Prodigy
Addictive
Layered
Tragic

Prodigy

Marie Lu โ€” 2013
The brilliant sequel in the Legend trilogy - perfect for The Hunger Games fans! 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? Dystopian fiction at its very best in this thrilling instalment in the Legend trilogy.
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Reviews

Photo of Nessa Luna
Nessa Luna@octobertune
4 stars
Jun 3, 2023

Read this review and more on my blog October Tune. When I read Legend for the first time, I enjoyed it very much but was very annoyed by the childish way it was translated (into Dutch). But I did want to continue the series, so I got the other two books as well, in English that is. And I have to say I liked it more in English (though I still liked the story of Legend more). Also I am definitely going to reread Legend in English very soon. Like with Legend, this book was written from two POV's, from June's and Day's, which was really nice because they weren't together all the time, so we got two different stories in one book. Personally, I liked reading about June a bit more than Day, but I just like June as a character more. As for the other characters, there was one other that I started to like more as I continued reading this book; Anden, the new Elector of the Republic. His character was just very surprising, and I really hope we'll see more of him in the third book. As you all might know, I am not a fan of love triangles, and I might have groaned when I read about it in this book, especially since I've started to really ship June and Day in this book. Not even a triangle, but a sort of love square, which just made me really sad. I just hope it won't be in the third book so much, but I am just guessing it will be, and that would be such a shame! In this book, we found out more about the Republic, the Colonies, and even some stuff about the rest of the world. I especially liked the latter, because that doesn't happen a lot in other dystopia novels. Usually, they just concentrate on America (or whatever it will be named), and they leave the rest of the world blank. In Prodigy, we learned more about what happened to the rest of the world, which I just loved! A lot of exciting things happened in this book, and some of them made me feel really anxious, because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Of course, people always get hurt in stories like these, and in this book particularly one character that I really really liked got hurt which just made me very sad. I did like the way the story ended, though some minor things were a bit not so nice (okay not really minor things, but shh, spoilers). I am very excited to start Champion as soon as I can, and I will do that as soon as possible. My opinion on Prodigy in one gif:

Photo of Julia
Julia@juliahansen
4 stars
May 9, 2023

I took me so long to read this and I feel awful about it but so much has been going on. and the ending ... WHAT THE HECK.

Photo of Mey
Mey@mey
3.5 stars
Mar 28, 2023

Paperback: Indeed Marie Lu's writing style ages like fine wine, and it's so evident even between her first two books! I actually enjoyed Prodigy, unlike Legend, and will definitely continue reading the series.

Graphic novel: If I hadn't read the original novel, I wouldn't have understood the plot.

Audiobook: Did not even get through chapter 1 because the narrator has an annoying voice. I'll stick to a physical copy for this one.

+2
Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite
4 stars
Jan 5, 2023

no. nononoononoonnoononono. please no. PLEASE NO! someone help.

this book iโ€”

โ€œMy heart is ripped open, shredded, leaking blood.โ€

that quote is the only way i can truly express how i am feeling rn.

no. no. no. no. no. no. no. please.

+1
Photo of br
br@kitcheniovers
4 stars
Nov 29, 2022

It's been a huge amount of time since I read Legend and I've been trying to find time to finally continue following the adventures of one of my favorite dystopian tandems, June and Day! The atmosphere surrounding Prodigy is more electrified than Legend, probably because things are finally on the move. The tandem has received contact from the Patriots and are part of an assasination attempt to kill the newly elected Elector Primo. I love this because the pacing is definitely more charged. The Patriots are going in for the kill at the Republic's weakest moment. The stakes are set higher, and after the harried vibe I got from Legend, I was definitely more excited to get a better glimpse of the Republic around them, and the Colonies as well! I am super interested in the Colonies and beyond so I can get a clear sense of what exactly has happened to the world they live in. On a romantic note, I believe June and Day are great together, I really really do! But the thing is, I don't see how they can love each other in such a short time and under such strenuous circumstances. They have been together for no longer than a few weeks, before that, they have been the worst of enemies from two different worlds, and their actions have contributed to the death of the others family. That was my original problem since the first book. Sure, I can expect them to slowly overcome their differences and start being friends, as illustrated by my favorite pairings ever in the The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. And what's more, they seem to be very suspicious of each other despite the commitments they've made, and they really had'nt overcome their vast differences yet. I don't see any understanding between the two yet. I have a theory that they're just very strongly infatuated with each other, especially in close proximity. But I noticed that whenever they were apart, it was easy for them to refute their commitments and consider being with other people, or being apart, and I hate that. But still, I love them for each other. I just wish they got to know each other a little bit more, or talk about their issues too get a deeper understanding of the other. I took a star off because of a little worn cliches used here, little things that were pretty predictable, like Tess crushing on Day, or Razor being especially at the end part where June get's a proposal from the new, young, powerful and attractive Elector Primo, and surprise! Day wants her to say yes because he has a secret disease in his lungs that will eventually kill him soon. which annoyed me a bit. But other than those, Prodigy was perfect! Can't wait for the last installment.

