Its been awhile since there’s been a Fandom Friday up on this blog. Mostly because I’ve just been so busy. Its about mid way through the semester, and I’m trying to work on my novel, and I’m reading a TON so keeping up with those reviews is difficult but I want to keep doing this, and now that I have my three LOVELY contributors (Kat, Clarissa and Christina Marie), I’m feeling good.

For those of you who are new, or may not be familiar with the Fandom Friday, its basically this: every Friday (I try, I do), myself or a guest blogger will feature a fandom. See, I remember I was teasing someone about a book series they liked because I thought it was just downright awful. Then I remember someone doing the exact same thing to me about a book series that means a lot to me.

And I realized, we judge each other SO much, all THE TIME about the different shows and books and all that, and its just wrong. We want to believe that the stuff that we like is SO much better than what other people like. And a lot of times, its before even giving stuff a good try.

So the point of the Fandom Friday is either to teach you more about a fandom that you’re unsure of, and to show you why it means something to a particular person, or to introduce you to a new fandom that you may not have heard before. To open your mind a little bit, to new things :) I admit, its partly for my boyfriend too, who has a bit of a hard time with opening his mind to new things, especially things that aren’t “critically acclaimed”.

So I’m trying to bring this back and hopefully I can do so. If you’re interested in writing about a fandom, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to have you!

Now for this week’s Fandom Friday!

The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu

What It Is: 

The Legend trilogy is a three book dystopian series written by Marie Lu.

The books in the series are Legend, Prodigy and Champion.

I know what you’re thinking: another dystopian novel? Well, fear not, my friends, I’m bringing you what I believe to be the best of them all. And this is coming from a good place. I adore The Hunger Games trilogy and the Divergent trilogy. You all know I absolutely love them. So you know that I’m speaking the truth, and that its truly meaningful when I say that I think this is the best of them all.

The books follow the story of two main characters, and two points of views, of June and Day. June has been born into the life of an elite, scored the highest possible on her tests, and has been groomed to be the perfect military leader. Day, on the other hand, was born in the slums, scored dangerously low on his tests, and converting to a life as a criminal in order to ensure the survival of his family. Two very different people with no chance of crossing until June’s brother Metias is murdered and Day is the prime suspect. Day is on a race to keep safe, and to continue the survival of his family, and June is out for revenge for her brother’s murderer.

However, when they collide, they discover there is a lot more going on in their society than they previously had thought, and the secrets they uncover shock the both of them, and the things that the country does to keep it secret. The choice is up to them to make an unlikely alliance but they were both raised differently and it is hard to trust the different, the unfamiliar.

The first two books have already been released, and the third and final book, Champion, will be released on November 5th. I am ANXIOUSLY waiting for its arrival.

How I Found It

I have my darling friend, Erin, from That One Geek Girl to thank for that! She had read Legend, and she literally threw it in my face, telling me that I HAD to read it. I was feeling sort of anti-dystopian at the time, right at the beginning of this year, so I was unsure of trying it, but she was pushy, and so I decided to buy it.

And I sped through it. It was sooooo good and so addicting and so compelling and so unique. As soon as it ended, I was like, WHERE IS THE SEQUEL? And by my awesome luck, the sequel was releasing the next day, so I waited until midnight, downloaded it to my Kindle and spent the rest of the night (morning) reading it. And even better, the third one coming out in less than a year.

I have been able to meet Marie quite a few times this year, and she’s a seriously amazing person, super funny and inspiring, and it only makes you want to read her books more.

Why You Should Be Reading It

Like I said, I know there’s a hundred million dystopians out there, and its hard to find whats good. I know that I hear a lot of readers saying “no, please, no more dystopian.” Well, I say you break this rule for just this one series.

One main reason why I think this trilogy is incredible is because its set in Los Angeles. I’m a California girl; I’m only a quick drive away from Los Angeles. And I “love” that most dystopian books have California sunk under the sea after an earthquake and tsunami, and all of that. I love that there is so much focus, so much centralized on a place that I feel familiar with. So yes, there is that.

But its also that Marie’s world is on such a grander scope than some of those others that I’ve read. In Hunger Games, there is only Panem in what used to be the United States. What about the rest of the world? Its the same in Divergent, except even more limited to Chicago, and the surrounding areas. I do have a feeling that we are going to see a bit more of the US in Allegiant, but still, so limited. If the United States went into ruin, and had to rebuild, what happened to the rest of the world? I love that Marie addresses the rest of the world, and talks about the various different groups and societies that exist outside of the United States. I think that takes a lot more work to recognize that there are other entities out there, and other players in the game. Its brilliant, and its really what compels me so much to this world.

But I also just love the story. The story is brilliant and its different than the others. I mean, sure, usually a dystopian has a society that built itself after disaster and is run by tyrannical leaders and someone must come and take them down. And that’s true of this series as well but its not so black and white, which is where you get those two points of view. Even after so much truth and secrets are revealed, June is hard to persuade. She knows how she is raised and what she believes and how she was trained and its not easy for her to abandon it. And the same goes with Day. Although the Republic has not treated him well in the SLIGHTEST, he has been concerned of his family’s safety and surviving. Its not a heroic moment or decision for either of them to join a cause, and to fight.

I also like the two points of you makes it hard for you to decide what is right as well. You’re in both of their heads, you see how both is raised and sometimes you can’t decide who is right and who is wrong, and its all so gray. You’re never sure of what the right move is to make and that’s what keeps you reading because you’re determined to find out how this works. I still don’t have any clue how this series is going to end, because its just so twisting and turning. You just don’t know what will happen next, and its just brilliant.

She also has the ability to tell a love story without it being SUPER sappy. And no love triangles. I mean, there are tiny baby ones, but they are so inconsequential when compared to the rest of the story. You have moments where you’re fanning yourself, or you’re saying “Oh yeah, I totally ship it” but you’re never overwhelmed, and it makes it that much easier to focus on what a great story she is spinning

*       *        *        *      *

So seriously, why are you still here? You should be reading the first book now. I mean, honestly, I’m ready to pick them up, and reread them again, because now I’m getting OVERLY excited for the release of the third one in just a few weeks.

I hope you all will give this series a chance the way I did, and you’ll discover the amazing series that is.

Also, Marie is going on tour in November and December to celebrate the release of Champion, so make sure to check out the tour dates, and hopefully I’ll see you when she comes to California!

Happy Friday everyone!