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* MultiEthnicName: The half-European half-Mongolian Day has the full name Daniel Altan Wing. His brothers, meanwhile, are John Suren Wing and Eden Baatar Wing.
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''Legend'''s film rights have been sold to CBS Films, with ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen set to produce. Creator/JonathanLevine was set to direct the film but eventually departed. The project appears to have slipped into DevelopmentHell.
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trope about IU colorism
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* ButNotTooBlack: Day is half-Asian and half-white but is described as having blond hair and blue eyes.
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* RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler:Day and June hook up for good in ''Rebel'', after having been separated for ten years. At the end of the book, the two are engaged.]]
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* TheyDo: [[spoiler:Day and June hook up for good in ''Rebel'', after having been separated for ten years. At the end of the book, the two are engaged.]]
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In a dystopian future, the USA is divided into two rival nations: "The Colonies of America" and "The American Republic". Every year, all 10-year-olds of the Republic must go through the "trial". Those who are successful move on to the the best schools and universities, usually followed military and government careers. Less satisfying results lead to a life of poverty, or worse.
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In a dystopian future, the USA is divided into two rival nations: "The Colonies of America" and "The American Republic". Every year, all 10-year-olds of the Republic must go through the "trial". Those who are successful move on to the the best schools and universities, usually followed by military and government careers. Less satisfying results lead to a life of poverty, or worse.
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* OneNationUnderCopyright: Instead of the Colonies being the glorious utopia they thought it'd be is this, being run by four corporations that own every aspect of the government and charge for every service such as the police.
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Tropes misuse, Worthy Opponent is about how someone respects their enemy and considers them to be an equal
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* WorthyOpponent: The Republic hadn't even the slightest hint as to Day's identity or whereabouts for years. Enter June.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/legend_trilogy.jpg]]
A series of {{dystopia}}n [[YoungAdultLiterature Young Adult novels]] written by American author Creator/MarieLu.
In a dystopian future, the USA is divided into two rival nations: "The Colonies of America" and "The American Republic". Every year, all 10-year-olds of the Republic must go through the "trial". Those who are successful move on to the the best schools and universities, usually followed military and government careers. Less satisfying results lead to a life of poverty, or worse.
The story is told in dual perspective, narrated by the two 15-year-old leads: Day, a boy from the poor, plague-ridden sectors of LA and a wanted criminal turned ''legend'', and June, a prodigy born into one of the Republic's elite families, and the only person in the history of the Republic to receive a perfect score on her trial.
Their paths cross when June's brother, Metias, is killed on a military patrol. The blame falls on Day, and June vows to capture and bring him to justice. She sets out to the poor sectors, disguised as a street rat, in pursuit of Day. Their encounter sets off a chain of events that inevitably changes their lives, and the fate of both nations.
The series was originally envisioned as a trilogy (see the page image). However, Lu ultimately decided to revisit the series and wrote another entry, [[TrilogyCreep turning it into a tetralogy]] consisting of:
* ''Legend'' (2011)
* ''Prodigy'' (2013)
* ''Champion'' (2013)
* ''Rebel'' (2019)
There are also three novellas:
* ''Life Before Legend'' (2013)
* ''Life After Legend'' (2018)
* ''Life After Legend II'' (2018)
''Legend'''s film rights have been sold to CBS Films, with ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen set to produce. Creator/JonathanLevine was set to direct the film but eventually departed. The project appears to have slipped into DevelopmentHell.
----
!!The trilogy contains examples of:
* ActionGirl:
** June. The Republic's prodigy, trained in combat from a young age. In her first narration, she clues the readers into having skipped class to climb a skyscraper.
** Kaede also qualifies.
* AfterActionHealingDrama:
** At the beginning of ''Prodigy'', when Day and June are on the run from the Republic, one of their biggest concerns is finding a way to fix Day's leg.
** Later in that same book, after Anden's foiled assassination, June collapses from illness when she and Day flee to the underground tunnels, and he's forced to carry her all the way through to the Colonies so that they can find her a hospital.