Photo of oonapon
oonapon@00nap00na
4 stars
Aug 25, 2022

Why๐Ÿ˜ญ

Photo of Jenny Stรผrmer
Jenny Stรผrmer @jennys
4 stars
Jul 15, 2022

Needed a long time to really get to the point but Iโ€™m in love with the series and the 2nd half of the book was really great! With literally a turning so close to the end! Couldnโ€™t wait to start the 3rd book of the series.

Photo of Stefanie Sugia
Stefanie Sugia@stefanie_sugia
5 stars
Mar 10, 2022

"The world outside of the Republic isn't perfect, but freedoms and opportunities do exist out there, and all we need to do is let that light shine into the Republic itself. Our country is on the brinkโ€”all it needs now is a hand to tip it over." I LOVE how the story progressed so far. So many things have changed since the first book, more secrets are revealed, and I literally don't know who to trust. I really enjoyed all the crazy twist and unexpected situations that happened throughout the book. The story is still written from Day and June's perspective as they went on separate missions given by the Patriots. And it's very nerve-racking because when June discovered something and is planning to change her mind, it was very difficult for her to tell Day about it. It's even more frustrating when Day is trying to figure out the signals that June gave to him. Ugh. This book gave me so much FEELS. I can never predict what's going to happen next and that made everything feel so intense. We also get to finally see the Colonies, that have a system which I'm quite confused about. I'm not sure if the Colonies will make another appearance in the third and final book, but I hope they do. The part that hits me the hardest in this book is, obviously, the ending. My mouth was literally hanging open when 'something' about Day was revealed. For those who've read the book might know what I'm talking about, but I definitely won't spoil it for those of you who haven't read this trilogy. And because of that shocking discovery about Day, I have no idea what to expect from the third book, Champion. But hopefully it'll be good. Please don't disappoint me, Marie Lu. "Do you remember when I trusted you, even though everything I'd ever known told me that you were an enemy? I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and I sacrificed everything for what I believed." I did say in my review for Legend that I wasn't very fond of the romance between Day and June. But thankfully I'm starting to warm up to the idea of it. Their feelings are explored a lot deeper in this book; they bond through their families' death and have sacrificed for each other a lot. The two of them also came to a disagreement when Day could not understand June's decision; and thus Day brought up June's wealthy background in which she never had to suffer her whole life. I cannot blame any of the two because Day had his own reasons for feeling that way, and June also had her own thinking. And I really like that about their interaction, because it made everything feel a lot more realistic and relatable for me. I was like... and then suddenly... There are so many shady characters in this book; which is the reason why I had trust issues with most of them. After the Elector Primo's death, Anden Stravropoulos (the late Elector's son) took his place. Even until I finished reading this book, I'm still unsure whether to trust this character or not. Because I don't know why, he seems really shady to me :1 Or I'm just being paranoid. I'm not sure. Anyways, Anden revealed a lot of important things related to the history of the Republicโ€”and what his father, the late Elector Primo did. All the craziness that's been happening since the first book made a lot more sense now. And I really like how this reflects the political issues in real life nowadays; in which we question whether the country leader's decision is right or wrong, because everything was done for a reason. Thankfully, Thomas doesn't show up much in this book. But he did reveal something extremely shocking and definitely caught me by surprise. He explained the story behind Metias' death from his perspective; what happened before that and his own reasoning. I don't really care much about Thomas, but this revelation gives a lot more depth to his character. I won't describe in detail what shocked me the most from Thomas' story, but I certainly needed to read it twice before saying, "wait, what?!". "I'm not loyal anymore. Am I still loyal? I am right here in the Republic's capital, helping the Patriots assassinate the new Elector. A man I once pledged my allegiance to. I am going to kill him, and then I'm going to run away.... I'm distracted, consumed with the conflict of needing to make things right with Day, but hating to leave the Republic at the mercy of the Patriots." I love how much the story progressed in the second book; a lot of things are explained and most of the questions I had from the first book are answered. I love the characters development and how each characters are conflicting with themselves, doubting their decisionsโ€”pondering over which one is the right thing to do. I really enjoyed all the twist and turns in the story and I literally cannot stop reading. All that's left now is the third and final book for me to read. Like I said earlier, I don't know what to expect from it, but I'm hoping that it'll be awesome :)) Read the full review here: http://www.thebookielooker.com/2015/0...

