Title: Prodigy (Legend #2)
Author: Marie Lu
Narrator: Steven Kaplan
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
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Review for book 1
Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic’s most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots – a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?
Day and June’s adventures continue as they are on the run after the events that occurred at the end of Legend. They flee to Vegas, where they meet up with the Patriots and become entangled in their plan to assassinate the Elector Primo, Anden. Things of course get complicated, and Day and June end up having to make plans of their own in order to save the Republic and the people they love.
I enjoyed Prodigy, but I feel that it encountered the same problem that many series face with the second book. It didn’t feel like it’s own story; rather, it felt like a transition between books one and three. A lot of unanswered questions about the world were addressed in Prodigy, which was great, but at times the plot left a bit to be desired. It was fun following Day and June on their journey, but felt like most of the book was just setting them up for the events of the final book.
I still enjoyed (and by enjoyed, I mean I could stomach it) the romance in Prodigy. I really appreciate the fact that Day and June don’t immediately fall madly in love with each other, as is often the case in YA literature. The romance did become a bit more…complicated…in Prodigy, but it still didn’t end up turning into a love triangle or square or any other shape. For that, I am very grateful. It was nice to see people caring for someone and trying to figure out their feelings, but also realizing that they should focus on other things that have a higher priority than a hunky, hunky boy.
The end of Prodigy was probably the part that had me the most on the edge of my seat and wanting to know what happens next. After the intense ending of Legend, and now Prodigy, I am pretty worried about what will happen at the end of Champion. I have grown to care about these characters and I want to see them succeed at their mission and live happily ever after. (And I’m starting to worry that this is not a very realistic hope…)
All in all, I enjoyed Prodigy because it answered some questions and made me grow to like the characters even more. But in the end, I barely remember a lot of the detail about this book. It was fun, but it wasn’t very memorable to me. I remember most of the details of Legend, but for me, Prodigy felt very transitional, and therefore forgettable. Hopefully Champion ties up all the loose ends of Prodigy and is a strong conclusion to the series.
