Champion by Marie Lu

Me and author Marie Lu during the Champion tour

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion? 

Flo's Review
I didn't want to post the full book description up there because it might contain spoilers for the first two Legend books if you haven't read them. Which, if you haven't -- why not?!? Go read them now! I loved both Legend and Prodigy.

Like Prodigy, I finished Champion in a matter of hours. The action that Marie Lu is wonderful at writing continues in this book. I was racing through the pages to make sure that Day succeeded in everything he was trying to do. I also really enjoyed Eden's character in this book. At one point Day reflects that he's most proud of his brother for standing up to him -- it's a powerful testament to how alike the two boys are. All the Eden/Day moments warmed my heart. They also shared a scene in the kitchen in the beginning of the book that was sweet.

And, oh, the love. In this book we really get to see more layers of the complexity of the Day and June's relationship. It's not simply a "different side of the tracks" love story. There is so much more to that, and both characters struggle with it. There is a scene in June's apartment around the middle of the book that just breaks my heart. Day feels like he is broken open and I am, too. Love is so powerful when it's raw and honest like that -- hard, but compelling. And June, at the end?!? 

I appreciate the fact that Marie ended the book the way she did. I know a lot of times the story telling element that she used is not always met favorably, but here it works. I thought using the birthdays was really clever! The ending leaves us walking away from Day, June and the Republic with hope, and like Marie says in the Acknowledgements, "They are off to live beyond the confines of the trilogy; I am left waving to them from the sidelines. I don't know where they'll go, but I think they're going to be okay."

Final thoughts: The Legend trilogy is a must read! Go pick it up if you haven't!

My review of Legend
My review of Prodigy