult Utopian/Dystopian

Page Count: 371

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 0399256768

Marie Lu’s Prodigy starts from where we left Day and June in Legend (on a train headed for Las Vegas to ask for help from the Patriots to help save Day’s brother Eden). And boy, were we in for a ride. June has left her privileged life of status and luxury, and is on the run with Day, and both characters are nursing emotional and physical wounds from previous events. And when they reach the Patriots, they’re pulled into a complicated web of political plots and plans–to assassinate the new Elector, no less. But if they want to have a chance to free Eden from the Republic’s experiments, they have no choice but to trust and follow along.

I really loved Legend, it was an amazing book and was completely deserving of its ‘amazing’ rating (4.5 stars). But then Prodigy took it to a whole new level, and I barely had to think twice about rating it 5 stars, because it was everything Legend was, and more. I’m literally speechless.

In Legend, we’re introduced to a new country, with enough background information to be interested, but not as much on it because of the lack of information of the characters. In Prodigy, the Republic is put in a more clear view, giving us more refreshing information on this country. We have Day and June, who’s romance and friendship ramp up the drama as previous and new events cause more trouble between the two. In all, Legend was a fast-paced ride, and I loved the characters quite a bit, which now leaves me at Prodigy, which was even more of a fast-paced ride, if that’s even possible.

That being said, for some closer inspection of Prodigy’s awesomeness:

We get the same awesome cunning skills and calculations we got from the characters, but best of all, we were in for a serious emotional roller coaster. We get more character development, emotional conflict, and answers to questions from the first book. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will if I continue, so I’m going to stop there.

Another thing l liked about the book was that there were plot twists. Both major and minor ones but plot twists all the same. And I LOVED it! We were going along with one thing, only to find it was wrong and something different emerges. Not to mention the ending. It just about killed me. It was just so… God it’s indescribable. It’s just so sad and leaves us on a cliffhanger, let’s leave it at that.

This is one of my more shorter reviews but that’s just because I don’t want to spoil anything for people who haven’t read it yet. And if you’re one of those people, you better get up and read it. (Unless you haven’t read Legend yet, in which case you better get up and read that one first.)

If you have some time to kill before you go gobble up this amazing book, then check out the book trailer for Prodigy below!