3.23.2021 | Tuesday

Rebel

category: Book Reviews
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Rebeltitle: Rebel
author: Marie Lu
series: Legend #4
published: 1 October 2019
publisher: Putnam Juvenile
genre(s): action, dystopian, romance
pages: 376
source: library
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | BookBub | StoryGraph | Goodreads

rating: three-stars | series rating: four-stars

the blurb

Respect the Legend. Idolize the Prodigy. Celebrate the Champion. But never underestimate the Rebel.
With unmatched suspense and her signature cinematic storytelling, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Marie Lu plunges readers back into the unforgettable world of Legend for a truly grand finale.
Eden Wing has been living in his brother’s shadow for years. Even though he’s a top student at his academy in Ross City, Antarctica, and a brilliant inventor, most people know him only as Daniel Wing’s little brother.
A decade ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy from the streets who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. But Day is no longer the same young man who was once a national hero. These days he’d rather hide out from the world and leave his past behind. All that matters to him now is keeping Eden safe―even if that also means giving up June, the great love of Daniel’s life.
As the two brothers struggle to accept who they’ve each become since their time in the Republic, a new danger creeps into the distance that’s grown between them. Eden soon finds himself drawn so far into Ross City’s dark side, even his legendary brother can’t save him. At least not on his own . . .


my review

Rebel was the suprise 4th book in what was supposed to be the Legend trilogy. And it’s own I have very mixed feelings about. There was something poignantly wonderful about the ending of Champion, when Day and June meet each other after a decade apart from one another. Even though it’s a moment without clear answers, without a glimpse into the future, there’s something beautiful about the possibilities.

This one was Eden’s story, as he finds his own way and purpose in the world. It hasn’t been easy, being the celebrated Day’s little brother. And he has frequently chafed at the bonds that his overly protective big brother has put on him. But as the story unfolds, their relationship changes in surprising ways.

As always, I loved the world-building. There were hints of the author’s future Warcross books at the end of Champion, more fully expanded in Rebel. It’s a world that has got threads of the merit system currently being developed in China, which makes it all the more frightening with its implications.

And June and Day… while this was mainly Eden’s story, it was also June and Day’s. They’d been apart for ten years at the end of Champion, and then there was even more separation before the start of Rebel. The feeling from the end of Champion, that they were meant to be, gets lost with the neverending half-relationship, all the time apart.

So I had mixed feelings. The storyline was good, but it just didn’t have the same magic as the previous novels. Honestly, this was a take-it-or-leave it book for me. It was a good story, but it just didn’t add much to the fuller series.

About Marie Lu

I write young adult novels, and have a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, I was born in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was an Art Director at a video game company. Now I shuffle around at home and talk to myself a lot. :)

I graduated from the University of Southern California in ’06 and currently live in LA, where I spend my time stuck on the freeways.

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