The Legend trilogy by Marie Lu is probably my favorite dystopian of all times, so I was both happy and a bit afraid of being disappointed when I heard that there was a new add-on to the series. And even though I didn’t feel disappointed in the end (Rebel was all in all a really good book) I still probably would have preferred to keep my own picture of what happened to June and Day after the end of the original trilogy.

Rebel takes place ten years after the original plot in Legend’s timeline, and tells the story of Daniel (Day) and his younger brother Eden as they are trying to heal in their different ways in the aftermath of the war and in a new gamified society. Eden is at the verge of adulthood and about to graduate university, and Daniel is a secret agent, still putting his life at risk on a daily basis, and still trying to get his memories back and understand the depth of his feelings for June.

June and Day are some of my favorite OTPs ever and it was wonderful to meet them both again and to take part of their epic love. And also to, once again, getting angry at the universe for not just letting them get their happily ever after without throwing all these obstacles at them…

“I bled the last time I allowed myself to love her, and she had bled the same.”

The Legend trilogy was one of the first series where the boy and the girl were equals in every way and where June was allowed to be the tough, logical and not so empathetic action hero and Day the kind, more emotional character. That was one of the things I loved most about the original trilogy, and I’m so happy that they were continued to be portrayed this way also in Rebel. Once again, I fell completely in love with June and Day and their struggles with their feelings for each other and their grief, responsibilities, trust issues, nightmares and their need to do what they believe in, which made them such real and relatable characters. Eden on the other hand, was a much less likable character at first. I really had problems rooting for him at the beginning, as he came across as quite whiny, immature and selfish. But all that changed completely about halfways, when he made a lot of right decisions and grew as a character.

To be honest, this is a book I could have done without, but I’m still very glad I read it. And all in all, it was a fast-paced, compelling and utterly enjoyable read!

Rating:
​4 stars

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Marie Lu

The Midnight Star starts about a year after the end of The Rose Society, with Adelina suffering from the voices in her head, hallucinations and nightmares. But she’s succeeded in her conquests and is now the Queen of the Sealands, continuing her search for her sister Violetta. For every new territory she conquers in her search, Adelina becomes more and more villainous. She’s a cruel queen who makes the laws very lenient for the marked, but harsh to the point of death for the unmarked. From the mistreated and manipulated young girl we first met in The Young Elites, Adelina has now been transferred into a fully fledged cruel and tyrannical villain. But somehow, I still rooted for her and her struggle with the unstable powers and hallucinations and feelings for Magiano.

This is definitely one of the darkest series I’ve ever read and some parts just broke my heart, but I loved that Marie Lu didn’t even try to make it feel good in any ways. She didn’t add a hero or a love overcoming everything. Instead, none of the characters were simply good or bad, everything was much more complicated and interesting than that. It was so great to see all the major characters from all the previous books come together to surpass the big final hurdle and putting their differences aside, whether they were rivals, enemies or friends. In this series, Marie Lu has created a world full of surprised and characters that you care for even though they’re not very good and likeable, which is so impressive to pull off as an author.

I won’t say anything about the ending to risk spoil it, but simply state that it was the perfect ending to the story. It would have been wrong with a happy ever after ending to this dark series, but Marie Lu gave us a powerful and bittersweet ending that was both dark and light, which was more than I could have dared to hope for.

All in all, The Midnight Star was my favorite book in the series and an intense, dark, and thrilling conclusion to a fascinating, utterly unique and heartbreaking fantasy series.

Rating:
4.5 bittersweet stars rounding up to 5

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Marie Lu

This Warcross sequel is as fast-paced and action-packed as the first book, if not more. But it didn’t quite live up to the standard of the first book. Stepping into the world of Warcross for the first time was overwhelming, but coming back for the second time wasn’t the same amazing experience. 

Wildcard picks up shortly after where Warcross ended, but it still took me almost a hundred page to really get hooked by the plot this time. Maybe because it was more focus on Hideo’s algorithm and its impact on society, than on the game part. I also felt that Emka’s character was a little less badass and as fleshed out as in the first book. She was in such a bad place for most of the book, thorn between her feelings for Hideo and his betrayal, and the need to stop his devil plans.

There were some completely unexpected plot twists, and just like in the first book, the Phoenix riders were amazing characters, and Marie Lu eventually wrapped everything up flawlessly. It also raised interesting issues as to how technology can be used to transform society (for better or worse). So, overall, it was an enjoyable, well-written and fast-paced read, even though it didn’t blow me away as much as the first book in the series. 

Rating:
​3 stars

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Warcross is such a fast-paced, action-packed and addictive sci fi story, with fun and loveable characters and an amazing world-building. I loved the unique world that Marie Lu has created with the game play and how the in game and out of game worked so well and really drove the story on in such a fast and exciting pace. 

