Champion Reaction and Review
So, since Champion is the third book in the Legend series, if you are reading this you either have read Prodigy or you don't plan to read the series, in which case, you should seriously reconsider giving this series a chance because it was AMAZING.
I say this because I will be also talking about some of the things that were in Prodigy. Of course, there will be spoilers present.
"What can I say, I’m a writer — I enjoy forcing pain and suffering on my characters!"-Marie Lu in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
My rating: 8 / 10
I said it last night and I'll say it again. MARIE LU, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?!?
A summary:
Ok, so the book begins a few months after the ending of Prodigy. Day and June are not together after the break-up-ish thing at the end of Prodigy and June still doesn't know that Day is dying. June is one of Anden's Princeps Elect and Day is living with Eden and Lucy, a caretaker assigned to help take care of Eden, as Day is now dying. The Colonies and the Republic were having peace talks until the Colonies blamed the Republic for a disease that was spreading in their country. The Colonies give the Republic a few days to find the cure for this disease before they start a war. In order to try to find the cure, Anden asks June to request Day's attendance to an emergency banquet, so they can ask Day to use Eden to find the cure. With his sick hippocampus, Day's headaches have been much worse, and after returning to his apartment, he is taken to the hospital. Nobody else knew that Day was dying until he was rushed to the hospital, not allowing for secrecy. Commander Jameson and Thomas are put on trial, both sentenced to death by firing squad. Thomas' last request is that he talks to June and she goes to his cell, where he tells her everything that happened the night that Metias died. June hears about Day from Anden after he gets a call that Day was taken to the hospital. Day is told that he has one or two months left to live and the doctors are trying to partially fix his hippocampus with medication to make the surgery a little less risky. Commander Jameson, Thomas and some other prisoners escape their cells and disappear. Eventually, when Eden finds out that the Republic wants him to help find a cure, he volunteers himself, saying that it is his choice, not Day's. Day returns home and June goes to his apartment and they go to dinner. All that feels-y stuff happens. "Why didn't you tell me?" and "I didn't want to burden you." Gah, the feels! Their dinner gets interrupted by the city's alarms going off, telling people to "Seek Cover." The Colonies end up taking Denver and the people are moved to Los Angeles. Anden and June meet in the hotel they're staying in and Anden confides in June, eventually leading to a kiss, which is then followed by awkwardness. June tells him that she cannot continue her training to become his Princeps Elect and he accepts her decision. Day and Tess discuss their relationship and Tess apologizes for leaving Day and going back to the Patriots in the battle. Day tells her that he loves her, but not the way that she wants him to. Tess tells Day that her liking him was only a part of the reason why she loves him, since he was the only one who paid her any attention when they were on the streets. Since the new disease was going around, everyone was tested and cleared except for Tess. Eden is being tested so the scientists can develop a cure and prevent a war. Day goes to June's apartment at some point and they end up...yeah. More feels. She knows that this is not helping her let go of him and Day wants her to tell him that she doesn't love him. Day wakes up in the early morning and sneaks off to his old house in Lake sector but June follows him, even though she knows where he's going. Day ends up going inside the house and sits down at the kitchen table to cry because being with June reminds him of everything that happened to his family. More feels. Political things happen and Day, June, and Anden come up with the idea of a false surrender to buy them more time to find the cure. Day, Pascao and the Patriots go to an airfield to cripple the Colonies' planes. The two end up getting shot at and are saved by Thomas, who then dies. The scientists realize that Eden was not ground zero for the new disease and June realizes that she is because the Colonies' nurse had injected her with something when she had collapsed in Tribune City. She gets some tests done, while Day, Pascao and some other Patriots plant bombs at the airship landing docks, to try to delay the Colonies' landing there. The plan was for Day to announce his false support for the Colonies, while instead calling the people to fight. The Chancellor of the Colonies instead requests that Day make the announcement from on board his airship. Day calls the people to fight and escapes the airship. June was close enough to ground zero, that the scientists were able to find a cure that worked and gave some to Tess. The city is now under attack and the hospital is in the process of being evacuated. Some Colonies soldiers are shooting from the rooftops across the street as people are trying to leave the hospital. June goes up to the roof, injuring but not killing the soldiers and sees Commander Jameson shooting at people. June is watching Day make his way to Eden from the roof and sees him get shot twice by Commander Jameson. They fight and Commander Jameson is shot by soldiers on the ground and falls off the room after June shot at her and missed. June runs to Day and prays/wishes that Day will be okay and that she would be okay with anything else that happened as long as Day lived. The doctors perform the surgery on his hippocampus because he won't be able to finish the medication. Day stays in a coma for five months and Tess and June become closer friends, once Tess finally tells June that Day really loves her and to take good care of him. Day talks to his mother's ghost/spirit/whatever is was and she tells him that it isn't his time yet. He wakes up but doesn't remember June because the hippocampus controls memories. June is sad and I was near crying, but sees this as her prayer/wish being answered and knows that this is best for him because he isn't pained by what she did anymore. She lets him go, and Day and Eden move to Antarctica because Eden was offered an education. Ten years pass. June briefly talks about her previous birthdays, as the present day is her birthday. She did have a relationship with Anden but broke it off because he is always going to be her Elector. June reads on the Jumbo-Trons that Day and Eden are back in town for Eden's job interview. June runs into them on the street and Eden recognizes her but Day only shows some recognition. Day is still wearing the paper clip ring that June had made at the beginning of the book. A whole ten years later and he still wears the ring even though he doesn't remember her. If that doesn't give you feels, I don't know what will. He tries to place her, asking if they met before but June denies it. She starts to walk away and Day comes running to her, insisting that they had met and that he felt like she was the piece of him that has been missing all these years. More feels. June only continues, saying that with time, they might become friends again.
