Book Review: "Champion" by Marie Lu

Boy, do I hate when a book series ends. Especially when it's a series that I love, one that is compelling and well-written. So needless to say, I'm a bit bereft that Champion marks the end of Marie Lu's Legend series. I appreciate telling your story concisely, but really, Marie? Only three books?

The cease fire between the Republic and the Colonies has taken effect. Day is back to being regarded as an upstanding member of the Republic, being assigned a key military position, while June is now a high-ranking member of the government, the youngest Princeps-Elect, alongside the newly installed Elector Primo, Anden, who promises a much more benevolent and upstanding rule than his father.

But these new roles for Day and June—and the sacrifices that brought them both to this point—have taken their toll on their relationship. Day is concentrating on overseeing his brother Eden's recovery, and dealing with his own health challenges. However, their time apart is short lived, when they learn that the Colonies blame the Republic for a plague outbreak, and this threatens the peace between the two countries. And the key to finding a cure to the plague may lie within Eden, but is Day willing to yet again put one of his loved ones at risk for the sake of the Republic?

As the possibility of war hangs over their heads, threatening to destroy everything they've known, both Day and June are forced to make difficult decisions about their next steps. Should Day concentrate only on his brother's recovery and taking care of his own health, or should he continue to help the Republic fight back? Is June's path one of leadership in the government, or should she go back to being a soldier? Can their relationship truly survive knowing how much has come between them?

Champion was a terrific conclusion to this series. I've really grown to love these characters, the storylines, and the entire world that Marie Lu has created. The amount of thought that has gone into the smallest details really shows, and I truly appreciate that the characters remained fairly true to themselves the entire series. While it's hard to identify with the dystopian setting of the books, the characters aren't superhuman, so you can identify somewhat with their feelings and struggles, even if you're not facing the very destruction of your world. (At least not in the same way.)

If you've never read any of these books, you're probably wondering what in hell I'm talking about. But I'd totally recommend picking up the first book in the series, Legend, because you'd be surprised how quickly you'll find yourself drawn into this world.

I can't wait to see what comes next for Marie Lu. While I hope this is truly not the end of reading about Day and June, she is a really great writer, and I look forward to reading her future books.