Review: Champion

Author: Marie Lu
Date of Publication: November 5 2013
Pages: 369
Source: Library e-book
Series: Legend #3

There *are* spoilers for Legend and Prodigy in this review.

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: 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. 

I flew through Champion, which was one of the most aching finales I've ever read. My heart broke and was mended again by these characters, and the ending was phenomenal.

Champion is one of those series finales that isn't its own story, but is more like a climax and conclusion to the entire series. There is absolutely no problem with that, but I think it's good to get a quick refresher of what occurred in Legend and Prodigy before reading Champion. I was super excited to see that the series has a Wikipedia page with detailed synopsis that I used to remind myself of what happened.

Champion was a surprisingly emotional story. I thought the writing was beautiful and mature, although I wish I didn't cry so much. June and Day have grown up so much from when they first met, and Champion explores what happens to their relationship with Day with an illness, and June a Princeps-Elect.  The story is a melange of war, ethics, and politics, and that's pretty much the type of story I love.

The Republic and the Colonies are still in an interminable chess match and Anden's new position as Elector isn't going to come without some obstacles. Day and June are both young, but they are also very powerful. They know what they're capable of, and they're both major factors in protecting the Republic.

There is also a fair bit of world building. The world beyond the Republic is mentioned, and I found it interesting to read about the United Nations and other superpowers. There was even a one page mention of Canada, which is something I an always ridiculously excited about.

The plot has as many action scenes as ever, but I think contrary to previous books, I enjoyed the character building scenes the most. Day and June have so much chemistry and it was clear that they truly love each other. Their relationship had its issues, but I enjoyed reading about them because they are a formidable team. Both characters have lost so much and have suffered so much, and ultimately, what happened in the end, even if it did hurt, made sense. What's right isn't always what's easy and I guess I have a lot of respect for both characters.

Champion was a great conclusion, and it didn't disappoint me. I'm satisfied with what happened, and I think that's all you can ask from a series. 5 stars, but more of a 4.5 for doing everything right. I guess the .5 left is because I felt like Champion was awesome, and definitely well done, except it missed the extra wow factor. Still, much more than a 4 star book. So rounding up to 5!

-P.E.