Review: Champion by Marie Lu

Champion by Marie Lu

Steph's Rating: 5 stars

Overall: 5 stars

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Putnam Books (Division of Penguin)

Publication Date: November 5th, 2013

Pages: 369

Goodreads Synopsis:

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

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.

Steph's Review: 

There's always that bittersweet moment you feel when one of your favorite series' ends. That's been happening a lot this year. Fall and Winter 2013: At least 4 or 5 series I love have ended within weeks of each other, and it's been a lot to take in to say the least. Champion made my heart ache a little more than most other books this year though. 

I was terrified going into this book. First, there was the heart-wrenching ending to Prodigy--such a nice stage for Champion. Then Marie Lu says that this was the first time she ever cried while writing a book. If she wasn't crying while writing Prodigy, I thought something worse was going to happen in this one.  She also pointed out how much the bullet shot on the cover represented the story. I did not think the Legend tale was going to end well at this point. I did not picture an HEA anywhere in the near or far future. But more on that later in the review.

June and Day are back in the Republic, but have gone their separate ways. Day has become a revolutionary symbol to the citizens--a new hope for the Republic, as well as a military official. At the same time, he is facing a race against time to cure the infectious tumor ravaging his brain with every second. June is a new Princeps-Elect, in a competition to become the head advisor to the new Elector, Aspen. Things finally seem to be going towards the better; a peace treaty with the Colonies is in the imminent future.

When a Republic plague breaks out on the border cities of the Colonies however, all deals are off. Day, newly called back into service, and June must now find a way to prevent a definite disastrous war for the Republic. They must find a way to save the country they once revolted against, or else an even worse nation under a business-controlled government will spell catastrophe for all Republic citizens.

All I can say is that Marie Lu knows how to make her readers a big glob of mess. First is our whole Day and June situation, although I supposed where Lu takes their relationship to is just something you will have to look forward to :). Then of course is Anden. ACK that guy continuing to make moves on my June even when in Prodigy those feelings were turned down. Seriously, June and Day have plenty to worry about without a smitten Elector on their heels.

Lets do some ending talk again. Champion was definitely a phenomenal ending to the Legend series, albeit bittersweet. I actually predicted how it would end based on the infection that Day had (and also because of my friend's all caps ranting texts after she finished the book before me), so maybe I didn't feel so much of the "bitter" but more of the "sweet". The ending might not require a sob fest, but be assured that you will get teary. But unlike other bittersweet books, or just endings that are flat out tragic (I'm looking at you, Allegiant), Champion left me with a complete sense of hope for the Republic and for our characters. I'm sure that if Marie Lu decided to write another book in the Legend series set 15 years in the future, there would be an HEA conclusion to it. Unfortunately that probably won't happen, but overall you get positiveness out of this series. When you imagine the future for the characters even when there isn't a book out there to tell you, it's a happy scene.

This is packed with action and turmoil that will keep you on your toes for the entire book. Marie Lu doesn't let her readers have any sort of break, and you'll either be wallowing in the feels, pointing angry fingers, or holding your breath for dear life at any given point in the book. Outstanding ending to an equally exceptional series!