Legend - Smoldering Storm
Legend - Smoldering Storm (English original title: Prodigy ) is a dystopian youth novel by Marie Lu from 2013. The German translation by Sandra Knuffinke and Jessika Komina was published on September 16, 2013 by Loewe Verlag. It is the second book in a trilogy; the title of the first novel is Legend - Fallender Himmel (English original title: Legend ) and the third book is entitled Legend - Burstende Sterne (English original title: Champion ).
action
Day and June travel to Los Angeles to meet the Patriots. In Vegas they hear that the elector has died; his son, Andes, immediately succeeds. The two are picked up by the rebel Kaede and negotiate a deal with the patriots: The rebels help to find Day's younger brother, Eden, and in return Day and June are supposed to help murder the new Elektor. June is deliberately caught by the Republic while Day is sent to Lamar. Before the two part, Day gives June a ring made of paper clips that she made herself. June is interrogated by Thomas and she realizes that Metias loved Thomas, which only makes her angry at Thomas. She demands to be taken to the new elector. Meanwhile, Kaede Day shows a series of tunnels leading from the colonies to the republic. June meets the Andes and is surprised that he is very different from his late father. June wins his trust so that she can lure him to the place where he is to be murdered. However, she realizes that he is falling in love with her and June begins to have doubts about the rebels' plan. She sends Day a secret signal to stop the attack. Andes wants the republic to be the way it used to be, and June is convinced he is not a threat; she repeats the signal for Day. Day, on the other hand, discovers a train carriage where a young boy is being held captive in a glass container and is reminded of Eden. He finds out that the Republic is using plague victims to use as biological weapons against the colonies. When soldiers are on the way, Day is forced to leave the boy behind. On the day of the assassination, she prevents the rebels from murdering the elector. She and Day are reunited and they must flee. They escape into one of the tunnels and barricade themselves in a bunker. After an argument, the two go to the colonies and realize that they are not as perfect as assumed. The two discover that the leader of the Patriots, Razor, works for the Republic; the Senate does not want the new elector to change anything and wants to destroy him. Kaede, June and Day flee to the Republic in a jet and just manage to land in Denver. However, Kaede is shot dead in the following shooting. The elector loses control, but Day climbs to the top of a building and wins the citizens for his side by telling them that he supports the new elector. Much of the Senate is later arrested and Day is reunited with Eden. However, Day is also informed that through the Republic experiments conducted on him when he was younger, he has an illness that will ultimately kill him. June is offered a high position in the Senate, and Day tells her to take the chance. He doesn't tell her about his deadly illness. Before she leaves, he kisses her goodbye.
reception
Sara Scribner of The Los Angeles Times wrote: “Marie Lu broke the curse with 'Prodigy'; the second book of the 'Legend' series [...] In contrast to 'The Hunger Games', where an adrenaline rush is generated by giving children a bow and arrow, the power of this series lies in the multi-layered atmospheres and in the How the characters reflect and fight about their world - and each other. With 'Legend - Smoldering Storm', Lu proves that book number two doesn't have to play second fiddle; it also offers a fascinating and deep pleasure on its own. "
Publishers Weekly wrote of the novel: “June and Day were once separated by ignorance and circumstance; now through principles and decisions. The portrayal of this dilemma is tight and profound, and while the plot remains at a high level of tension, rather than describing the usual arc, enough questions arise to drive the story forward to its painful conclusion. "
Kirkus Reviews also wrote a positive review: “The pathos of Days and June's former romance shines through without detracting from the tension of their rebellion; both the engaging plot and the entertaining character description keep interest in their fight. "
Individual evidence
- ^ Sara Scribner: In 'Prodigy,' Marie Lu burnishes her 'Legend' series. In: The Los Angeles Times . January 24, 2013, accessed December 4, 2014 .
- ↑ Prodigy. Publishers Weekley, accessed December 4, 2014 .
- ↑ Prodigy. In: Kirkus Reviews. October 31, 2012, accessed December 4, 2014 .