* AfterTheEnd: The Colonies and the Republic are located in what used to be the United States. On a global scale, the End is the global warming that melted the polar icecaps, which had submerged certain areas and certainly changed the demographic and sociopolitical situation, but it's by no means ''the'' End.
* AmnesiacLover: [[spoiler: The ending of ''Champion'' has a cruel one between Day and June: due to the fatal shot, the former remembers everything ''but'' his relationship with June. And unlike other examples, June decides that it may be best for them to part ways for good. However, the epilogue implies that Day eventually regains his memories, something confirmed in the ''Life After Legend'' novellas.]]
* ArtificialLimbs: In ''Prodigy'', Day has to get a part of his leg replaced, after being shot in ''Legend''. They replace his bad knee (damaged by Republic experiments when he was 10) while they are at it.
* BattleCouple:
** Day and June by the end of ''Legend''.
** Elector Primo and his wife, who served as Senator Princeps, used to be this back when she was alive, as well. In fact, it seems that their relationship had cemented the tradition that the Elector and Senator Princeps are couples, causing [[spoiler: June's brief dilemma when Anden offers her the Princeps position.]]
** ''Rebel'' features [[spoiler:Eden and Pressa.]]
* BigBad: Each book has a different one.
** ''Legend'' has the Republic's top brass and by extension the Elector, who directs the tests and Day's torture. Thomas serves as a personal one for Day, as he's responsible for framing him as Metias' killer, which means that he's indirectly also one to June.
** [[spoiler:Razor]] serves as the main antagonist of ''Prodigy'', being TheMole who manipulates the Patriots into working for the Republic.
** Finally, the Chancellor of the Colonies serves as the main antagonist of ''Champion''.
** Dominic Hann is the visible villain of ''Rebel'' However, both Day and Eden note that Antarctica's flawed societal system is more to blame for the book's events, rather than any single person.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** Metias to June, since he has been basically raising her since they're parents died.
** Also Day to both Tess and Eden. Heck, the whole plot of ''Prodigy'' is basically to show how far Day would go to rescue [[spoiler: his only living family]].
** John to Day as well, whose instinct consists of [[spoiler: being captured and executed in place of his brother.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: After June's skiz fight with Kaede, she's cornered by an angry mob, made up of the gamblers who lost money betting against her. Enter Day.
* BittersweetEnding:
** As of the end of ''Legend'', [[spoiler: Day has been saved from execution, but his mother is dead, his older brother John dies while taking Day's place in the execution, and his younger brother Eden is in the hands of the Republic]]. Also, [[spoiler:after saving Day, June has become a fugitive, while her brother's killer, Thomas, walks free]].
** By the end of the ''Prodigy'', it seems like things will finally pick up for [[spoiler:the Republic after Anden takes over as elector. Both Day and June have been pardoned, with Day being hailed a hero, and June being offered the role of Princeps-Elect. Eden has been freed and is receiving medical treatment]]. However, Day and June [[spoiler: have not worked out through any of their issues]]. Eden might be permanently [[spoiler: blind]] and in the final chapters [[spoiler: Day discovers that he is dying, which prompts him to break up with June, leaving both of them heart broken.]]
** By the end of ''Champion'' [[spoiler: the war has finally come to an end and the Republic and Colonies, while not reunited, are slowly mending their differences and beginning to build border cities to cement it. Eden is also able to regain his sight due to a surgery provided by Antarctica. However, Day's almost-fatal shot has erased his memories of the last several months, including his relationship with June. While heartbroken, she's glad that he survives and decides to leave him for 10 years. Nevertheless, the epilogue puts some hope that the two may recreate their relationship back]].
* BoomHeadshot: How [[spoiler: Thomas kills Grace Wing.]] Later, [[spoiler: he himself suffers the same fate.]]
* TheBrute: Kaede. She's very tall, and is described by Day as "hitting like a bull".
* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler: The only confirmed LGBT characters, Metias and Thomas, are dead by the end of the series.]]
* ButNotTooBlack: Day is half-Asian and half-white but is described as having blond hair and blue eyes.
* ButNotTooForeign: Both Day and Anden are half-white and half-Asian. In the former case, the Asian part is known (Mongolian), while in the latter, the white part can be guessed (presumably Greek).
