Prodigy

December 15, 2012
Grades 8-12 Taking up where Legend (2011) ended, the second book in the series finds June, patrician military star, and Day, street fighter and hero of the people, on a freight train to Las Vegas, where they hope to meet up with the Patriotsthose opposed to the government of the Republic and its dictator, the Elector. It's hard to describe the plot without giving up spoilers, but suffice it to say June and Day's newfound attraction intensifies, even as their issues with trustand outside sources (including Day's old friend Tess)threaten the relationship. Meanwhile, more backstory about the history of the Republic and the Colonies fleshes out the narrative. As in the previous book, the story is told in the alternating voices of June and Day, which are presented in two different typefaces and colors. This is a well-molded mixture of intrigue, romance, and action, where things can change with almost any turn of the page, and frequently do. A soap-operatic turn of events at the book's conclusion doesn't hurt at all and will only heighten the clamor for the next title.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

November 15, 2012
Explosions, aerial dogfights, betrayals, bionic limbs and passionate kisses: the ingredients of a great action adventure. After their escape from Republic forces at the end of Legend (2011), popularly beloved rebel Day and Republic darling June need help. They lack both friends and money, and Day's wounds are festering. There's no help for it: They'll have to throw their lot in with the revolutionary Patriot forces. Day, whose own rebelliousness takes a playful, Robin Hood-esque approach, has always avoided the Patriots, with their cavalier attitude toward life and death. But with his life at risk from injury and no leads in his quest to find his missing baby brother, he has few options. After a too-lengthy buildup, Day and June find themselves embroiled in a dangerous assassination plot. They just want to protect their few remaining loved ones while saving their country--is that so wrong? The pathos of Day and June's erstwhile romance shines through without detracting from the tension of their rebellion; both riveting action and entertaining characterization keep their quest engaging (in one scene June apologizes through both ruthless tactical training and "the tragic slant of her eyebrows"). Meanwhile, the heroes' confusion when faced with the mores of the world outside their own Republic shines a worrying lens upon our own world. The slow build culminates in a satisfyingly cinematic climax. (Science fiction. 13-16)

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February 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-This exciting book starts off right where Legend (Putnam, 2011) ended. June and Day have escaped from Los Angeles and are hitching a ride on a train bound for Vegas to join the Patriots. Reunited with Tess and aided by June's old nemesis, Kaede, Day and June recount in alternate chapters how they become involved in a plot to assassinate young Anden, the new Elector of the Republic, and an acquaintance of June's. If Day can successfully kill Anden, Patriot leader Razor has promised to help him find his younger brother, Eden, and escape to safety in the Colonies. Unsurprisingly, things do not go as planned. Anden has his own agenda, and June finds herself conflicted. Day and June are faced with conspiracies, shifting alliances, trust issues, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their quest to be together in this fast-paced and compelling book in the trilogy. Fans will be on the edge of their seats waiting for the conclusion.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Having fled Los Angeles for the relative safety of Las Vegas at the end of Legend, Day and June decide to throw caution to the wind and join forces with the Patriots to assassinate the newly ascended Elector Primo. Readers not hooked by the sociopolitical elements will still clamor for the final volume to see whether Day and June's romance can survive.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2013
Having fled Los Angeles for the relative safety of Las Vegas at the end of Legend (rev. 11/11), Day (the Republic's most notorious criminal) and June (its erstwhile prodigy) decide to throw caution to the wind and join forces with the rebel Patriots to assassinate the newly ascended Elector Primo. The plan calls for June to be captured and sent to the capital in Denver, work her way back into the Elector's good graces with a penitent attitude and a supply of misinformation, and lead him into an ambush where Day will publicly execute him, toppling the government regime for good. But the situation changes when June discovers that, unlike his deceased father, the new Elector is determined to implement wholesale changes. The romance that developed in the first book is complicated here when Day learns he is the object of unrequited love and June finds herself falling for the Elector's charms. Readers not hooked by the sociopolitical elements will still clamor for the final volume to see whether their relationship can survive. In the wake of the phenomenal success of the Hunger Games trilogy, a cottage industry of dystopian novels has emerged; no author -- save perhaps Veronica Roth with her Divergent trilogy -- provides a more satisfying readalike experience for fans interested in this particular niche. jonathan hunt

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from November 26, 2012
The characters are known, world-building is complete, and readers know the destination is still out of reach. It’s the second book of a trilogy—how will the author handle it? Lu opts for a high simmer of intrigue in her sequel to Legend. June and Day are crucial pawns in the game of political plot and counterplot as power at the top of the Republic changes hands. Love must take a backseat: for Day, to family and friends; and for June, to the greater good that is her lodestone now that her family is dead. The pair is separated for much of the book, and talk dominates action—the world-shaping machinations are the means to bring about a more personal, subtle pivot in the story. June and Day were once divided by ignorance and circumstance; now they are held apart by principle and choice. The portrayal of their dilemma is taut and insightful, and while the story line resembles a high plateau of tension rather than a conventional arc, there are enough unfolding questions to propel the narrative to its aching ending. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency.