Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu

• Title: Prodigy: A Legend Novel
• Classification: Young Adult (12 and up) 
• Genre: Dystopia
• Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (January 29, 2013)
• ISBN-10: 0399256768
• ISBN-13: 978-0399256769
• Author's Website:  http://marielu.org/

What a difference a Day makes....

June Iparis was the Republic's prodigy, their darling. She was the best of the brightest and the apple of their eye. She was a slightly rebellious teen whom everyone loved and strived to be like. She broke records and sometimes rules all in the name of helping her country. She loved her country and looked forward to serving it. A more patriotic person could not be found. That is until the day she learned the truth about her parent's deaths and that of her brother's. That was the day she decided to help the Republic's most wanted criminal escape his execution. That was the day she lost her faith in her country. That was the day she decided to join forces with Day, a boy falsely accused of her brother's murder. A murder the Republic itself orchestrated. 

Times they are a changing and Day and June are right in the middle. They will be the catalysts that will start it all. 

Prodigy picks up shortly after Legend leaves off. While the Patriots, a rebel force bent on reuniting the Republic with the Colonies, helped save Day and June and they quickly abandoned them to their own devices. Hired by June with the money she received ironically for capturing Day, once they'd done the job June paid for they took off. While Day and June would definitely be resources for the Patriots, they were not willing to lose any more members then the job required. Especially not for two individuals who have never shown an interest in joining them even if the two are the Republic's most celebrated individuals. Prodigy starts off with Day and June trying to make their way to the Patriots headquarters hoping they'll find a place among the rebels. Both will be asked to play important rolls in the rebellion's plan to overthrow the Elector Primo. 

What I really like about this series is the way Day and June are in effect mirror images, almost like twins separated at birth. Both scored perfect scores at their Trials, but because of somebody altering Day's Trial scores they've led very different lives. I can't help but believe had Day been given his due, he would have been as loyal to the Republic as June and perhaps the two wouldn't have been attracted to one another. They'd have been too similar. The pair kind of remind me of that old Billy Joel song, Uptown Girl, where a boy falls in love for a girl who is from the other side of the tracks.

In Prodigy, we get our first look at the Colonies and it's not at all like Day or June had imagined. We also get a little bit more background as to how the Colonies and Republic split came to be. Also, a new character steps to the forefront, Anden, who we met briefly in Legend. He takes over his father's position as the Elector Primo upon his father's death. Is he just a younger version of his father or will he be different? June and Day will have their job cut out for them to distinguish lie from truth, ally from enemy, and determine who they will give their allegiance to. They can change the destiny of their country. They are the ones the people will follow. They can make all the difference. 

Overall, I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses. It starts out a touch slow but things quickly pick up as we reach the midway point. Be warned, there is a cliffhanger at the end which will make you question if all is as we were led to believe. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Lu will do in Champion. I already have it on pre-order.

Order of the series:

Legend (Legend, #1) by Marie Lu

• Title: Legend
• Classification: Young Adult (Ages 12 and up)
• Genre: Dystopia
• Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (November 29, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 039925675X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399256752

Notes: Contains violence.
Sexual content: Does not go beyond kissing.
Author's Website: http://marielu.org/

"Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time...You try to walk in the light."

The world is not what it once was. The United States and all its idealism is gone, a thing of the past some speculate never existed. What was once the US is now divided between the Colonies and the Republic. The border that separates the two runs from Dakota to West Texas. 

In the Republic, which resides on the western half of the dividing line, when a child turns 10 they take the Trial. It's a test that determines your intelligence, strength, endurance, etc. Your future depends upon what score you achieve on your Trial. Those who fail, are taken from their parents and are sent to Republic's labor camps--but that's just a lie. If the truth was to get out...

Day knows first hand what happens to those who fail. He isn't supposed to exist. He's spent his life living off the streets and making trouble for the Republic since they sent him to the supposed 'labor camps'. He's known as a 'legend' for his ability to shake things up and never be caught. If he has his way, things will change. He's one of the most wanted, not to be mistaken for most dangerous, people on the Republic's list. They have no idea who he is and he intends to make sure it stays that way. 

June is the only person to have ever earned a perfect score on the Trials. She's the Republic's prodigy. When her brother Metias, her last living relative, is murdered, Day is the person whose fingerprints are found all over the crime scene. She vows, "I will hunt you down. I will scour the streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine." Day is about to meet his match.

This book reminded me so much of the 'Hunger Games'. It's not really that the story line is that similar, it's just that it has the same sort of vibe as the 'Hunger Games' does. So rest assured this is not a 'Hunger Games' clone. It also contains a hint of a Hitler type mentality where there is a wish to create a perfect, or at least more perfect, society or race.   

Day is the kind of hero you can't help liking and sympathizing with. He's smart, thinks things through, loves his family, and has been terribly wronged. He's trying to make a difference which is difficult to do by yourself, but he definitely has done more than most would suspect someone could on their own. 

June starts off being a very cocky type of character. She's smart and she knows it and has the test scores to back it up. The Republic has big plans for her and she is looking forward to serving her country. She, however, is about to get the shock of her life and her rose colored glasses are about to be shattered. She'll have to sort out fact from fiction and come to grips with what she finds.

Thomas, another key player in the book, reminds me a little of Liesl's boyfriend Rolf from 'The Sound of Music'. Granted he's not June's boyfriend, but something about his personality just planted the image of Rolf firmly in my mind. He was Metias' subordinate before Metias' death. Metias is the one who recommended Thomas be assigned to the prestigious city patrols. A position Thomas never would have obtained without that recommendation. He plays a key role in the story and his part slowly unfolds as the story progresses.

This book contained a lot of action, drama, mystery and just a hint of romance. I love the world Ms. Lu created and can't wait to read the next book in the series. The only thing I would have liked to have seen that was missing, and this is very common in Dystopian books, is what happened to the US. Maybe we'll find out in one of the sequels? Here's hoping. I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. I highly recommend this to anyone who loved 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins and/or 'Unwind' by Neal Schusterman. I thoroughly enjoyed it.