* ChildProdigy:
** June is the only child in the history of the Republic to get a perfect score on her trial [[spoiler: or so we think]]. Her status as prodigy is so much a recurring theme that the second book is even ''named Prodigy''.
** We later learn that [[spoiler: Day did just as well on his trial, but it was covered up by the Republic]].
** Eden, Day's younger brother, is described as the smartest member of the family- which says a lot, considering. In one particular example, Day and John asked him to help them fix an old radio. He was four at the time.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Day gets this after he's caught by the Republic. Especially from Thomas.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The Elector Primo, who has been running the Republic for decades, largely responsible for the rotten state its in. In ''Prodigy'', [[spoiler: this changes when he dies, and his son Anden takes his place as Elector]].
* CrapsackWorld: The Republic, where if you're not born privileged or rich means a horrible, horrible life for you and your entire family and where you'll be sent to labor camps [[spoiler: or rather death camps]] if you're not merited enough for military [[spoiler: or even if you're merited but considered to be too rebellious]]. The entire world as a whole seems to be this at first, judging by June's comments about sea level rising due to the melting polar icecaps; June mentions that South America has broken down into a series of islands. [[spoiler: Subverted in the later two books, where it's revealed that only the United States is crapsack. Other countries are doing fine; Mexico and Canada still exist, the melting icecaps had turned Antarctica into a habitable zone, China is devising a plan to live above water, and Africa is growing richer due to the flow of capital coming from Europe, which had in many places become submerged. In fact, Africa is one of the three world powers, together with Antarctica and China.]]
* CrapsaccharineWorld:
** The Colonies. [[spoiler:As it turns out, all the capital and shining buildings are built due to strict corporatism, where your life depends solely on your company.]]
** Antarctica is revealed to be this in ''Rebel''. [[spoiler:Despite what the higher-ups tell, it is a textbook example of a developing country, in that there is a very wide gap between the rich and poor. The Level system is extremely flawed and disproportionately targets the underprivileged. As June notes, it's basically the Republic with a good PR and less military.]]
* DarkActionGirl: Commander Natasha Jameson.
* DisappearedDad: Day lost his father to a war with the Colonies.
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Day in the climax of ''Champion''. Complete with June's PleaseWakeUp and his near-death experience.]]
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Jameson suffers this fate in ''Champion'', just to make sure that she dies if not from the gunshot wound.]]
* DistantEpilogue: [[spoiler: The epilogue of ''Champion'' takes place 10 years after the Colonies' invasion.]]
* DividedStatesOfAmerica: The story takes place with America being divided east to west: the dystopian Republic [[spoiler:where the ghetto sectors are used for plague testing]] and the Colonies, which are suggested to be a shining utopia. In ''Prodigy'', [[spoiler: it is discovered that the Colonies is a heavily consumer dominated, corporate police state]].
* TheDragon: Commander Jameson.
* {{Dystopia}}: The United States is split in two again for the second time in history, with the main characters living in the nightmarish military-based Republic.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After a lifetime of suffering, [[spoiler:Day and June decide to move together to Los Angeles at the end of ''Rebel''. The book is closed with Day proposing to June near the place where they first met.]]
* GenkiGirl: Tess, though she temporarily stops being one in ''Prodigy'' when [[spoiler:she becomes jealous of Day's and June's relationship]]. She is back as this by the time ''Champion'' comes around.
* GreaterScopeVillain: The Chancellor of the Colonies serves as one for the first two books thanks to being the leader of the opposite side but not actually figuring much to the plot. He steps down as the BigBad in ''Champion''.
* HufflepuffHouse: [[spoiler: China is this among the world powers, being the only one not to take sides during the Colonies' invasion.]]
* InSeriesNickname: Day rarely goes by his real first name, Daniel [[spoiler: until the epilogue]]. June's AffectionateNickname from Metias is "Junebug".
