That being said, it looks like we’re getting a fourth Legend book almost entirely dedicated to Eden, so maybe that will change my opinion of him in the future. He is Day’s motivation throughout the story, and at times, he seems to function as nothing more than a helpless prop. The sad thing is this: Eden’s existence feels more like a plot device than anything else. Day’s younger brother, Eden, has always played a major roll in the series, but his importance was even more pronounced in this final installment. ⇢EDEN LACKS IN THE PERSONALITY DEPARTMENT. And that’s exactly what happens in Champion, and while some people will scream and rage at the unfairness of it all, I personally think that Lu crafted a beautiful ending that perfectly encompassed the series’ themes of sacrifice and hope. In real life, there isn’t always a Prince Charming waiting for you at the end of the day in fact, there might not be rainbows and unicorns and wedding bells in the picture at all. And although those endings can be satisfying, they can also feel artificial. We, as human beings, are constantly searching for that Hallmark-esque, ride-into-the-sunset “Happily Ever After” ending. ⇢THE ENDING WAS BITTERSWEET AND BEAUTIFUL.

This book is an excellent example of what instant attraction looks like sure, June and Day’s feelings for each other are quickly developed, but they have a realistic depth to them that many books do not. Day and June’s romance is layered, multifaceted, and fraught with moral dilemmas that don’t magically disappear just because they are in LOOOoOOooOvvve. But Champion proved me completely wrong – and I’m SO GLAD it did. When June and Day first met, I thought that their relationship was going to be plagued by the dreaded instalove syndrome that infects so many books in the YA genre. ⇢JUNE AND DAY’S RELATIONSHIP BECAME MORE COMPLEX AND REAL. Not only did the writing improve, but the plot matured into something that stretched beyond the average dystopian novel, subverting many of the more trite and familiar tropes. But Champion was a strong finish to a series that I ended up thoroughly enjoying, years after I first picked it up. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the glow up that this series experienced? I was pretty on the fence about Legend when I initially read it back in high school, so much so that I didn’t even bother with the subsequent books (SHAME ON ME).

Champion marie lu