- Title: Champion
- Author: Marie Lu
- Genre: young adult, sci fi, dystopia
- Pages: 369 pages (paperback)
- Published: 5 November 2013
- Series: Legend #3
"He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.Who will be Champion?
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion."
Since every year ends with a countdown, I've decided to do a rundown of the top 5 things I liked about Champion. (Again, I am assuming you have read Legend and Prodigy. But if not, well... SPOILER ALERT!)
5. A somewhat relaxing beginning.
Unlike the first two books which welcomed its readers with lots of action and thrill, Champion's beginning was like a breather of sorts. It was a tad emotional, yes, but there were no fast-heartbeat moments, which to me was a good thing because I think that reading lots of action-y moments without pauses is not good for any reader. The pauses are what makes the action more effective after all. It was nice to see a laid back Day (but of course he has to be laid back, he has this terminal illness after all haha), a normal Republic official June, an Eden that's just a normal kid and not the property of the government, etc. Plus, we get to see the old enemies get tried and sentenced to a punishment they deserve (well, sort of).
4. A brand new enemy.
Forget the unbelievably annoying Commander Jameson because she's nothing compared to the Colonies. How? The Colonies is a whole nation, for starters. And not only that, they are a bunch of commercialized businessmen that know how to make the best out of any deal they make (i.e. bombing the Republic if the Republic does not give a cure for the plague that's affecting them). Also, their army's one tough nut to crack and they have allies that the Republic doesn't. It was interesting to see how Day and the gang try to stop the Colonies.
3. More action and thrill, of course!
Precisely. Marie Lu would not end this remarkable trilogy without a bang. What better way to do it than to drop some bombs! In this novel, I saw the Republic and the Colonies, long time rival nations, go into war. It was thrilling to see how the nations would try to outsmart each other. The Republic, for instance, tries something sneaky in order to try and outsmart the Colonies. But unfortunately the Colonies are sneaky as well. Marie Lu also managed to add some thrill by setting a strict deadline to which Day and June and the others could find a cure before the Colonies bomb everything to dust. With all these, the stakes are higher than ever before and it Champion turned out to be a very exciting book.
2. More of Day and June's "new" Earth.
I admired how Champion left boring 'ole Republic and visited another part of the world: Ross City, Antarctica! It was interesting to see the Sims-like city of Ross in Antarctica. Apart from that, more of the world's history was added (i.e. how the world changed after the floods, how the Republic and Colonies were formed). It was like the feeling of playing a game where there are side quests you can do apart from the main game. I felt like I went on a bookish side-quest haha. Also, it was relaxing to leave the chaotic Republic for once. It was like a breath of fresh (and cool, Antarctica, remember?) air.
1. THAT ENDING THOUGH
Oh my, never have I read such a bittersweet ending. Apart from the sad feelings, I thought that the ending was beautifully crafted and thought of. Even though it may be bittersweet, I though it was perfect. None of the characters I'm rooting for died, so that was a huge relief. (This doesn't count as a spoiler since you don't know who I am rooting for :P) As usual, no spoilers here so I can only say this much, and always remember the wise words of Uncle Jude. If you want to know what I am talking about, give the book a try! :)
Champion ended the series so beautifully for me that is why I am giving it 5 stars! Totally worth the read!
So... I guess that's it for this review, this series, and for 2014! *cue Auld Lang Syne background song* Before I end this post though, I thought that I'd like to end this post with a meaningful message. Haha. Now don't get teary-eyed there. I just want to share with you the things I've learned this past year. I know that some of them I should have known a long time ago, and some I learned the hard way, but it wasn't always that bad. I hope that you'd get to learn something too, or at least just so you could have someone you could relate with. Maybe we had the same realizations. Who knows? So without further ado, here are some things I learned this 2014.
- To start off, I learned that burned bridges can be rebuilt. Those ashes still have their value, so don't get rid of them just yet. Those ashes could hide some parts that were spared from when you burned that bridge, enough to make a small bridge again. Overtime, you could add your own parts to the bridge, and may even end up making a bridge as big as before, or even bigger! I'm talking about relationships, alright?
- I learned the basic street smarts that I can use when commuting to my Uni! (i.e. which part of the MRT to ride on. Yes, I think of those small details too.)
- I learned that graduating doesn't mean saying goodbye forever. Heck, my high school friends and I have been meeting every month since we graduated! XD
- I learned to be humble. Or at least, I think I got the hang of it... you decide, please.
- I learned how to make friends, after four years of being with the same group of classmates. It actually isn't that bad! You just have to wear a smile on your face and think, say, and do positive. There's actually nothing wrong in approaching someone for the first time in college! Everybody does that, basically, since we have different classmates of different degrees and year levels every subject every sem!
- I learned that bottling up your emotions is a terribly bad mistake. You should let it out every once in a while, and let the person concerned with why you are feeling that way know. Let them know, but let them know calmly and explain clearly. The more calm you are, the more easy it is to understand you. It's hard bottling up your emotions because you might explode one day. Releasing a little every time is better than exploding all at once.
- I learned that I could actually cut the small, unimportant pleasures (i.e. in my case, merienda food I pass by in/on the way home from school) and save up little by little. I was surprised to see my savings rise after cutting down on that Pancit Canton + Calamares combo that I oh, so love to buy in school. Not only was I saving, I was also doing my well-being a favor by not eating too much oily and preservative-loaded food (see above: Pancit Canton + Calamares combo) and besides, it's time I went on a diet haha.
- I learned that in college, free time does not mean leisure time. It means study time. Free time = study time. I clearly wasn't informed when I signed up for this hahaha.
- Ironically, I also learned that studying all the time is not good. Give yourself some alone time every once in a while to clear your mind and relax, or else you could go craaazy.
- I learned to be grateful. Every one of us should show gratitude to even the simplest of good deeds someone does for us.
- Lastly, I learned to be happy with what I already have. This year has been rough for me, to tell you honestly, (but much better than last year!) and magically I had more time for myself. During these times, I reflect. And I somehow learned (and still am learning) how to be happy by finding the joy in what I already have. It really helped me during those sinful envy moments. And I hope you do, too. If there was one piece of advice from 2014 that I could give, it is this: be happy with what you have, and don't let envy get in your way. I personally believe that just being jealous of someone else and using that someone as a motivation to do better are completely different sides. Stick to the motivation side.
Those are only some of the countless things I learned this 2014. I hope I made some sense haha. I also hope that you got to learn a thing or two too during this year and from my learnings. Wanna share anything with me? Comment below! From the bottom of my heart, I am wishing you a Happy New Year and I hope you have a fantastic 2015! See you next year on my next post! I propose a toast to bidding an experience-filled 2014 goodbye and for a 2015 that is much, much better! Cheers! *klink*
Happy 2015!
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