Rebel by Marie Lu- A sequel I hadn’t expected to read but loved anyway

Rebel by Marie Lu

Rating: 4.5/5

Publication Date: October 1st, 2019

Respect the Legend. Idolize the Prodigy. Celebrate the Champion. But never underestimate the Rebel.

With unmatched suspense and her signature cinematic storytelling, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Marie Lu plunges readers back into the unforgettable world of Legend for a truly grand finale.

Eden Wing has been living in his brother’s shadow for years. Even though he’s a top student at his academy in Ross City, Antarctica, and a brilliant inventor, most people know him only as Daniel Wing’s little brother.

A decade ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy from the streets who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. But Day is no longer the same young man who was once a national hero. These days he’d rather hide out from the world and leave his past behind. All that matters to him now is keeping Eden safe―even if that also means giving up June, the great love of Daniel’s life.

As the two brothers struggle to accept who they’ve each become since their time in the Republic, a new danger creeps into the distance that’s grown between them. Eden soon finds himself drawn so far into Ross City’s dark side, even his legendary brother can’t save him. At least not on his own

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So as you can see from my WRAP-UP I met Marie Lu in October and did a re-read of the Legend trilogy. I forgot how much I loved the trilogy and it was so nice revisiting it as if it was the first time. ANYWAY, without further ado here are my thoughts about this sequel! (Obviously, spoilers about the original trilogy might come up… so beware?)

When I first heard about this book, I was really surprised and confused because from what I did remember of the ending of Champion, I really liked the bittersweet somewhat open-ended ending. However, I wanted to read this anyway and I was so pleasantly surprised. It was a classic Marie Lu wrap-up (not counting The Young Elites because that was tragic and beautiful in its own way).

The way this story was going reminded me a lot of Big Hero 6, which is AWESOME but also I was VERY SCARED ABOUT MY FEELINGS.

What I liked about this book was that it wasn’t about Day and June. Don’t get me wrong, I love Day and June. i would absolutely die for Day and June… but I’m also a sucker for a beautiful family relationship story. This was the story about Eden and Daniel’s relationship. It was about siblings and friendships and understanding.

This was told in the dual POV of Eden and Daniel. I didn’t get to know Eden that much in the OG trilogy even though everything happened because of him….but he’s the main character in this one and I really fell in love with his character! He grew up so much and he became a favorite of mine.

I loved the nods to Warcross in this one, especially since this was centered in Ross City, Antarctica where the whole Levels system was in place. I’m a sucker for morally grey things and this one had a lot of political grey stuff that I LOVE. SO. JUICY.

The villain, Hann, was honestly so intriguing. I found myself agreeing with his mentality, though everything was so grey. I could see why he was doing what he did and why he believed it.

The plot reminded me of Spider-Verse and Big Hero 6 and I loved it! The brotherly relationship was absolutely beautiful. Sibling relationships are my JAM. I loved the character development and honestly, even though I went into the book not knowing whether I would enjoy it, I really really enjoyed this.

If you enjoy political intrigue, strained sibling relationships, war, morally grey characters, love and friendship, video games, and precious beautiful characters this is definitely the book for you! If you’re thinking “Oh my gosh, I love Day and June why isn’t June a POV?” then still, read this book because I PROMISE there’s something for the Day/June stans!