Champion ( Legend #3)

Champion was a thrilling and intriguing novel. The plot was exciting and action-packed. June and Day have new roles in the Republic and are brought together again when a plague breaks out in the Colonies. This was a really unforgettable trilogy that I enjoyed reading. And I really liked Day and June. Looking forward to more from Marie Lu!

WARNING! THIS REVIEW WILL BE A SPOILERY MESS!!!!!! If you want a non-spoilery review, wait until this weekend when I review the entire series!!!!!

10 YEARS! 10 BLEEPING YEARS!!!!!!! Are you trying to kill me? The last fourth of the book or so was extremely tense and I had so many bad scenarios playing through my head. While it didn't go as horribly as some of the scenarios played out, I just, I can't even. I am sobbing my eyes out right now. I get the endings where the characters pretend to start over or something, but this was TOO MUCH!!!! Just kill me know, I swear. Also, I'm typing this review up at 11:00 at night because I will get no sleep until I do. *takes a deep breath*

The story is dual POV between June and Day. June is awesome and kick butt and, after what she pulled at the end, I want to kick HER butt. That said, she is seriously and awesome protagonist. She's lost her entire family, but she still gets back up. She sacrifices so much for everyone else, especially Day, very rarely thinking about her own good. Seriously, those sacrifices lead to over 10 years of heartbreak. 10 YEARS! (And no, I won't stop obsessing over that) Day is the male protagonist. I can't even. Why Marie Lu? WHY? His character is sweet and nice and awesome and amazing and then BOOM, gone! I can feel my heart breaking. Yes, the ending and their interaction is sweet, but did you have to torture June for so long? Other characters include Eden, who is Day's younger brother. He is the epitome of adorable. There's Tess, who, again, cute as can be. We really meet Anden in this book, the leader of the country. I really like his character, and while he's not necessarily my favorite, I would have shed a tear were he to die.

GAH!!!!!! I am broken, do you hear me, BROKEN! The book was so tense. There was limited romance, due to the end of book two. There was really only one major romantic scene, but that one scene, SWOON! I really wish we had more romantic moments between June and Day. Also, if you're one of those people who don't read epilogues, read this one! The action was intense and nonstop. It was fight scene after fight scene at some parts. The search for the cure to the plague was a main part of the story, and for all the hype around it, I wish it'd had a bigger effect. Also, how they figured it out, SO called it! No one gets sick for no reason, I tell you. Again, I repeat, 10 YEARS!!!! I will not get over that any time soon, but writing this out has really helped. Despite the pain and heartache, or maybe because of it, this book definitely gets five stars. Check back this weekend for a review of the entire series! Now, excuse me while I go conk out. *falls asleep*

The final book of the Legend series does not disappoint. Lu has once again been able to keep this book as fast-paced as the previous two, in fact I think she might of even kicked it up a notch. I was very glad that I had reserved an entire afternoon to read this book instead of how I usually read books which is a couple of chapters every night before I go to bed. I think if I had done that I would have been up at 3am refusing to put it down until I had finished it.

Lu is able to perfect the fine balance between exploring the relationship between Day & June and keeping the characters focusing on the life-threatening events going on around them. Therefore, this book should pleased readers from both the romance-focused and the action-focused camps, without alienating either.

This book is a quick read, approx. 4 hours, but so many events are packed into that time. Lu is able to tie up threads from the previous two books, including some threads you never knew were there, without making anything feel rushed or barely explained. She also expands the world she has created by expanding the events to include Antartica. Never before have I wanted so badly to visit a place that when I stopped and thought about it really replused me. Still a couple of weeks there would be really fun as long as I never let myself think about the long-term effects of living in that kind of society.

The Legend series can be read on so many different levels – first as a gripping, action-packed adventure in a dystopian world, but also secondly as a stark reflection of today’s world. So many nations that are familar to us today can be seen in this novel – a little exagerated to be sure, but still visible. It is for this reason I would love to see this series being studied in high schools.

If you loved the first two books, then this novel does not disappoint. There might be some protests about the ending by those in the romance camp, but there really shouldn’t be. The novel ends exactly the way it should do.