I have spent just over a day obsessing about this book. Thinking and overthinking my every opinion, trying to find the best words to describe it. So, I’m just going to start and hope for the best!
I’ll start with what I loved.
Characters
June- In Legend, I barely liked June. Obviously I witnessed how much of her life had changed, but it never moved me to care. I was never rooting for her. However, that all changed in this book. I felt like her choices began to reflect who she was and who she wanted to be in the world. Rather than being the girl who made her decisions because of a boy (no matter how great his hair may be). I absolutely loved watching her thought processes and connections. She realized her strengths lay with her finely honed training in both observational matters and combat. I felt that she was strongest when she was relying on herself instead of thinking about her romantic future.
Kaede- Kaede made the entire book for me! Her quips got me every time. I also appreciated her use as a vessel of information. Finding more about the creation of the republic and what had happened in the rest of the world helped me connect to the story.
Combat- This is usually my least favorite part of a book. the endless description of who hit who, the jumps, the kicks…yawn. This felt very different, it was kept short, sweet, and thrilling. It seemed to happen in smaller doses which helped me follow it better, instead of using it as a sleep aid.
Here are the things that just didn’t sit right to me
Day- I tried really hard to like Day in this book because I liked him so much in Legend. However, he just felt whiny to me. He was more concerned about girls than he was about saving Eden, even though that was the whole reason the story even started. I appreciated his devotion to his family and the pain of losing everything. When he reflected on his family, all I could think was MORE! Instead, his story felt disjointed.
Tess- This girl had so much potential! The way her medical skills and training were described were wonderful! But then she got too wrapped up in jealousy and I just couldn’t care any more.
Romance- This is the only part of the entire story that I had a hard time with. The romances all felt so forced to me and I never really felt like I could support any of them. The world building, political landscape, and individuals were so strong to me that I felt the romance just took away from the more powerful moments.
I have read many many dystopian novels over the years, but overall, this series may be one of my favorites. I can’t wait to start the next book! I am hoping to see more of my favorites, a few character growths, and even more combat (and that’s coming from someone who usually falls asleep during combat scenes).
The Novel Llama 