RATING (3:5)
DESCRIPTION
Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?
DISCUSSION
I’m still deliberating whether to give this book an average rating or something lower.
I remember reading Legend (Book 1), and giving it a perfect rating because I truly did enjoy it. However, Prodigy made me wonder what it was in the first place that captivated me with the first book. The second book was a total drag, even after the first half. I remember thinking I just wanted to finish it off so I can proceed with my TBR pile. I did not enjoy it. I lost connection with the characters and story, and that’s me anticipating reading Prodigy right after I read Legend last year. Somehow, it makes me wonder if it would have the same effect for me if I have marathon-ed the trilogy instead. There’s one tip. And here’s another: re-read the first book if wanting to read the rest of the trilogy after a long break.
On an overview, the entire premise was fairly average. Dystopian books all had these common grounds. I’ve read it too many times to even be slightly hyped. Love triangle. War. Opposing organizations. Diseases. Rebellion. Young heroes saving the day. (Hey, maybe that’s the whole “Dystopia” theme’s all about!) I say if you’re sick of the same plot over and over, move on to another. And because I have encountered so many familiar scenes/ characters, I have become immune of the twists and turns. I ended up anticipating everything. And the factor of surprise was no longer there, mainly the reason why I did not enjoy reading this book.
Many of the characters irritated me, including the two main protagonists. I can’t find any reason for their self-doubts during the first half of the book. The author seem desperate to cause some love conflicts, she even added Tess to the list of third party attention seeker. I never really remembered much from Tess during the first book, except for being the little sister she was to Day. But the change in her character was too abrupt, that it all seemed fake to me. At a side note, I do understand where her jealousy came from. But then again, I think any other person who encounters such person in un/real life would hate the girl. She sounded very immature. She’s that kind of girl who feeds out of other people’s misery. And she has the potential to be the book’s next villain. She is that selfish.
I remember precisely one dialogue from Tess. She said to Day, “You treat June differently.” I mean, seriously? Of course Day treats June differently, because he’s in love with her! Anyone who has the right mind can tell. And that, my friends, is why I did not like Tess. She sounds too immature, contrast to Day’s description of her growing up to be a lady; that she no longer was the young girl he saved in the Lake. How long was it since he was separated to Tess, anyway? All of a sudden she has this new life, this new personality, ready to flirt with Day? I simply do not understand.
Moreover, all the other characters failed to make an impression to me, including the Elector Primo or Primo Elector or Anden. I felt like the only strong characters in the story were June, Day, and Kaede. The rest have “too” choreographed personalities, or so it seemed because the author failed to add more dialogues and interaction with them. They all seem like extras at some cheap movie production.
Even Anden’s too boring to be an Elector (as how they address their leader). At first I thought more of him. Maybe smarter than he was presented. But Anden’s trust on June was a little off for me. He doesn’t deserve to be a leader if people can manipulate him, and even order him around. He seemed too soft to be a great character. In the end, it’s just June really, that struck the most. Her strong personality and her diligence carried the book all together. Seriously? I think neither Day nor Anden deserves to be with her. Day’s too insecure. And Anden’s too nice to be interesting.
Oh and don’t even get me started on the celebrity thing. That was just the most awkward, most exaggerated, and the most pointless plot ever. Everything that occurred in the book, if not all but most, happened because of Day’s popularity. Real people will be too hungry to care. Real life will be too busy trying to live to care if he lives. I think that just ripped off The Hunger Games. At least THG was televised, and people do treat the victors as celebrities. But everyone in the Republic just lived off rumors. When it comes to it, really, what did Day do to be admired by many? He wasn’t trying to rebel against the Republic, really, by stealing or doing the worst of crimes. He was actually trying to survive. He lived on the streets, so obviously he had to steal to eat. That is the most mundane ground to be a National Hero. Because if that’s the case, then we are all heros, the public’s just being bias by giving signs only to Day. I guess bottom line is, I see nothing special on him, as I have realized, in Prodigy. If I missed anything big that he did in Legend, it didn’t occur to me in Prodigy, because it wasn’t reminded. The author should have taken note that the release of Prodigy from Legend was a year apart, and many of her readers, read other books too. Whether or not Day was remarkable on Legend, he wasn’t on Prodigy. And I guess that explains much the title of the book, June being the Prodigy.
Oh but don’t worry! I’m still going to read Champion… soon.
Cheers,
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