* InspectorJavert: Thomas shares many character traits with Javert, including a strict separation of right and wrong (in his own opinion), being born and raised in the slum districts of Los Angeles (the same place as Day, but while Day uses his childhood as proof that the government is working against poor residents, Thomas uses his experience as proof of the benefits of hard work and obedience, a la "The Confrontation" in Les Mis), and most importantly, [[spoiler: when his view of the Republic superiority is shattered by the Colonies' troops entering the capital, he chooses to commit suicide by engaging in a one-man suicide charge.]]
* KillThePoor: [[spoiler: The Republic's justification for murdering children who fail the test, as well as contaminating the water source for the poor sectors with chemical weapons.]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Day survives his brain illness at the end of the series at the cost of his recent memories. He remembers his mother's death, but not his romance with June.]]
* LoveDodecahedron: Tess > Day > June < Anden.
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Razor, who attempts to manipulate the Patriots into killing Anden and then framing them for the murder so he can ascend as the Elector.]]
* MultiEthnicName: The half-European half-Mongolian Day has the full name Daniel Altan Wing. His brothers, meanwhile, are John Suren Wing and Eden Baatar Wing.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Thomas [[spoiler: killed Matias, ''his best friend'', due to Matias' treasonous hacking into government servers.]] Despite [[spoiler: being sentenced to death for following orders]] and [[spoiler: engaging in a lengthy dialogue with June about how he feels abandoned by the Republic while Day, a barely reformed criminal, and until recently, traitor, is now a national hero]], he chooses to [[spoiler: engage in a suicidal attack against invading Colonies soldiers, shouting patriotic slogans, no less.]]
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Thomas [[spoiler: obeys Commander Jameson's orders to fire into a crowd of protesters, killing dozens. During his trial in ''Champion'', he continues to show obedience and courtesy to Anden, who just handed down a death sentence (as opposed to Commander Jameson, who used her time to speak at the trial to constantly insult Anden and other leadership figures).]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Daniel Altan Wing as Day. [[spoiler:He reverts back to his real name at the end of ''Champion''.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: June and Tess start the series with both of their parents dead. [[spoiler: Day]] joins them later.
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: The Republic's leader, Elector Primo, has been reigning for 30 years and counting through rigged elections, though the elites (including June, at first) don't mind much. He has also designated his son, Anden, as his heir, effectively making it a hereditary republic. [[spoiler: While Anden does ascend as leader after Primo's death, he is interested in reforms and actual democracy may finally be ushered after the war.]]
* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler: ''Champion'' does this regarding June and Day's ShipSinking. Day may or may not have recalled some of his memories with June, and might regain all of them if they start befriending again. Even if he can't, he and June can simply start everything from scratch. The post-series novellas reveal that he does indeed regain his memories, although not entirely.]]
* LaResistance: The Patriots, who work Colonies to undermine the Republic and finally bring it and the Colonies together. [[spoiler: Subverted when it turns out in ''Prodigy'' that they are being manipulated by the Republic's cronies all along, but by ''Champion'' has managed to regain their sense of independence.]]
* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler: Grace, Day's mother]].
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: John, Day's older brother, and Kaede]].
* SexyDiscretionShot: [[spoiler: June and Day's [[TheirFirstTime first time]] in ''Champion'' swiftly cuts to the next morning.]]
* SherlockScan: June. She even tends to randomly analyze what materials objects in her vicinity are made of.
* ShipSinking: [[spoiler: The finale of ''Champion'' manages to sink ''both'' main shippings; June's relationship with Day abruptly ends because of the latter's amnesia, while June and Anden both agree after dating for a few years that they're BetterAsFriends. However, the epilogue indicates some hope that Day and June may get together again.]]
* ShipperOnDeck: [[spoiler: Tess graduates into this in the epilogue of ''Champion'', as she arranges for June and Day to finally reunite after 10 years. Yes, the same Tess who earlier showed jealousy against June for taking Day's attention.]]
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: Commander Jameson orders Thomas to shoot Day's mother in the head in order to lure Day out, which Thomas does without a second thought]].
* SpaceFillingEmpire: [[spoiler: There are only a few countries left in the world, most of which are expanding through defunct ones. What's known is that Africa, the Middle East, and Europe each unite together as single constituencies.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: ''Legend'' is ''Spanner in the Works: The Novel''. Who thought that sending an attractive teenage female super-spy to capture an attractive teenage male super criminal was a good idea, again?