Photo of Haley
Haley@massahc
3.5 stars
Mar 5, 2022

I think this book was more raw and vulnerable than the first one. In Legend we were introduced to the characters on a surface-level, however in Prodigy, we get to embrace the cores of the wonderful characters. Overall, a good book

+3
Photo of Bella Muller
Bella Muller@itsmebellamuller
4 stars
Mar 3, 2022

I REALLY enjoyed this sequel. It added a lot of layers to the series and kept me engaged. The ending felt slightly contrived but Iโ€™m curious to see where itโ€™s going.

+2
Photo of nelly sanchez
nelly sanchez@itsjinelle
4 stars
Feb 4, 2022

4โ˜… Once again, prodigy made my JudeDay heart swoon. The ending was just as sad as the original but at my fav paper ring and sick June scenes were in there so ig I can forgive the pain.

Photo of Emilia Blane
Emilia Blane@quryx
5 stars
Jan 30, 2022

IT WAS AWESOME

Photo of Abby johns
Abby johns @aizu
4.5 stars
Jan 17, 2022

Loved the book! Hated the end tho ๐Ÿ˜ค

This review contains a spoiler
+3
Photo of finley ๐Ÿ„
finley ๐Ÿ„@finley
3 stars
Dec 7, 2021

Bohuลพiaฤพ tato ฤasลฅ mรก veฤพmi sklamala. Legendu som mala hneฤ preฤรญtanรบ, keฤลพe stรกle sa tam nieฤo dialo ale Fenomรฉn bol nudnรฝ. Dlho som ho ฤรญtala, nebavil ma a ten koniec?! Paneboลพe preฤo?! Dรบfam ลพe ล ampiรณn bude lepลกรญ ako Fenomรฉn a ลพe to autorka eลกte napravรญ.

Photo of Kathleen Boyle
Kathleen Boyle@kitkath
4 stars
Dec 6, 2021

This was a very strong sequel! I loved how fast paced the action was. I feel like the story needed to be fast paced in order to do the general plot-line justice. I really enjoyed getting more info on how the Republic and the Colonies came to be. I'm hoping that in the next book we get an even wider scope. The revelation at the end though. Gees. Marie Lu knows how to craft a story very well and I hope the final book finishes the trilogy off nicely!

Photo of Cameron Austin
Cameron Austin@camelot
4 stars
Nov 22, 2021

Actual rating: 4.5 stars I'm loving this trilogy!

Photo of Emily
Emily@readem
5 stars
Nov 17, 2021

Compelling, and a great addition to the previous book. It really developed each and every character allowing for the reader's attachment to all of them. This book lets the reader become more aware of their ways of government and made me grateful for my country's current governmental system. This book is even more interesting if you live in the United States because it plays with the idea of the country's boundaries and separation. Overall, I loved the plot, I loved the setting, and most importantly, I loved the characters. I can't wait to read Champion!

Photo of Emily
Emily@readem
4 stars
Nov 17, 2021

Five stars because of the source material ๐Ÿ’– If I just read this without reading the novels first Iโ€™d say that the plot moves too quickly. However, I have read the books first so I will love these forever ๐Ÿ’•

Photo of allie
allie@allieslibrary
4 stars
Oct 16, 2021

such a good sequel!

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booklover69@angelina
5 stars
Oct 6, 2021

This was amazing, great twists, kept me engaged and never wanting to put down!

Photo of Hope Lenzen
Hope Lenzen@hopelenzen
4 stars
Oct 5, 2021

"He is beauty, inside and out. He is the silver lining in a world of darkness. He is my light." June

Photo of Susan
Susan@susan
3 stars
Sep 7, 2021

*3,5โญ๏ธ

Photo of Lorien O'Brien
Lorien O'Brien@lorienkittybooks
4 stars
Aug 31, 2021

HOLY CROW. THAT ENDING. GAH! MY HEART!!! I've been stuck on this book for over a year now, simply because of all the stress the characters were going under, and I wasn't sure how it would be resolved. All I knew about this trilogy before I picked it up was a) it's a tragedy and b) it's a dystopia. Beyond that it was all up to me. I had no clue how it would play out, or what kind of author Lu was. The twists may not have been completely unexpected (EXCEPT THE LAST ONE, OMG) but it's a solid story. I will be finishing the novel and can't wait to get my hands on Champion.

