Champion by Marie Lu
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.
In Legend I grew interested in both June and Day/Daniel, but there was something kind of drawing me in two completely different directions. Did I root for Day or June? I fell in love with Metias, a character I really connected to - a character I actually found myself in. Was it just the part of being an older sibling, wanting the best for your younger siblings? Because I found that in Day too - but Metias surprised me, and all though his appearance in this trilogy was short and cut away far too early, we also found him in both Prodigy and Champion. He was June’s rock, the rock she kept on leaning on for help.
In Prodigy I fell in love with Day, a boy who to me sometimes appealed to a somewhat young girl’s heart. But I also fell in love with June, a girl who grew so much before me, that I felt as if she was slipping from my fingers. So when I started Champion, I was scared, scared to let go of my characters, scared of letting go of Eden, Tess, Anden, even Thomas.
These books are amazing, the way Marie Lu leaves out some of the descriptions for us to decide. The way she actually makes me cry for a dog named Ollie, and the way she makes me laugh at the same time when his tale shakes. She makes me reflect on whether or not I have to root for one person, when these books are about so much more than just the characters themselves. I rooted for the Republic, I rooted for a beautiful ending to this beautiful trilogy, and by the end of the last pages I found myself crying. Not just because it was over, but also because it was so beautiful. The last two sentences just made it worth the while. And now, about fifteen minutes after finishing this trilogy, I think about the possibility that Day and June lives in me as a reader.
In 1029 pages, in 26 days, in 3 books, I have found a piece of courage, a piece of emotion, and a piece of excitement that I never thought I would ever find again.
★★★★★
★★★★★