Review: Legend (#1) by Marie Lu

Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 305
Publish Date: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile 
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Series: Legend
Goodreads Rating: 4.19 (170,630 ratings)

So I started reading this book after a bit of a contemporary romance kick so it was kind of hard to get in to. But when I did, holy shit was it ever good! Marie Lu's skill for developing these worlds is unreal. The Young Elites was my first book by her and it was definitely one of my top 14 of 2014.

This trilogy takes place in a world where the USA is divided into colonies and of course the "superior" union, The Republic. 
The story follows duel perspectives of Day, the infamous republic criminal, and June, the prodigy with a perfect trial score destined to follow her brothers footsteps. Their lives collide when Day is accused of murdering June's brother in a getaway attempt. 
June does as expected, fueled by grief she takes on the task of tracking Day in order to arrest him. Without a real idea of what he looks like June runs into a boy and young girl after a fight goes wrong and they help her. Only after a shared kiss does June realize that her savior is the infamous Day. 
June knows his weakness is his family, a sick younger brother, over protective older brother, and his Mother. So the arrest is set up at his mothers home, only to go all wrong, in order to draw him out Thomas, a long time friend of June's and her brothers, executes his Mother. 
His lack of empathy leads June to question everything. 

the plague - is the government creating strains that they can then fix, using their people as test subjects?

the test - fabricated to benefit those important in society

those who fail the test - do they really get sent away...or die.

and most important of all - Did Day kill her brother?

After finding the truth through files on her brothers computer and that Thomas was the only other who knew that all the government is doing is true, as well as that her parents death was no accident, her father found out about the deaths to those who fail the test and tried to get out.

With both Day and his older brother in prison and their younger brother labelled patient X with a special strain of the plague, June formulates a plan to break them out. 
it doesn't go as planned as they discover June's involvement with Day, moving his execution date up June and the patriots have to scramble to get away. And they do, but only after Day's brother John sacrifices himself, taking Day's place on the execution stand.

Now labelled a dead man, and June a fugitive, they travel together and those feelings from the first time they met come right to the surface. 
The same souls, born into two worlds, and they manage to find eachother and will fight together against the republic.