Review : Prodigy by Marie Lu

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Prodigy (Legend #2)
Author : Marie Lu
Publication Date : January 29th 2013
Publisher : Putnam Juvenile
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June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.

But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

In this highly-anticipated sequel, Lu delivers a breathtaking thriller with high stakes and cinematic action.

Personal Thoughts

I wasn't the biggest fan of Legend, the first book in this series. I enjoyed the book, but didn't love it. In fact, I wasn't sure I would continue the series which is why I never picked it up when it released earlier this year. Then, one fine day last week, I was strolling down the aisles at my library when Prodigy caught my eye. I decided to give it a shot and I have never regretted not picking up a book earlier more than I did with Prodigy.

Every single aspect of Prodigy was refined ; characters, romance, world-building and background. I had issues with the dual POV in the previous book because I had a hard time differentiating between the two characters. I thought that both the voices of June and Day were too much alike. However, this was not the case with Prodigy. Like I mentioned, the characters were brilliantly developed in this one. Lu has taken her time to polish up the characters, going deeper into perfecting their personalities so that they seemed realistic. Day and June have both undergone tremendous growth in this second book and for me, that was the first sign of Marie Lu's talent as an author. Both Day and June were strong characters that were not at all one-dimensional. June, especially, stood out among the characters in Prodigy, for her devotion, resilience and intelligence. She was a fierce main character, who thought twice before making any decision. I loved how she stood by what her instincts told her even though it meant going against Day. She wasn't the kind of character who bowed down in the face of any obstacle. Instead, she was the girl who held her head high and slayed whatever demons dared to face her. The thing is, June wasn't flawless. And that, in my opinion, made her an authentic character, easy to root for. Day, too, was beautifully fleshed out. The reader gets to see so much more of what goes on in his head, and I have to say I enjoyed him a lot more in Prodigy. I know a lot of readers weren't his biggest fan in this book because of some of his actions, but those actions were precisely why I loved him more in this book. You see, Day basically sees red whenever the Republic is mentioned and he should be for all they have put he and his family through, which is why he blindly trusts the Patriots despite June's warnings. Compared to June, he was more impulsive and refused to budge away from his feelings. But he does learn his lesson, which is why I thought it was essential for him to have his faiths shaken for his character to grow. We are also introduced to some wonderfully well-fleshed out secondary characters who brought plenty of twists and turns to the book.

Like I mentioned above, everything in this book was refined, especially the world-building. Marie Lu went further into her world, helping the reader explore every single aspect in its history and present. I got a clearer glimpse of how the world in Prodigy functioned, which helped me enjoy the book a lot more than the first book, whose world-building was quite fuzzy. The reader also gets to learn so much more on the Republic and the Patriots in this sequel, which once again helped to clear up the world-building. In addition, Prodigy was action-packed, full of suspense and fast-paced, making the book one of the most entertaining dystopian books I've ever read.  The romance took a twisted turn in Prodigy in the form of a strange love-square. Usually, these bother me endlessly, but for some reason, I thought it worked well in Prodigy. The reader knows from the beginning that Day and June are meant to be together, but before they can actually get together, they needed a separation. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the love-square reinforced their relationship and I'm dying to know what's going to happen to my OTP in the next book. Other than the love-square, June and Day's relationship endured quite a few obstacles, especially when it came to class difference between the two, but I enjoyed watching them grow and becoming more understanding of each other's situations and becoming more accepting of their pasts. This sequel right here convinced me that Marie Lu is incredibly talented. Her writing was brilliant and her growth as a writer can be clearly observed in the prose. I experienced so many emotions while reading Prodigy and by the end of the book, I felt like I had gone through one crazy emotional roller-coaster ride. Marie Lu, you've wowed me and now I'm dying for Champion to come out already. I sincerely hope you don't crush my poor little heart because I don't think my heart could go through more trauma after that ending.

You know that gif "SO MANY FEELS"? That's exactly how I felt after reading Prodigy. Prodigy was one book that did not suffer from middle-book syndrome. It was, in fact, everything I wanted out of a brilliant dystopian. Full of heart-stopping action, swoon-worthy romance, intense world-building and characters that are intricately crafted, Prodigy was an exemplary sequel that will have you itching for the next book.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5