Prodigy by Marie Lu
The first book in this
two-so-far-book series, Legend, was simply terrific. There was edge of your seat
suspense, characters written against stereotype, plenty of action and a touch
of electric chemistry. It was written from the point of view of two
protagonists who happened to be each other’s antagonists. It was an adrenaline
rush to find something new in the realm of the plethora of new dystopian
literature. Read the review and then read the book!
Then call it a day
because the much anticipated sequel is a hollow shadow of the original. Does
anyone read these before they are published? Seriously!
June was this amazing
fifteen-year-old prodigy who could predict ahead of everyone else, read the
intentions of others before they acknowledged their decisions themselves, and
complete impossible missions on a day to day basis. She was a convicted
professional and the reader believed. In Prodigy, June does not
display any of her superhuman intelligence or physical prowess. Everything that
made her special in the beginning is missing. There is one section where her
deductive reasoning is thrown in as a bit of an afterthought. Then it is gone
again.
Day was the number one
criminal against the Republic. He sabotaged the Republic’s missions and
weaponry. He robbed from the rich to support those in need. He was the elusive
hero… a post-apocalyptic Robin Hood. Now that June has helped him to escape
from the Republic’s firing squad, they are on the run together. And he is no
longer the man in charge. Instead, he hands himself over to the Patriots –
enemies of the Republic – and lets them take charge of the situation… After
years of refusing to join their cause. The Day of book one would never have given
over his control. He is a reclusive leader of the people.
June and Day are not
the only characters to become irritatingly, whiney shells of their former
selves. Day’s young ward, Tess, finally finds her niche among the Patriots as a
medic. But that is not good enough. Now she wants Day for herself and plants
the seeds of distrust in Day against June. The new Tess is so far off from the
original Tess that it is unbelievable. No reason for the drastic change is
shown. Besides, June and Day are uncertain of each other enough as it is.
This sequel has fallen
into the same disastrous blueprint that so many other sequels suffer from. Book
one culminated in the union of star-crossed lovers. Once the sexual tension is
overcome, or given into, the chemistry tends to disappear. There is absolutely
no chemistry whatsoever in book two. And that is almost all right. Neither
character feels themselves worthy of the other. I would almost prefer the two
to end up with their socially similar counterparts.
And finally, I have
found a deus ex machina in the form of Kaede. Her first appearance came as a
bar tender claiming to be a Patriot. Then she is a Patriot who claims the
Colonies as her place of origin. Her final incarnation comes in the form of the
best Patriot Pilot – well actually, a Colony-trained Pilot which comes in handy
when the main characters need to escape from the Colonies in a Colony jet! She
just pops up whenever she is needed and they continue to trust her for some
unknown reason. Surprise!
I’m used to ending bad
reviews with something to the effect… I don’t want to read the next volume of
the series, but I probably will anyway to see how it ends. But I honestly think
I am ready to throw in the towel. I thought I saw a grand sacrifice in the
works and was actually eager to see some real tension and suspense towards the
end of the book. But the author utterly dropped the ball. In fact, she turned
her back on it and refused to catch it. And I’m not even talking about the
horrible cliché of an ending. The only way I see this series being saved is
through the taboo. Forget a love triangle. Let’s try a threesome. Yes, I just
said it. Elector Anders is showing considerable appeal at this point. And he
certainly has a position for a true prodigy. A position the June would be an
idiot to ignore if she holds any trace of her former convictions.
Not recommended!
