Book Review | Champion | Marie Lu

Title: Champion
Author: Marie Lu (web | twitter)
Series: Legend #3
Genre: Dystopian YA
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Publisher: Putnam
Release date: November 5, 2013
Source: Bought it

Summary: The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion? 

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Friends, I do not know how to write this review coherently. I do not. Legend has been one of my favorite series since the first book came out, and CHAMPION was one of the books I was most DYING to read this year and maybe ever. The way Marie Lu left things hanging in PRODIGY kind of killed me and made me so worried, but I never doubted that Marie Lu would make the final book in this most excellent series, well, most excellent. AND SHE DID. CHAMPION was sooooo legit.

I’m going to try and keep this one spoiler-free, but since it’s the third and last book in a series, I’d say heads up for spoilers anyway if you haven’t read LEGEND and PRODIGY yet. (Umm, get on it, though. This series is SO FREAKING GOOD. Ahem.)

So, CHAMPION. June and Day have gone through an incredible amount of drama and hardship, both in their relationship and in their fight for the Republic, all in an effort to revolutionize their world and make life better. June is now a Princeps Elect under Elector Anden, and Day is a public figure of tremendous renown who is trying to keep his brother, Eden, safe and do whatever he can to keep him healthy. Day and June’s relationship is in an interesting spot, what with June spending a lot of time with the government officials and Day still bearing some ill will towards the collective Man. Soon, though, fighting breaks out between the Colonies and the Republic over an illness sweeping the Colonies’ border cities and things are plunged into turmoil. For real, the way CHAMPION wraps things up? Honestly. READ THESE BOOKS.

Anywho, once I got my hands on CHAMPION, I picked it up immediately and couldn’t put it down. Except for when I was at WORK (boooo, it always ruins my reading time). But honestly, reading about Day and June always makes me happy, even when it makes me have FEELINGS. I just love the way Marie Lu puts these obstacles in front of them and then lets them work through them. Day and June do not have an easy time of it in CHAMPION, but I was–as always–completely invested in them as a couple and believing of their struggles and successes.

Speaking of struggles, this plague outbreak and subsequent war between the Colonies and the Republic leads to lots of intense conflicts for our MCs. I particularly enjoyed Day and his struggles to keep the Republic from using his brother, and the way his feelings for June kind of war with his past and what he knows of her role in some of the worst things that have happened to him. I can’t even lie, Day always charms the CRAP out of me. I just adore him. AHHH I WANT TO REREAD THIS ALREADY.

Since I mentioned Eden, though, I wanted to also give him a shoutout for being so brave. Day’s method of protection leans heavily towards extreme sheltering, and I loved that Marie Lu gave Eden a voice and let him choose things for himself.

While Day is struggling to reconcile his rebel past and his role now, June is also fighting against the pressure of being a personal favorite Princeps Elect of Elector Primo, aka Anden, who is a pretty decent guy himself. There’s lots of political scheming and plots and traitors in the Republic’s new government, and Anden relies on June even while he kind of pines for her. Listen, Anden. You’re a prize. Really, you are. But Day and June are FOREVER. You can’t mess with that.

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, June. When I first started LEGEND, I felt the loss of her brother keenly and it made me cry. I didn’t necessarily love her, though. I sometimes have a hard time connecting with characters who don’t allow themselves to have emotions, and June is about a clinical a soldier as it gets. But by the time CHAMPION came around, June’s feelings are playing a bigger role in her actions. Not huge, like Day’s, but I thought she experienced way more growth over the course of this series and I’m a fan of that.

You know what else I was a fan of in CHAMPION? THE MAP. I know. AND there’s a reason for the map: We get to visit more of this world in CHAMPION and it was pretty great. I wish we could’ve seen more! But what we did see was pretty crazy in an awesome way. It only made me more curious about the places we weren’t seeing.

Hands down, though, my favorite part of CHAMPION was the ending. When have I ever said this? When one of my favorite series was ending–hello, ENDING!–and I was actually so moved and satisfied with the way things wound up that I actually reread just the last chapter a few times over? I can’t remember the last time this happened. I was so, SO pleased with the way Marie Lu wrapped things up. Bittersweet but hopeful. I cried and I swooned and I was content. SIGH. SO VERY GOOD.

Friends, I can’t recommend this series enough. I really can’t. It’s fast-paced, dramatic, emotional, swoony, and well-written. Marie Lu was on my insta-read list after just one book, and she’s certainly cemented herself there with CHAMPION. I will most certainly miss Day and June, but I’m ready for whatever is next from Marie Lu. I WILL READ ALL HER THINGS.

Check out some other reviews of Champion by Marie Lu!

Jen @ Starry Eyed Review: “This is how you write the ending to a trilogy.  This is how you say goodbye to characters that feel more like friends than simple descriptions in the pages of a book.”