This stunning follow-up to Legend finds the fugitive star-crossed lovers more often apart than together, in order to carry out an assassination plot.
It's been nine days since the final events of Legend, in which June, the Republic's most celebrated prodigy, rescued Day, the Republic's most wanted criminal, from a death sentence. The story opens in Las Vegas, where June and Day seek aid from the rebel Patriots. Day, nightmare-stricken after the recent murders of his mother and brother, hunts for his plague-infected brother, Eden, and orphaned companion, Tess. Meanwhile, June tenuously forms an alliance with the Patriots despite years of being trained to hate them.
All the rules change when the Republic's Elector Primo dies, leaving his son, Anden, in charge. The Patriots' leader, Razor, offers Day surgery for his wounded leg, assistance with tracking down his brother and escape into the Colonies where freedom and opportunities await--in exchange for swearing allegiance to the Patriots. June and Day's assignment: to assassinate the new Elector Primo.
Marie Lu delves into the gray area surrounding this revolution with smoothly integrated social commentary, through chapters that once again alternate between Day and June. June sees glimmers of leadership qualities in Anden that his father didn't have. Could their mission be misguided? The thrilling action and futuristic settings are sure to please fans of Divergent. The ending sets the stage for the trilogy's finale, when everyone will be tested for the country they hope to establish. --Adam Silvera, reviewer and former bookseller