Review of "Legend"

"I've found another one."

     In Marie Lu's thrilling YA novel Legend, Daniel "Day" Wing is the most-wanted fugitive in the Republic of America. He is a master of disguise, the perfect thief. Day steals food and supplies as often as he destroys Republic property, but one thing he never does is kill. So when June Iparis, the Republic military's top student, finds a man Day has left behind with a knife in his chest, she has to wonder--has the nation's greatest internal threat changed his methods? Or is something far more sinister at work? The only way to find out is to go undercover and get close to Day...but she may discover that there is more to this criminal than she had thought, and nothing is ever what it seems.

     In other books, characters who live in a utopian society realize that everything is a lie, and they work hard to bring down their government and raise a new one. Legend does not do this. Instead, these characters live in the Republic and work against a plot within its borders. They fight certain government officials, yes. Soldiers are harmed, yes. Do our heroes take on the nation's leadership in a battle for superiority? Not at all. Legend is the story of a boy and a girl who live in hard times and struggle, in their own ways, to survive, and that is what makes the book fascinating: that it takes place within a dystopia, but isn't about it.

     Though it's primarily a romance, Legend is full of action. Day is a thief, and a good one at that, and with the help of his partner-in-crime-slash-best-friend, Tess, he is on a mission to cause as much trouble for the authorities as he can. He is also desperately trying to save the life of his brother, who has just come down with a terrible disease, and will do anything to help him. Meanwhile, June must solve a murder while battling her grief over the death of her own brother, who died in action. Her only way of coping is to pour all her energy into tracking Day down, which involves lots of fistfighting, running, and weapons, as well as a startling betrayal.

     The characters in Lu's novel are all fleshed out and well-written. Tess, Day's companion, is lovable but pragmatic; June's friend Thomas is serious but secretive; and even Kaede, the bartender who only appears in a couple of scenes, is so multi-dimensional it's impossible not to wonder about her own story. Day's point of view is written exactly as he speaks, soaked through with the dialect of the Lake sector--full of suspicion, vulnerability, and street slang. June, on the other hand, is the picture of military perfection with her precise grammar, parenthetical observations, and critical inspections. The two are fifteen, but their romance is so sweet, despite its rockiness, that it's impossible to look down on it. They never go beyond kissing. I would, however, have liked to have seen a little more roundness, as some of the characters stick to their basic personality and rarely go beyond it.

     I would recommend Legend to anyone looking for a great story about betrayal, duty, and thinking for yourself. Although the romance strays rather close to insta-love, it is believable and sweet; the action, where it happens, is brilliantly plotted and deliciously described. You really feel that you're right there in the street with June and Day as they fight to learn the truth about the man who died. And, most importantly, the story goes beyond the setting--a feature unique among Legend's dystopian counterparts. There were moments, however, when the characters seemed a little static. Therefore, I present Legend with a solid four stars.