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.

I'm noticing a descending trend in the number of books I'm reading but thankfully that's not the same with the number of books I'm enjoying. 2013 wasn't the best reading year but it was a year in which I read some of my all time favourite books.

5th: Champion - Marie Lu

I'm a big fan of this series. It's fast paced, action packed and contains two of my favourite characters, Day and June. It's not everyday that one reads about characters as intelligent and compatible as them. In my whole reading career, I've only read one other so it's a treat when books like this come along!

4th: Crown of Midnight - Sarah J. Maas

Something I've come to notice about myself is that I have a fascination with assassins. Crown of Midnight is a perfect example of the kind of assassins stories I like. I love this series.

3rd: Scarlet - A.C. Gaughan

Retellings! To be honest, I tend to ignore retelling despite their reappearance in popular reads. The only one I remember reading is one of Mulan and that's because Mulan is irresistible!

Scarlet on the other hand, is a retelling of Robin Hood with a twist. Robin's band includes a spunky crossdressing girl named Scarlet! Now that I think about it the resemblance to Mulan is probably why I enjoyed it so much :)

2nd: Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare

The stunning finale to Cassandra's Infernal Devices literally left me reeling. I'm still a little scarred by this one. Nonetheless, it was fantastic.

1st: The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

Eek! I've talked about this one quite a lot these past few months. It's different, set in Russia which was automatically a whiff of fresh air after the never ending supply of books set in North America. This one really opened my eyes to the fact that I could enjoy books outside of YA, I haven't found any besides this one but I think it's fun to branch out every now and again :)

P.S. Think man in army suit, now think perfect 20th century gentleman. Do you have the image in your head? Now go read this book!

Conclusion:

It's been an interesting reading year. I've read more fantasy and historical fiction, which are quite like me. I read to escape and to travel and these books are the best at doing that!

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

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Champion

Marie Lu
  November 5, 2013 

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

First of all, I absolutely LOVE this cover! It looks simple but there is so much going on and it's gorgeous. Secondly, ahhh the ending of Prodigy! I've been in love with this series ever since Legend. It is just the right blend of action, adventure, dystopia and romance. It's like a great action movie in a book. Can't wait to get this book.

What Are You Waiting On?

-MARI