Book Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 29, 2013
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. 

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

Prodigy is the second book in Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy. The Legend series is a dystopian, young adult trilogy in the same vein as Hunger Games and Divergent in that an authoritative government has taken over the United States and it is up to teenagers to try and conquer them. You need to start with the first book, Legend, to be able to understand Prodigy.

In my review of Legend, I noted that there wasn’t any back story of how the Republic came into power and that I hoped it would be explained in the subsequent books. And indeed it was in Prodigy thankfully. There’s not much more I can say without spoiling Legend and probably this book as well. I will say that although I liked it, I didn’t find it to be as riveting as Legend. However, I definitely want to stick with it and read the final book, Champion, to find out how the story ends and I think you will too.