Ok, so that wasn't really a summary, more like an overview of the whole book. I even took some stuff out too.
SO. MANY. FEELS. I can't get over the ending. Ten years and he didn't remember June. Ten years he wore that paper clip ring. The missing piece. *sobbing*
I rated Champion 8 out of 10 because it was SO good but there were some things that I wish were different. For example, the beginning wasn't as fast paced as I would have like it to be and there was enough political things that made it kind of hard for me to follow. Still, SO GOOD.
Thomas' death. I can't help but wonder why Thomas escaped prison, just to die at the airship base, still loyal to the Republic. If he was so loyal, why didn't he just not escape or turn himself in? At least he saved Day and Pascao, but I still don't like him.
Tess. Poor Tess, but she's okay with Day and June being together, in the middle of the book at least, because Day really cares about June.
Anden. The boy king of the Republic. I feel bad for him because he has so much responsibility and he's not much older than June. And unlike her, he can't step away from his responsibilities.
The paper clip ring. *sobbing*
The ending. Marie Lu, you have joined the ranks of J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Rick Riordan, John Green, and Veronica Roth in my book of authors who destroy your feels.
~Jasmine
I say this because I will be also talking about some of the things that were in Prodigy. Of course, there will be spoilers present.
"What can I say, I’m a writer — I enjoy forcing pain and suffering on my characters!"-Marie Lu in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
My rating: 8 / 10
I said it last night and I'll say it again. MARIE LU, WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?!?
A summary:
Ok, so the book begins a few months after the ending of Prodigy. Day and June are not together after the break-up-ish thing at the end of Prodigy and June still doesn't know that Day is dying. June is one of Anden's Princeps Elect and Day is living with Eden and Lucy, a caretaker assigned to help take care of Eden, as Day is now dying. The Colonies and the Republic were having peace talks until the Colonies blamed the Republic for a disease that was spreading in their country. The Colonies give the Republic a few days to find the cure for this disease before they start a war. In order to try to find the cure, Anden asks June to request Day's attendance to an emergency banquet, so they can ask Day to use Eden to find the cure. With his sick hippocampus, Day's headaches have been much worse, and after returning to his apartment, he is taken to the hospital. Nobody else knew that Day was dying until he was rushed to the hospital, not allowing for secrecy. Commander Jameson and Thomas are put on trial, both sentenced to death by firing squad. Thomas' last request is that he talks to June and she goes to his cell, where he tells her everything that happened the night that Metias died. June hears about Day from Anden after he gets a call that Day was taken to the hospital. Day is told that he has one or two months left to live and the doctors are trying to partially fix his hippocampus with medication to make the surgery a little less risky. Commander Jameson, Thomas and some other prisoners escape their cells and disappear. Eventually, when Eden finds out that the Republic wants him to help find a cure, he volunteers himself, saying that it is his choice, not Day's. Day returns home and June goes to his apartment and they go to dinner. All that feels-y stuff happens. "Why didn't you tell me?" and "I didn't want to burden you." Gah, the feels! Their dinner gets interrupted by the city's alarms going off, telling people to "Seek Cover." The Colonies end up taking Denver and the people are moved to Los Angeles. Anden and June meet in the hotel they're staying in and Anden confides in June, eventually leading to a kiss, which is then followed by awkwardness. June tells him that she cannot continue her training to become his Princeps Elect and he accepts her decision. Day and Tess discuss their relationship and Tess apologizes for leaving Day and going back to the Patriots in the battle. Day tells her that he loves her, but not the way that she wants him to. Tess tells Day that her liking him was only a part of the reason why she loves him, since he was the only one who paid her any attention when they were on the streets. Since the new disease was going around, everyone was tested and cleared except for Tess. Eden is being tested so the scientists can develop a cure and prevent a war. Day goes to June's apartment at some point and they end up...yeah. More feels. She knows that this is not helping her let go of him and Day wants her to tell him that she doesn't love him. Day wakes up in the early morning and sneaks off to his old house in Lake sector but June follows him, even though she knows where he's going. Day