* StraightGay: [[spoiler: Metias and Thomas. In fact, this is why June never learns about their secret relationship until much, much later.]]
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: Elector Primo, who is set up as a major antagonist in the first book only to abruptly "die of old age" in the opening of the second book.]]
* TakeThat: In ''Rebel'', after his visit to Los Angeles' National Museum, Day reflects that no matter how horrible the world is, it's still better than the era before the division, i.e. when the Republic and Colonies were a single country called the United States, since at least they didn't discriminate people based on nothing but skin color. He expresses disgust upon finding out that the country's first civil war was caused by such a flimsy reason as race.
* TheyDo: [[spoiler:Day and June hook up for good in ''Rebel'', after having been separated for ten years. At the end of the book, the two are engaged.]]
* TraumaCongaLine: Poor, poor Day.
** Even before the narrative takes place, at the age of 10, [[spoiler: he is experimented on and then left for dead by the Republic]]. By the end of ''Legend'', [[spoiler: his mother is shot dead in front of him, he's captured and tortured by the Republic, and his older brother John dies to save him from execution. Not to mention his younger brother Eden is in the hands of the Republic, and most likely dying of the plague mutation]].
** By the end of ''Prodigy'', [[spoiler: he finds out he's dying, which causes him to part ways with June, who by this point is one of the only people left close to him]].
** As ''Champion'' opens, [[spoiler: Day has spent the last 8 months plagued with headaches and slowly dying. He has also not spoken to June during that time, which just adds to his misery ]]. Ironically, the epilogue is probably the only time where he is able to be left happy, and it requires [[spoiler: forgetting June and most of the things that happened in the previous months (he still remembers his mother's death, though). By this, he has little regrets and is able to move on with his life, just as June has planned.]]
* TrilogyCreep: The series was written as a trilogy. It ended up being a tetralogy, plus three short stories.
* UrbanWarfare: [[spoiler: The final war with the Colonies takes place in Los Angeles and is very haphazard indeed.]]
* WhereItAllBegan: [[spoiler: The series starts in Los Angeles before the two heroes travel to other cities to carry out the rebellion. However, they return to Los Angeles once again for the final war against the Colonies.]]
* WorthyOpponent: The Republic hadn't even the slightest hint as to Day's identity or whereabouts for years. Enter June.
----
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/legend_trilogy.jpg]]
A series of {{dystopia}}n [[YoungAdultLiterature Young Adult novels]] written by American author Creator/MarieLu.
In a dystopian future, the USA is divided into two rival nations: "The Colonies of America" and "The American Republic". Every year, all 10-year-olds of the Republic must go through the "trial". Those who are successful move on to the the best schools and universities, usually followed military and government careers. Less satisfying results lead to a life of poverty, or worse.
The story is told in dual perspective, narrated by the two 15-year-old leads: Day, a boy from the poor, plague-ridden sectors of LA and a wanted criminal turned ''legend'', and June, a prodigy born into one of the Republic's elite families, and the only person in the history of the Republic to receive a perfect score on her trial.
Their paths cross when June's brother, Metias, is killed on a military patrol. The blame falls on Day, and June vows to capture and bring him to justice. She sets out to the poor sectors, disguised as a street rat, in pursuit of Day. Their encounter sets off a chain of events that inevitably changes their lives, and the fate of both nations.
The series was originally envisioned as a trilogy (see the page image). However, Lu ultimately decided to revisit the series and wrote another entry, [[TrilogyCreep turning it into a tetralogy]] consisting of:
* ''Legend'' (2011)
* ''Prodigy'' (2013)
* ''Champion'' (2013)
* ''Rebel'' (2019)
There are also three novellas:
* ''Life Before Legend'' (2013)
* ''Life After Legend'' (2018)
* ''Life After Legend II'' (2018)
''Legend'''s film rights have been sold to CBS Films, with ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen set to produce. Creator/JonathanLevine was set to direct the film but eventually departed. The project appears to have slipped into DevelopmentHell.
