Legend by Marie Lu (4/5)

When I picked up Legend by Marie Lu, it seemed like your stereotypical teen dystopian novel at first glance; but if there’s one thing you can’t hear enough of in the world of reading, it’s that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written it was. The book takes place after the mysterious death of protagonist June Iparis’ brother, Metias, and the world-renowned vigilante and deuteragonist Day is the number one suspect and assumed culprit. June, being a wealthy child prodigy, decides to take action and hunt Day down, but as the story progresses, she realizes Metias’ death may not be what it seems.

The book itself had both fantastic prose and an interesting plot. I finished it not long after starting because I was hooked. One major complaint I have, however, is the amount of clichés used in terms of characters and plot. The two protagonists partook in a rather abominable combination of “love at first sight” and “enemies to lovers,” two tropes that can be done right, but here the romance seemed really unnecessary. The main characters also seemed just a bit too Mary Sue-ish, which could be a bit annoying at times. I recommend it to anybody who likes dystopian fiction.

Rating: 4/5