The main character, Emika, is absolutely amazing! She’s a rainbow-haired electric skateboard-toting badass hacker and bounty hunter, how badass and refreshing is that?! And the character development in the book was so good with the back stories on Emika and the other main character, Hideo, throughout the book. I also loved that the other characters were so diverse and simply accepted as they are. Like for example that the captain of Emika’s team (and combat lead) was in no way hindered by the fact that he’s in a wheelchair and that the two male teammates had a past love story with an awesome sexual tension still underlying. Can’t wait to see the development of that in the next book…

The only thing I didn’t like as much was the relationship thing with Hideo (in fact I didn’t really take to Hideo at all). But I guess that kind of was the point, considering the story twist at the end.

Rating:
​4 stars

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This sequel to The Young Elites was just as dark, addictive and twisted as the first book. It’s full of surprising twists and turns, new perspectives and characters that will make you question what you thought you knew and felt about them. For me personally, it was perhaps a little too dark and twisted at times, but it was nevertheless non-stop heart-pounding excitement reading this book.

The Rose Society was a great follow-up to The Young Elites, picking up where we left and taking the story even further in its wicked darkness. It was captivating with the constant fight between good and evil, all betrayals, fears and other emotions running high.

Already in the first book, Marie Lu set up Adelina as an anti-hero turning into a villain looking for revenge, but here she pushes Adelina to an all new level of darkness. I have to admit that at times it was a little too much. I did not wish for Adelina to go down that path and even though I rooted for her, her selfishness and anger made her hard to love completely. Some parts of the book just made me so sad.

But all in all, it was a thrilling and enjoyable read with complex characters, interesting dilemmas and a unique plot and world-building. Marie Lu has created a world full of surprised and characters that you care for even though they’re not very good and likeable, which is so impressive to pull off as an author. 

Rating:
​4 stars

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Marie Lu

I loved Marie Lu’s The Legend trilogy so much and expected something similar with this series. But The Young Elites was not a dystopian like The Legend, but rather a completely unique, dark and wicked story. After a somewhat hesitant start I really grew to enjoy this book!

The story is a dark fantasy set in a bleak world full of magic, complex villains and princes looking to reclaim their throne, and there are so many fascinating characters in this novel. There is a little bit of a romance, but it definitely does not take center stage, which I appreciated.

Our protagonist Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of a blood fever that swept through her nation when she was a child. The fever left only a few survivors and those survivors remained permanently scarred with strange markings on their bodies. But some of them (called the Young Elites) were also left with strange abilities that made them powerful, dangerous and feared. Adelina has spent her whole life being abused by her father, feeling unloved and worthless. And she has a complex relationship with her sister, not able to help feeling jealous of the way their father was affectionate towards her. I both rooted for Adelina and had some problems getting close to her. She’s such a different YA protagonist, an anti-hero who has been mistreated and manipulated, now turning into a villain looking for revenge.

What I loved most about this story is how Marie Lu didn’t even try to make it feel good in any ways. She didn’t add a hero or a love overcoming everything. Instead none of the characters is simply good or bad, everything is much more complicated and interesting than that. I love the direction the book took at the end and can’t wait to see the world expand in the next installments in this bold, dark and twisted series!

Rating:
​4 stars

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Marie Lu

The Legend trilogy by Marie Lu is probably my favorite dystopian of all times. What looked like a standard dystopian format at first glance turned into something utterly fantastic. The character-driven story told from two perspectives, the commanding narrative and all the emotions, smart thoughts and creative world building made this series completely unique.

What makes it so special is the strong characters and the focus on their separate problems, not so much on the hero-parts. As for the plot, it takes place in what was once the western United States, but is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circels. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. So yes, the story does have a lot of the typical dystopian settings with an evil dictator, military control, and special, supertalented teens who protests against the roles assigned to them by a test, but the book is still very different from other dystopian stories. Marie Lu’s writing and the way the story was told made it feel completely unique. Mostly because of the amazing characters.

The story is told in alternating perspectives, from both June’s and Day’s point of views, which made you feel really close to both of them. I loved Day from the start. Even though he’s the most wanted criminal in the Republic, he’s sweet, kind and so lovable. June is more of the badass, trained warrior type suppressing her feelings. But as the story continues through the three books, she becomes more vulnerable and allows more of her feelings to have impact on her decisions instead of just blindly following the authorities, which made her grow on me. The Legend trilogy is really the first series I’ve read where the boy and the girl are equals in every way and where the girl is allowed to be the tough, logical and not so empathetic action hero and the boy more of the kind, more emotional character. I love that!

I also love the way the love story developed and how the main focus was not really on the action plot but on the characters facing their own personal problems in the midst of the rebelling going on. The way June and Day struggled emotionally with their feelings, for each other and for the loss of their families, and the way their characters matured and grew during the story, made it very real and relatable. As the story develops, June and Day both have to choose who to trust more and where their loyalties lay. The guilt and grief they both have to deal with really made my heart ache for them.

I recommend this series with all my heart, it deserves all the buzz and more! It’s fast-paced, heart-breaking, compelling and utterly fantastic!

Rating:
​5 stars

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Marie Lu