Legend has been a favorite of mine ever since I first read it during my early teens. Packed with action, intrigue, and a nice side of romance, it’s one of the first books that I think of when I think of YA, so it was pretty much guaranteed to be among the first reading recommendations here on the blog.

That said, let’s get to it!

Legend by Marie Lu Overview

Set in a futuristic version of Los Angeles, Legend stars June Iparis, a young military prodigy, and Day, the youngest—and most-wanted—criminal in the Republic of America. 

All her life, June has been surrounded by the wealthy and powerful. Born into an elite family, she’s had just about everything she could ever want, from her loving older brother Metias to the resources needed in order to become the most promising student at her military university. But, when Metias is suddenly murdered, the balance of her world is disrupted.

Born into a poor family and raised in the slums, Day’s whole life has been spent fighting for his family’s survival—and taking what pleasure he can in inconveniencing the Republic that has made life so miserable for himself and those he holds dear. 

When Day is accused of Metias’s murder, his and June’s fates become intertwined. It isn’t long before they both start to learn the full depth of the Republic’s corruption and that they may be the only two people capable of keeping the whole of both their worlds from falling apart.

Personal Thoughts

While there’s a lot to love in this book, from the complex political intrigue to the heart-pounding action, my favorite part of it—and probably the series as a whole, actually—was Day. I won’t go into spoilers or anything here, but he’s a bit of an oddity in YA male heroes, as in he’s just kind of…nice. (Unless you’re a Republic official or something, of course.) In a genre where most male characters seem to be portrayed as edgy, morally gray, dark-and-brooding anti-heroes, it’s refreshing to have one who’s just a good person.

Another thing that I liked about this series was that, even though it’s a dystopia, it’s not quite as…heavy, shall we say, as series like Hunger Games and Divergent are. Again, I won’t get into spoilers, but it’s definitely much less dark and depressing than most of the other YA dystopias I’ve read. 

Well, that’s about it for today’s reading recommendation. Thank you so much for reading! I hope I’ve convinced you to check this one out. Or, if you already have, feel free to look into some of the similar titles that I’ve listed below.

Until next time, happy reading!

Books Similar to Legend

• Skyhunter by Marie Lu
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson