I have just finished reading Champion by Marie Lu. This is the third book in her Legend Trilogy, and i have greatly enjoyed reading all three of them over the course of the past few years. This is my review of the novel. I would love to hear what you thought.
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.
I always enjoy seeing the different social systems in post-modern novels like this. I especially liked the differences between the society of the Republic and the Colonies, one of which is based upon total control by a government and the other is based upon total control by a group of companies. Another society was the Antarctican society which really interested me. It made life into a game, with points being awarded for positive actions. I would really like to see this idea explored more considering that it didn’t play a major role in Champion.
The characters in Champion continued to develop, with real growth in most of the minor characters along with the antagonistic character of Commander Jameson. Day stayed true to his roots, with a focus on taking care of his family however he managed to grow as a person and let them make decisions for themselves. June had to grow up, and balance her emotions with her responsibilities. We also gained a deeper insight into Anden and his motivations. However parts of the novel felt like both Day and June were closing themselves off and thus avoiding any possibility of a solution.
The plot of the novel flowed easily on from Legend, the book beforehand, however the relationship that developed between June and Anden felt unnecessary. There was enough subplot with Day’s personal life so the love triangle felt unnecessary. I liked how the pressure was on, and how new areas were explored in Champion, with a more world wide focus in contrast to the previous two novels.
The emotional barriers to solving the conflicts were complex. I did however feel that the physical boundaries could have been further developed, and the solution for the main physical barrier was far too easy. There were a few surprises in there, but i think it could have been made more challenging. The resolution for the novel could have easily backfired, in fact i am surprised that it didn’t.
The ending produced a very emotional reaction, however i didn’t particularly agree with or like it. The novel turned out to be much more about the relationship between June and Day than the conflict in the world around them, which i am slightly disappointed by. I would have liked to see both areas given equal attention, similar to what happened in the previous book. I especially would have liked to see more of the transformation of the Republic after the conflict was over, and i feel as if that could have been added into the ending without too much trouble.
I rate Champion by Marie Lu a 4 out of 5 as i felt it didn’t quite live up to the previous two novels in the trilogy. Be sure to check it out and tell me whether you agree. I am now on to reading Marie Lu’s The Young Elites, i look forwards to telling you about it.
Reading Through the Night 