Review: Champion

Champion (Legend #3)
by Marie Lu

Plot Summary:

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: 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.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Review:

Because this is the last book in the trilogy there were a lot of things happening in the plot.  The pace of the story was wonderful and kept me completely engaged as all the issues that were raised in the second book were reaching resolution.  With June in the Republic's government, and with Day's cliffhanger issue from Prodigy, things started to get so bleak in this book that I thought for sure there was no way it could end happily!  Whether or not it did, I won't say, but I think the author crafted a very intricate ending that was pretty much perfect.

With June and Day - they have such a difficult relationship that I was glad to finally get some closure on their feelings for each other.  It's important that the author didn't make things too easy because their past histories are so complex, and I loved that they had to work to find a way to get past that.  And even with a war brewing, it still felt important that Day and June get together.  I think it's a great achievement that Marie Lu wrote a story that has a very realistic world on the brink of social and political change, but keeps the story centered on these characters and their lives.  It keeps the drama human, which is great for me because I don't really enjoy politics-heavy stories.

Throughout the series, the author has been gradually revealing what has happened to the world beyond the former United States, and in Champion, we get to see something of how the rest of the world functions and also of Antarctica which has become a major power.  Their way of life is very different from the Colonies and the Republic, and I loved the ideas behind it.  I thought it was so clever, and very astute.  I wouldn't even mind if it was a real thing too!  But obviously I don't want to give anything away, so you have to read the book!

The ending was very satisfying in it's own way, but there were times when things moved very fast and seemed a little contrived.  Not in a way that diminished my enjoyment though, but just took me out of the world a bit sometimes.  But the ending of June and Day's story was very poignant and I did tear up a little when I finally reached the last few pages.  This series was a great read, and Champion was a very intense and fitting end.

Amazon

Goodreads