Review: Champion

Author: Marie Lu

Date of Publication:  November 5, 2013

Pages: 369

Source: Personal copy

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

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Goodreads

Review:

Champion was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I'm happy to say that it was everything I hoped for and more! 

The story picks up a few months after the events of Prodigy (GAH that ending!). The war seems to have come to a tentative standstill with the Colonies. But, just as peace is in sight, Day receives an urgent call from the Capitol. Something is wrong.

This book; reading it was such an emotional roller coaster. Everything was being resolved and though it brought a sense of completeness, it also brought forth the sense of an impending end to a series that has been keeping me engaged and excited for the past three years. However, when it did end it didn't go out with a whimper. No, Marie Lu went out with a bang and I loved it because if there is one thing this series knows how to do, it's keeping the readers on the edge of their seats.

As always, I adored June and Day’s relationship. It’s more than just a romance with them, they are genuine friends and they are so compatible with each other despite all their issues. The presence of their issues helped add another layer on to their relationship because now they had obstacles to conquer just like any real relationship. 

It was also really interesting to see them rekindle their relationship, especially since a lot has changed from Legend. Not just their environment but Day and June have changed; bloomed, and it was great to see their growth and maturity. 

Besides the relationship between Day and June, friendship, family, and loyalty play a huge role in this series and we see more of that with Day and Eden and Tess. Same goes with June and Metias and Thomas. There was a great presence of grief and anger among the characters and Marie Lu explored, analyzed and finally resolved it. Everything felt real.

Another character I feel needs a shout out is, Anden. For most of Prodigy and some of Champion I viewed Anden as a ticking time bomb. He is young, rash, compassionate and charismatic but he is his father's son and we see that in him. He is not some one dimensional "perfect" character. He has his dark side and it was visible. Most of all, what made him for me was his earnest struggle to be different and to be good. He stole my heart and I found myself rooting for him. 

The cliche: “there was never a dull moment” also works well with this book. All of Marie Lu’s readers can relate. Something was happening at every twist and turn, constantly keeping the reader engaged, excited and fulfilled. Fulfillment being the most important, as meaningless action doesn't benefit anyone.

Overall, I felt Champion was a perfect ending to this epic series. I was shocked, excited, tear stricken, in love and left fulfilled. There was no: "oh three pages left, the plot has ended." No, the book continued to the last page and I loved that, though it did give me a heart attack at 1 am!

-MARI