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Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Posted by Writerlious on March 29, 2012
Posted in: Book Reviews and YA Chat. Tagged: , , , , , , . 5 comments

Book Review:  Legend, by Marie Lu

I recently had a squabble with a few other YA readers on AW about this book, so I felt the need to defend it here on my blog.  The comment that sparked the criticism:  “LOVED IT.  Legend will appeal to fans of the Hunger Games.”

The criticism was that Legend is too similar to the Hunger Games, and shares in some of the same faults (that the main characters are lacking in emotional depth).  I respectfully disagree.  While the emotional insight into the characters isn’t terribly deep, I don’t view that as a sign of bad writing, so much as a style of writing.  Hemmingway, for example, was very brief and didn’t get overly flowery or emotional.  I like vivid description and emotional writing, but I also appreciate prose that is straight-forward, especially in a fast-paced book like Legend or the Hunger Games.

Whew!  So, let’s get on to the meat, shall we?

Legend is set in Dystopian North America, in the area once known as Los Angeles.  It is now home to the Republic, a military state that rules with an iron fist.  The story opens from the point of view of 15-year-old Day, an infamous boy that has become a thorn in the Republic’s side.  The only problem for the republic?  They have no idea who he is or what he looks like.  The book is told from two points of view, alternating in each chapter.  The second chapter begins the story of June, a 15-year-old girl who is being groomed for a life of elite military service.

The two teens’ worlds collide after June’s brother (and, consequently, her parental figure) dies, and Day is pegged as the killer.  June sets off on a quest to hunt Day down and avenge her brother’s death, and Day tries to avoid the Republic’s snares.  The tension is kept up nicely throughout the work because you see the machinations and motivations behind each character and side (Republic vs. the poor & June vs. Day).  What ensues is fast-paced action with a cat-and-mouse feel to it.  Ultimately, the two teens discover a startling truth about what brought them together, and the lengths that their government will go to in order to keep the truth hidden.

Lu based Legend on Les Miserables.  I have to admit, I’m a sucker for creative retellings of the classics.  (In fact, my WIP is a loose retelling of a classic).  June’s character was originally a guy, but Lu’s husband suggested that she write the character as a girl.  After reading the book, I can honestly say that single piece of advice may have made the book.  The story is great on its own, but it’s really the romantic tension that pulls the story along between the action.

Apparently the book has already been optioned for a movie, too.  Look out Hunger Games, Legend just may be the next big thing!  I look forward to reading the next installment in the series, due out next fall.

My Rating?  4 out of 5 stars

Hunger Games Movie Review

Posted by Writerlious on March 26, 2012
Posted in: Book Reviews and YA Chat. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 18 comments

My rating: 3 ½ stars.  I liked it, but I didn’t love it (even though I wanted to).

After many months of anticipation, I finally saw the Hunger Games this afternoon.  It was a bittersweet experience.  There were elements of it that sung, and others that simply fell flat.

For those of you that haven’t read the book (Shame on you –go to Amazon and purchase it now!), the Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future, where the nation of Panem lies in what once was America.  The Capitol is the wealthy center of Panem, and the 12 outlying districts in the society are poor, and toil away to support the extravagant lifestyles of those living in the Capitol.  Each year, the Capitol holds the annual “Hunger Games,” a gladiator-like fight to the death between two “tributes” from each of the districts, publicized nationwide for all to see.  In the book, the purpose of the annual Games is to keep the inhabitants of the districts in their place, and remind them who holds the power.  The government of Panem seeks to control those its citizens through a combination of fear, hope, and (for those in the Capitol) lurid entertainment.  The government is so oppressive, and violent in its methods, that those living in the districts dare not speak out or rebel.  The Hunger Games is the story of sixteen-year-old Katniss, who finds herself a tribute in the Games, and must fight 23 other teens to the death to stay alive.

CASTING: First off, I have to give a shout out to Jennifer Lawrence, who’s from my hometown –Louisville, Kentucky.  She absolutely *made* the movie.  My one beef with the casting choice (even though Jennifer was awesome) is that I thought Katniss was a person of color –at least darker-skinned than J.Lawrence is– when I was reading the HG.  Oh, well.  Moving on…  The choice to cast Woody Harrelson as Haymitch in HG was pure gold.  They couldn’t have picked a better Haymitch –his drunken belligerence was spot-on.  President Snow and the Capitol people were all great too –very believable.  That said, I’ll get to my one casting beef –Josh Hutcherson as Peeta.  Really?  I so wanted to love Peeta like I did in the books, but this guy didn’t sell it to me.  Ooh, and the guy who played Cinna was wonderlious.  :)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Casting aside, the cinematography was great, and the movie was stunning visually.  At times, the camera tricks (making things shaky or blurry) were a bit much, but I can’t complain really.  The scenes were beautiful.

CHARACTERIZATION & FIDELITY TO THE BOOK:  Now comes my main criticism of the movie.  The characterization was pretty shallow.  I know it’s probably difficult to work in the complexities of character, and the relationships between characters, when moving from book to film, but I was left wanting more.  Examples?  Gale’s relationship with Katniss is glossed over and not even explained really.  Katniss’s role as provider for her family isn’t clear in the movie.  The incident where Peeta gives Katniss bread when she is starving (when she was younger) is shown several times, but never explained.  You don’t know from the film alone that she was starving and he possibly saved her life.  Finally, Katniss’s internal conflict over Peeta is never as apparent as it was in the book.  I felt that the lack of depth served to make many of the “moments” anti-climactic and lacking in emotional oomph.  Even the scene at the end, when they’re about to eat the poisonous berries in a Romeo & Juliet type moment, feels rushed and glossed over.

FAVORITE LINES:

“And may the odds be ever in your favor.”

“What if everyone just stopped watching?”  “They won’t”

OVERALL:  Despite my criticisms, I realize a movie can never be as good as the book.  It just can’t.  Writing can take you into the minds of the characters in a way that film simply cannot.  Even so, I can’t say that the adaptation was as good as the Harry Potter films or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  But if you’re a fan of the books, the movie is definitely still worth seeing.  I know I’ll be at the theaters shelling out my dough for a ticket when the next two make it to the big screen.

Have any thoughts on the movie?  I’d love to hear.   Just leave them in the comments.