Legend by Marie Lu

Born into the slums of Los Angeles, fifteen-year old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. A mysterious boy with no recorded image or fingerprints. A boy who should no longer exist. A boy who watches over his family until one evening, when the plague patrols mark his family's door with an X--the sign of plague infection. A death sentence for any family too poor to afford the antidote. Desperate, Day has no choice; he must steal it.

Born to an elite family in Los Angeles' wealthy Ruby sector, fifteen-year old June is the Republic's most promising prodigy. A superintelligent girl destined for great things in the country's highest military circles. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country--until the day her brother Metias is murdered while on patrol during a break-in at the plague hospital.

Only one person could be responsible.

Day.

And now it's June's mission to hunt him down.

The truth they'll uncover will become legend.

Legend is one of the main reasons why I love dystopian novels. The amount of creativity and imagination that goes into creating a fantastically realistic end of the world scenario is beyond me. I find it totally incredible how authors can continusously think up new dystopian scenarios, making them fresh, inventive and completely original. All of this is true for Legend, where a plague has overrun The Republic, inducing a desperate and dire lifestyle for those families living in the slums. Then there is the polar opposite, where the wealthy reap the benefits of militaristic education and security.

Living in two different worlds, the two narrators of this story, Day and June are inexplicably bound to one another. Day, the most wanted criminal in The Republic and June, a prodigy from The Republic's military school, are destined to meet. The tension between the two jumps off the pages. June is written as the ultimate hunter- the passion that she exhibits trying to capture Day enfuses the reader. She's desperate for vengence. The same sort of passion is also seen in Day, who is only fighting to keep his family alive. Both characters come alive in this book and each POV is enjoyable to read, a rarity noawadays,

The enfusion of desperation, grittiness, chaos and lies throughout the story are definite elements that will keep you on edge. There are huge plot twists that make you unsure of which character to trust and question where the story is turning next. There's a ton of action as well that keeps the pace going as well as a dirty government that will incite anyone's temper. Above all is the romance that develops between two swarn enemies. Its electric! All of these qualities fuse together to form one of the most standout dystopians of the year. Absolutely loved this book and reccommend it to all who love a gritty dystopian as well as a beautiful romance.