Legend by Marie Lu

Day is the Republic's Most Wanted Criminal. He is known for making them look stupid, and inciting sympathy from the crowd. His appearance is unknown, his true name and history are unknown. He is a master of disguise and agility...or so the Republic would have you believe.

The Republic of America is located in Los Angeles. This is the remnants of our great civilization. They are constantly at war against the Colonies located outside the "safe sectors." The plague ravages the slum-sectors, those unable to afford the cure.
June is the Republic's rising new hope. She is the first to gain a perfect score on her Trial, the test which determines the course of your future in this new world. It measures your intelligence, agility, strategic ability, and writes your ticket to either fame and fortune. Unless you are one of the unlucky ones (like Day) who fail, and end up in labor camps. June however, has a full ride to Drake University. With her brother already a star of the Republic, her future looks bright.

That fateful day when Day returns home for a surreptitious visit, and learns that his brother has been stricken with the plague...is also the day that he decides to break into the hospital for a cure.

That is the day June's brother Metias is killed. By Day, she is told by Commander Jameson, who is her newest target. She is inducted into the Republic's army, and put on the task of finding the criminal.

She walks the streets to find him, gets caught up in a Skiz fight, and is rescued by a beautiful boy. He takes her in, and cares for her wounds, he even steals a kiss. She can hardly believe she is falling for this slum kid, until a careless move on his part sets her off. Could this be the boy she has been looking for?

He genuinely cares for this girl, but he has bigger problems. His brother still needs a plague cure, suppressants won't do much good for long. He needs to raise the money fast, and stay off the Republic's radar. The last time was too close for comfort. When they do come for him and his family, he is caught completely off guard. How did they find him? Then he sees her, the girl...

She thinks she can finally begin to heal, but things aren't adding up. Who should she believe? If only her brother were here to help. Her brother's best friend Thomas carries out brutal orders without blinking, and her opinion of him has changed. Could Day's accusation that the plague is created and released onto the population possibly be true? Is Day telling the truth about not killing her brother?

As Day's execution day draws near, the need for answers or assistance becomes imperative. Will June learn the truth before it's too late? Will she like the answers she finds? Set in the dystopian future of LA, this is a quick read, fast paced and interesting. It holds many common themes of this genre, recommended for middle and high school.

“'Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.' He looks toward the railway car's open door, where streaks of dark water blanket the world. 'You try to walk in the light,'" (Lu, 2011).

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Lu, M. (2011). Legend. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.