ends up going inside the house and sits down at the kitchen table to cry because being with June reminds him of everything that happened to his family. More feels. Political things happen and Day, June, and Anden come up with the idea of a false surrender to buy them more time to find the cure. Day, Pascao and the Patriots go to an airfield to cripple the Colonies' planes. The two end up getting shot at and are saved by Thomas, who then dies. The scientists realize that Eden was not ground zero for the new disease and June realizes that she is because the Colonies' nurse had injected her with something when she had collapsed in Tribune City. She gets some tests done, while Day, Pascao and some other Patriots plant bombs at the airship landing docks, to try to delay the Colonies' landing there. The plan was for Day to announce his false support for the Colonies, while instead calling the people to fight. The Chancellor of the Colonies instead requests that Day make the announcement from on board his airship. Day calls the people to fight and escapes the airship. June was close enough to ground zero, that the scientists were able to find a cure that worked and gave some to Tess. The city is now under attack and the hospital is in the process of being evacuated. Some Colonies soldiers are shooting from the rooftops across the street as people are trying to leave the hospital. June goes up to the roof, injuring but not killing the soldiers and sees Commander Jameson shooting at people. June is watching Day make his way to Eden from the roof and sees him get shot twice by Commander Jameson. They fight and Commander Jameson is shot by soldiers on the ground and falls off the room after June shot at her and missed. June runs to Day and prays/wishes that Day will be okay and that she would be okay with anything else that happened as long as Day lived. The doctors perform the surgery on his hippocampus because he won't be able to finish the medication. Day stays in a coma for five months and Tess and June become closer friends, once Tess finally tells June that Day really loves her and to take good care of him. Day talks to his mother's ghost/spirit/whatever is was and she tells him that it isn't his time yet. He wakes up but doesn't remember June because the hippocampus controls memories. June is sad and I was near crying, but sees this as her prayer/wish being answered and knows that this is best for him because he isn't pained by what she did anymore. She lets him go, and Day and Eden move to Antarctica because Eden was offered an education. Ten years pass. June briefly talks about her previous birthdays, as the present day is her birthday. She did have a relationship with Anden but broke it off because he is always going to be her Elector. June reads on the Jumbo-Trons that Day and Eden are back in town for Eden's job interview. June runs into them on the street and Eden recognizes her but Day only shows some recognition. Day is still wearing the paper clip ring that June had made at the beginning of the book. A whole ten years later and he still wears the ring even though he doesn't remember her. If that doesn't give you feels, I don't know what will. He tries to place her, asking if they met before but June denies it. She starts to walk away and Day comes running to her, insisting that they had met and that he felt like she was the piece of him that has been missing all these years. More feels. June only continues, saying that with time, they might become friends again.
Ok, so that wasn't really a summary, more like an overview of the whole book. I even took some stuff out too.
SO. MANY. FEELS. I can't get over the ending. Ten years and he didn't remember June. Ten years he wore that paper clip ring. The missing piece. *sobbing*
I rated Champion 8 out of 10 because it was SO good but there were some things that I wish were different. For example, the beginning wasn't as fast paced as I would have like it to be and there was enough political things that made it kind of hard for me to follow. Still, SO GOOD.
Thomas' death. I can't help but wonder why Thomas escaped prison, just to die at the airship base, still loyal to the Republic. If he was so loyal, why didn't he just not escape or turn himself in? At least he saved Day and Pascao, but I still don't like him.
Tess. Poor Tess, but she's okay with Day and June being together, in the middle of the book at least, because Day really cares about June.
Anden. The boy king of the Republic. I feel bad for him because he has so much responsibility and he's not much older than June. And unlike her, he can't step away from his responsibilities.
The paper clip ring. *sobbing*
The ending. Marie Lu, you have joined the ranks of J.K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Rick Riordan, John Green, and Veronica Roth in my book of authors who destroy your feels.
~Jasmine
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