Title: Prodigy
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend, #2
Genre: Dystopian YA
Publisher: Putnam
Release date: January 29, 2013
Amazon | Goodreads
Source: ARC from Publisher
Summary: June and Day arrive in 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 too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?
In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.
Friends, I simply ADORED the first book in Marie Lu‘s series, LEGEND. I was completely taken in by the world-building, the adventure, and the characters–Day and June made me feel lots of things, and I was charmed by Day and felt June’s conflicted emotions and loyalties. PRODIGY has been at or near the top of my most anticipated reads since I finished the final page of LEGEND, and friends, it more than lives up to every promise the first book made and more. I freaking LOVE this series.
As a general FYI, there be spoilers for LEGEND below!
So, at the beginning of PRODIGY, we’re only a few days after the last events of LEGEND, when Day and June escaped the Republic after June helped Day evade his execution, his brother John taking the fall for him instead. Day is injured but determined to find his friend, Tess, who has run off with the Patriots. June is struggling with what she thought she knew about the Republic versus what she learns from the Patriots and their commander, Razor. Especially when they reveal a plot to assassinate the new Elector, the previous Elector’s son, Anden. Through all of this, Day and June are separated and are in danger together and apart. They are dealing with lots of relationship issues, too. trying to reconcile their different upbringings and experiences. PRODIGY is nonstop action and feels, and I’m officially DYING for book 3.
Marie Lu has written a sequel that has no slumps, friends. PRODIGY is fast-paced, intense, twisty, and emotional. The Patriot’s plot to assassinate Anden gives the story some real heft. Nothing quite like a good old revolution/conspiracy with secrets galore to make a book gripping and thought-provoking. I loved that Day and June wind up on two sides of an issue, and they have to rely on not only their feelings for each other to get them through, but also their loyalties. In fact, I’d say that loyalties is a big THING in PRODIGY. June is trying to understand where her loyalties lie: with the Republic she served and loved her whole life, that her parents and brother died for; with Day, the young rebel who she trusts and would do anything to save; or with Anden, the new Elector, who has plans for the Republic that the Patriots don’t know. I really admired June in PRODIGY.
Day, as always, is awesome. He’s charming and sweet, but he’s also emotional and troubled and sad. I loved him hardcore. He’s determined to find Tess and wants to be friends with her the way they were before. He’s worried about his younger brother, Eden, who was taken by the Republic at the end of LEGEND. Day wants to protect the people he loves, and he wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s such a pleasure to see him get back to his old self in PRODIGY: scaling buildings, creating chaos and trouble, and breaking the rules for the greater good. I still both refuse to acknowledge that he’s only 15 and find it almost impossible to believe he’s 15 based on how much he doesn’t act like a teenage boy, and how he deals with horrible, adult things. But I love him, I love him, I love him.
I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Day and June hit some rough patches in PRODIGY, too. I liked the way Marie Lu highlighted their differences, and they way she made sure that we knew, even when things were not great between them, that they had a connection that could maybe survive those differences. I thought it made all of the action that much more fraught because Day and June’s relationship was all caught up in the middle of everything. It was really satisfying.
Perhaps the only thing that WASN’T satisfying about PRODIGY was the end, and that’s only because it’s a TWISTY BOMB and it makes me nervous. There’s so much going on at the end of PRODIGY–well, there’s lots going on the whole time, but much like LEGEND, Marie Lu finishes things off in PRODIGY with some great twists, lots of action, and the promise of lots of shenanigans to come.
PRODIGY by Marie Lu is one of the best sequels I’ve read pretty much ever. It’s got all of best aspects of LEGEND and adds on to them. There’s lots of ramping up of the drama and game-changing twists and emotional jeopardy. I’ve read it twice since I got my ARC and I loved it both times. And I’m telling you: THE END. Bombshell. I was eagerly anticipating book 3 BEFORE I read the end. Now, I’m FREAKING OUT with want. So will you. This series is really something special, friends.
Yes to every single syllable you have here.
You say bombshell, I said KINK. I think we can make it thru this twist.
Also, I am so excited for my re-reads of Legend and Prodigy before the third book ALREADY. Because you know I am the biggest, most obsessive re-reader ever. Perhaps audio next time? Who knows? But seriously, I have already thought about re-reads. THAT’s how much I loved these.
Also, like I’ve said to a few other people, I have to give props to Marie Lu for not girl-ing up her dystopian world. She made her covers look like dystopian covers and her government is scary. Her action is real and these books are badass. The romance is nice but it doesn’t cover up the STORY. This series basically rocks.
ASHELEY. I totally think we’re going to get through the twist. WE MUST. I shall believe it. Because I can’t even think about having to deal with the alternative. No.
I am with you on the rereads. Plus, I think these books are so great to read again. First of all, they’re super fast. Second of all, there’s so much going on in them that I feel like there’s always things to discover, or parts that you didn’t notice before.
I LOVE THESE BOOKS. Forever and always.