Marie Lu

Find out more about June and Day in this never-before-seen glimpse into their daily lives before they met in Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND series. As twelve-year-olds struggling to survive in two very different worlds within the Republic’s stronghold, June was starting her first day of school at Drake University as the youngest cadet ever admitted, and Day was fighting for food on the streets of the Lake sector. LIFE BEFORE LEGEND contains two original stories written by Marie Lu that give readers a sneak peek into the lives of their favorite characters in a thrilling new context.

Stories of the Criminal and the Prodigy

Life Before Legend

Rachel Braithwaite

“So many stories to tell. But I fold them away one by one.”

“I’m a floating soul, a phantom…I belong nowhere.”

I bet the Republic hasn’t seen the last of you.

I smile. No, I sincerely hope that they haven’t.”

“Keep at it, Junebug—someday, you’ll shake the Republic to its very core. You’ll be absolutely unforgettable. I know it.”

yes. running to avoid emotion is literally my favorite thing.

“I start to run. I run until my feet fly off the ground and my breath comes out in ragged, desperate gasps.”

“I’m not interested in what they have to say, and half of them don’t even understand the things I want to talk about.”

“You aren’t normal. The things that make you special will give you all kinds of advantages in life, but they will also hold to back and expose your weaknesses.”

“Your strengths might make you hard to approach, and might make your words sound uglier than what you actually mean, but they also make people look up to you. They admire you, whether you realize it or not. If you stop trying so hard to impress them, maybe a few will start warming up to you."

“Everything good about me, I learned from you.”

“‘Someday, someone out there will see you for the girl you really are. Someday, you’ll find someone who understands you.’”

Life Before Legend quotes

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