Prodigy

A Legend Novel

By: Marie Lu

Narrated by: Steven Kaplan, Mariel Stern

In the “masterful” (Los Angeles Times) second installment in the New York Times bestselling Legend trilogy, June and Day find themselves at a moral crossroads they never could have predicted.

“Thrilling action and futuristic settings are sure to please fans of Divergent.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review

After escaping from the Republic’s stronghold of Los Angeles, June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place.

With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the pair joins a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer them passage to the Colonies. The Patriots have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.

It’s the chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood?

What if the Patriots are wrong?

Critic reviews

“Marie Lu has beaten the curse with Prodigy. . . it has all the chivalry of Robin Hood and all the shine and grime of Blade Runner . . . The well-drawn worlds, political undercurrents and the believability of the characters make it all feel fresh . . . Lu proves that a book 2 needn't play second fiddle, providing intrigue and deep pleasure all its own.”—The Los Angeles Times

“Clear your calendar to allow yourself the luxury of reading this book in one or two sittings. You will be shaken . . .”—The New York Journal of Books

“Lu opts for a high simmer of intrigue in her sequel to Legend . . . taut and insightful.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Stunning follow-up to Legend . . . The thrilling action and futuristic settings are sure to please fans of Divergent.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review

Exciting Middle Installment

The sequel to Legend is so exciting- I couldn’t stop listening. It has lots of heart pounding action and veers off in unexpected directions. The audio experience was also a treat and brought the excitement to life. I think this series is right up there with Divergent, and even though I don’t read a ton of dystopia anymore I’ll always have room for this series.

When Prodigy starts out, Day and June are on the run in Las Vegas. Day is injured and they meet up with Patriot rebels who agree to help them. In exchange, they have to prove their loyalty by agreeing to assassinate the new Republic Elector. Seems like an easy decision, right? The Republic has hurt Day and June in a lot of devastating ways, and maybe it’s the right time to make a change. But things are not all black and white, and Day and June have to decide the best course of action on their own.

Day and June alternate POV again in Prodigy. I have to hand it to Lu that she kept me involved even with the introduction of new characters and through character separations. Day and June have both been through so much, and have each other’s backs, but still have a lot to learn about each other at the same time. Doubts and insecurities plague our duo this time around.

There is more information filled in about the Republic, Colonies, and Patriots and it’s eye opening to learn more about them. Even though Day and June travel to several cities, we still keep tabs on Los Angeles as well. The characters are a big part of why I love this series, though the setting certainly plays a role as well and takes on a character of it’s own in a way. And speaking of characters, Anden, Kaede and Tess play wonderful supporting roles in the story. And I especially look forward to seeing how Anden’s part develops in the next book.

I always know when I have a good audiobook on my hands because I get a cleaner house because I want to keep listening, such as the case with Prodigy. Steven Kaplan and Mariel Stern read the audiobook, and both narrators are new to me. Since I read the book Legend I already had an idea in my head of how the characters should sound. Stern lines up pretty well to how I envisioned June – she sounds like a young girl of privilege from Los Angeles. And Kaplan is outstanding as Day and nails the tone of his character. Both narrators convey emotion in their readings and make the action scenes that much more tense and thrilling. About three quarters into the book I’d barely notice the narration at all because I was so drawn in the story. I’d absolutely continue to listen to this series.

Good sequel

You leave legend wondering what happens to these two. Prodigy is a good listen, a bit slow at times and the plot lags at certain points. I am on to number three now!

Great book, below average performance

Voice direction was not it. Great story and it’s very sad that it got the performance it did. Actors did well. Not on them. But man the voice direction was very underwhelming and disappointing. The clearest example is the end of every chapter. It always sounded like it wasn’t an end. Which made the endings very unsatisfying

Great Book!

The second book is great. Thrilling, new interesting character's, twists and turns. Definitely recommend. 5 Stars.

Breathless

Would you consider the audio edition of Prodigy to be better than the print version?

Hard to say.

What did you like best about this story?

It's so emotional. Legend was a great book but Prodigy was just incredible. So moving and breath taking.

What does Steven Kaplan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He makes you love Day even more.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was very hard not to. The story line was addicting, always twisting and turning and just amazing.

Any additional comments?

I am not sure why audible released before Amazon but I am so glad they did. This book was amazing. It broke my heart worse than almost any other book ever has.