Marie Lu's 'Les Miserables': Success Or Failure?

“If you want to rebel, rebel from inside the system. That's much more powerful than rebelling outside the system” (Lu 245). Legend (© 2011), a dystopian young adult fiction novel written by upcoming author Marie Lu. Before Lu became a full time writer, she was an art director for a video game company. This is a book inspired by the television show, Les Miserables. The show involved a highly skilled detective hunting down a notorious criminal. Legend is written from the perspective of two different characters with two completely different backgrounds. June, the Republic's prodigious student is finishing college at age fifteen and has her entire life set to become a high ranking military official. She was the only person to ever score a perfect
Day grew up in a poor sector and lived in the slums, where people work long labor-filled days in harsh factories and mines. After Day took the Trial, he supposedly failed and was taken away from his family. The citizens of the Republic do not know the fate of those that score poorly on their Trial. They think they are taken to work in fields, when in actuality, they are tested on. When Day was tested on, he received an eye imperfection as well as an impaired knee given to him by the cruel people who were performing the tests. Some people who assumed Day to be dead, threw him into a pile with other dead bodies. Following this, Day woke up and left the place and began living on the streets, stealing from the Republic, and never revealing his identity to anyone (including his own family). Day's parents believe him to be dead, but Day continues to steal supplies and leaves it for his siblings to find so the family has their
As June poses as a girl from a poor sector, she is injured in a fight. Coincidentally, the person she is after comes to her rescue, and Day's companion, Tess, takes care of June. June soon realizes that the person she is with is indeed Day. A plan is then set up to capture Day, without him being able to flee. Soldiers are sent and surround Day's home. Day attempts to stealthily evacuate his family from their house, but his family is then captured by the soldiers. This forces Day out of hiding as he tries to save his family. As Day attempts to resist capture, Thomas, the close friend of Metias, is ordered to kill Day's