Legend by Marie Lu

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A young adult dystopian novel, written in the tradition of The Hunger Games and Divergent, this book gives us the opportunity to see how different class warfare is understood through the eyes of teenagers, with plenty of action to keep the pages turning.

This story follows a female protagonist from a wealthy, military family, who is smart and savvy, but still immature in some ways, living on the "winning side" of the rules of society. The young man, her opposite in almost every way except for a mind that drives him play at real life like a chess tournament, and his commitment to find redemption for his family, becomes something she never expected, his mirror and his ally.

I enjoyed this story for it's emotional conviction and moral compass. These young people truly are trying to do the right things for all the right reasons, and when they discover that the truth they were told is purposely flawed, they work together to find justice. It's a tenuous task in an untenable situation.

The author does well to give readers both character's perspectives, alternating from one voice to another, allowing the reader to truly feel the apprehension and stalwart conviction through each challenge. Through their opposite experiences of power and manipulation, we easily feel the difficulty of their decisions.

I enjoyed the premise of this novel, the characters, and the moral dilemmas each of them faces, along with the rich, emotional detail of Ms. Lu's writing style. This book is the first in a series of four, and I've got the others flagged on my TBR.