Photo of Charlot van Dijk
Charlot van Dijk@cheshirebelle
5 stars
Aug 31, 2021

Ik ben fan van Marie Lu. Haar schrijfstijl is recht voor zn raap maar genoeg emoties om mee te kunnen leven. Het boek is geschreven vanuit twee verschillende POVโ€™s. June en Day. De clichรฉs worden natuurlijk wel aangestipt, maar de manier waarop is echt heel gaaf. In het tweede deel van deze serie, wordt er zoveel meer duidelijk over de wereld en de karakters, je leert ze beter kennen en begrijpen en je maakt de ontwikkelingen met ze mee. Ik leefde totaal mee met June en Day en zag sommige plottwists echt totaal niet aankomen, wat het boek voor mij nog geweldiger maakt. Ik ben oprecht gek geworden van dit boek en moet stiekem gelijk door gaan lezen in boek 3. AL WIL IK NIET DAT HET STOPT!

Highlights

Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

He is beauty, inside and out.

He is the silver lining in a world of darkness.

He is my light.

Page 371
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

The young Elector keeps his eyes on me, and I realise, at last, that June is right. I don't want to see the Republic collapse. I want to see it change.

Page 346
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

"Then raise your voice for your Elector, as I have, and he will raise his for you!"

Page 346
This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

We've made it. But all I feel is emptiness.

Page 252
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

"Mmmm. Nitroglycerin."

Page 190

MMMMMMMM YUM

Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

"I'm telling you, Dayโ€“ all it takes is one generation to brainwash a population and convince them that reality doesn't exist."

Page 125
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

Did he ever shed the soldier and let the civilian grieve?

Page 107
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

"I'll go with you, Day. I'd go anywhere with you."

Page 60
Photo of Mey
Mey@mey

Everything I am familiar with is gone.

Page 48
Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

My heart is ripped open, shredded, leaking blood.

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

โ€œYou know, sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I just . . . met you one day. Like normal people do. If I just walked by you on some street one sunny morning and thought you were cute, stopped, shook your hand, and said, โ€˜Hi, Iโ€™m Daniel.โ€™โ€

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

The effort of trying to forget, to push down. The consequence of things neither of us can ever take back.

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

โ€œDo you remember when I trusted you, even though everything Iโ€™d ever known told me that you were an enemy? I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and I sacrificed everything for what I believed."

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

I am June Iparis, I remind myself. Iโ€™m not going to let him see the chaos Iโ€™m feeling.

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

โ€œThatโ€™s what I mean. You treat June differently.โ€

โ€œDoesnโ€™t mean I donโ€™t care about you.โ€

โ€œIf you had to choose between saving either me or June, and you had no time to waste . . . what would you do? Who would you save?โ€ Tess uses a sleeve to wipe her face and waits for my answer.

โ€œYou, all right? Iโ€™d save you.โ€

โ€œWhy?โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t know. Because June wouldnโ€™t need my help.โ€

LMFFFFAO ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

I turn even more flustered when I remember that I have actually pistol-whipped him in the face before. Romantic.

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

โ€œWhat are you doing?โ€

โ€œOh.โ€ Day picks up one of the things heโ€™s making, something that looks like a metal circle. โ€œJust passing the time.โ€ He holds the circle up to the light, and then takes my hand. He presses it into my palm. โ€œA gift for you.โ€

I study it more closely. Itโ€™s made of four unfurled paper clips carefully entwined around one another in a spiral, and pulled together end to end so they form a tiny ring. Simple and neat. Artistic, even. I can see love and care in the twists of metal, the little bends where Dayโ€™s fingers worked on the wire over and over until it formed the right curves. He made it for me.

Photo of raia โ€“ inactive
raia โ€“ inactive@raieuh

I secretly hope he saves a part of his joy for me too.

Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite

โ€œHe is beauty, inside and out.

He is the silver lining in a world of darkness.

He is my light.โ€

Page 371
Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite

โ€œMy heart is ripped open, shredded, leaking blood.โ€

Page 371

likewise.

Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite

โ€œHe gives me a smile that shatters something inside me.โ€

Page 368
Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite

โ€œI'm not going to let him see the chaos I'm feeling.โ€

Page 179
Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite

โ€œโ€ฆI remember that I have actually pistol-whipped him in the face before. Romantic.โ€

Page 68
Photo of Rachel Braithwaite
Rachel Braithwaite@rachbraithwaite

The Republic's most wanted criminal is just a boy, sitting before me, suddenly vulnerable, laying all his weaknesses out for me to see.

Page 36

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