Transcript
Hey everyone, this is Meghan from Coffee & Wizards. Today I’m here to talk to you about Legend by Marie Lu. Legend is a dystopian novel about a couple of characters who live two very different lives. The first one is called Day. He’s a convict who fights against the system. Then there’s June, who is basically the golden girl of the system. After something horrible happens to June, she is sent on a mission to capture Day. Of course, that leads to much fun.
The setting is pretty cool. They have a system that at age eleven every child is tested, and if they get scores below a certain level, something bad happens to them. If they score super high, they get cushy jobs and whatever. Except, the system is, obviously, not exactly what it seems to be.
So I like the setting, but what I really enjoyed was the contrast between the June chapters and the Day chapters: it alternates between the two. Usually when you see duel perspectives, the characters are too similar for it to have an effect, but in Legend the characters are very distinct. They’re raise in two totally different spheres. June is raised in a very privileged area whereas Day lives in the slums.
Another really awesome thing about this book is the use of gender. June is a girl, and Day is a boy, but neither of them are stereotypically boys or girls. They’re just individuals. Their genders are never really focused on. For example, the society that they live in is super military. June, being a prodigy, is top military whatever. That is not something you would normally associate women with. That’s always been a male-dominated thing. To have June be the best of the best of this normally male-dominated area is awesome. Plus she’s not the only female in that situation. There’s different generals and some of them are men but also some of them are women.
Instead of explicitly stating something, Marie Lu let’s her characters and her world do the talking for her. As much as the world itself is pretty screwed up, I like to think that it has advanced when it comes to gender politics.
I think that’s everything I wanted to talk about, so thank you for listening, and if you liked my vlog and would like to hear more from me, don’t forget to subscribe. You can also leave a comment down below. I would love to hear if you’ve read Legend. Let me know some of your favourite dystopians.
Don’t just take my word for it!
“Ultimately, “Legend” isn’t really a book about the individual standing up against a repressive society, as much as it is a character study about grief, family and conformism. As such, it wins on every level.” – Katya @ The Book Lantern
“…in the flooded market of young adult dystopian Legend manages to hold its own.” – Christa @ Hooked on Books
“This is most definitely Dystopian Done Right.” – Lisa is Busy Nerding
“I read it–twice, actually–in just about one sitting each, so be prepared to not put this book down once you start.” – Amy @ Tripping Over Books
coffeeandwizards 
SO agree. The alternating chapters work in Legend because the narrators are so different. Sometimes I feel like alternating narrators is the easy way out. Not so in this one!
I really couldn’t imagine the book written any other way.
I LOVED THIS BOOK. Sometimes I feel like I enjoyed reading it so much that I can’t describe why. I just did because I just thought it was a really engrossing story, for the reasons you mention and more.
I *think* I talked about June being in a unique role for a woman in a dystopian novel. (If I didn’t I meant to!) I thought it was a nice change to see a female character in the more militant, by the books rule. Not because I think a lot of girls are like that but because it’s nice to see a bunch of different personality types represented.