spoiler alert !
I started this book with no intention of liking or finishing it. I just had nothing to read at the time and I decided that Legend by Marie Lu would suffice for the moment. I couldn't put it down and finished it two days later. It's set in a future in which America is split into two sides in a war, the Republic and the Colonies. Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal from the poor side of town and June is a rich young detective for the Republic military. They are both fifteen years old and extremely smart. They are pitted against each other by the Republic, but eventually become allies to fight against the corrupt government.
Like The Hunger Games, Legend involves a corrupt government, a normal person who beats the system and gathers a following they don't know about, brushes with death, a fight for the girl, and a cliffhanger ending. The plot is addictive and involves plenty of sharp turns to keep you reading, but not so many that you lose track. I actually liked this more than The Hunger Games because there's an element of mystery to it. There's hacking of government files, a crime scene investigation, backstabbing "friends", and a hidden message from a dead man. I also really enjoy corrupt government stories way more than I should (Little Brother, Cory Doctorow). I think Legend's corrupt government was more realistic than The Hunger Games' corrupt government. I feel like if a government is going to be corrupt, they wouldn't kill people off publicly, rather, they'd try a little harder to fool its citizens into trusting them (a.k.a., invent "plagues" that only hit the poor side of town and kill off anybody who suspects it). In general, I'd suggest Legend to anybody who likes The Hunger Games but also those who don't.
Okay first of all, thanks for the book suggestion :) I'll be sure to check it out.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, I really love this blog post. Being in the Hunger Games book club for the past month, I've been thinking alot about the Hunger Games, and what you just blogged about put into words so perfectly what is flawed about the Hunger Games. The belief that you stated that you think governments wouldn't be so openly criminal is a totally valid one- I believe that when Suzanne Collins created the Capitol she wasn't trying to be realistic. If she was, I think she failed, because I agree with you that I think a government might try to be a little sneakier. No, I think that Suzanne Collins created the capitol as a way to dramatize a point she was trying to make, but I haven't been able to touch on exactly what she was talking about, because I think it was a little more specific that just "America." What do you think it was?
I've never thought about it like that! I guess the Capitol is more of a metaphor for today's government (not to get all conspiracy-theorist-y, but come on, our government isn't perfect), but on a smaller scale, like two-faced small town mayors.
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