----
!!The trilogy contains examples of:
* ActionGirl:
** June. The Republic's prodigy, trained in combat from a young age. In her first narration, she clues the readers into having skipped class to climb a skyscraper.
** Kaede also qualifies.
* AfterActionHealingDrama:
** At the beginning of ''Prodigy'', when Day and June are on the run from the Republic, one of their biggest concerns is finding a way to fix Day's leg.
** Later in that same book, after Anden's foiled assassination, June collapses from illness when she and Day flee to the underground tunnels, and he's forced to carry her all the way through to the Colonies so that they can find her a hospital.
* AfterTheEnd: The Colonies and the Republic are located in what used to be the United States. On a global scale, the End is the global warming that melted the polar icecaps, which had submerged certain areas and certainly changed the demographic and sociopolitical situation, but it's by no means ''the'' End.
* AmnesiacLover: [[spoiler: The ending of ''Champion'' has a cruel one between Day and June: due to the fatal shot, the former remembers everything ''but'' his relationship with June. And unlike other examples, June decides that it may be best for them to part ways for good. However, the epilogue implies that Day eventually regains his memories, something confirmed in the ''Life After Legend'' novellas.]]
* ArtificialLimbs: In ''Prodigy'', Day has to get a part of his leg replaced, after being shot in ''Legend''. They replace his bad knee (damaged by Republic experiments when he was 10) while they are at it.
* BattleCouple:
** Day and June by the end of ''Legend''.
** Elector Primo and his wife, who served as Senator Princeps, used to be this back when she was alive, as well. In fact, it seems that their relationship had cemented the tradition that the Elector and Senator Princeps are couples, causing [[spoiler: June's brief dilemma when Anden offers her the Princeps position.]]
** ''Rebel'' features [[spoiler:Eden and Pressa.]]
* BigBad: Each book has a different one.
** ''Legend'' has the Republic's top brass and by extension the Elector, who directs the tests and Day's torture. Thomas serves as a personal one for Day, as he's responsible for framing him as Metias' killer, which means that he's indirectly also one to June.
** [[spoiler:Razor]] serves as the main antagonist of ''Prodigy'', being TheMole who manipulates the Patriots into working for the Republic.
** Finally, the Chancellor of the Colonies serves as the main antagonist of ''Champion''.
** Dominic Hann is the visible villain of ''Rebel'' However, both Day and Eden note that Antarctica's flawed societal system is more to blame for the book's events, rather than any single person.
* BigBrotherInstinct:
** Metias to June, since he has been basically raising her since they're parents died.
** Also Day to both Tess and Eden. Heck, the whole plot of ''Prodigy'' is basically to show how far Day would go to rescue [[spoiler: his only living family]].
** John to Day as well, whose instinct consists of [[spoiler: being captured and executed in place of his brother.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: After June's skiz fight with Kaede, she's cornered by an angry mob, made up of the gamblers who lost money betting against her. Enter Day.
* BittersweetEnding:
** As of the end of ''Legend'', [[spoiler: Day has been saved from execution, but his mother is dead, his older brother John dies while taking Day's place in the execution, and his younger brother Eden is in the hands of the Republic]]. Also, [[spoiler:after saving Day, June has become a fugitive, while her brother's killer, Thomas, walks free]].
** By the end of the ''Prodigy'', it seems like things will finally pick up for [[spoiler:the Republic after Anden takes over as elector. Both Day and June have been pardoned, with Day being hailed a hero, and June being offered the role of Princeps-Elect. Eden has been freed and is receiving medical treatment]]. However, Day and June [[spoiler: have not worked out through any of their issues]]. Eden might be permanently [[spoiler: blind]] and in the final chapters [[spoiler: Day discovers that he is dying, which prompts him to break up with June, leaving both of them heart broken.]]
** By the end of ''Champion'' [[spoiler: the war has finally come to an end and the Republic and Colonies, while not reunited, are slowly mending their differences and beginning to build border cities to cement it. Eden is also able to regain his sight due to a surgery provided by Antarctica. However, Day's almost-fatal shot has erased his memories of the last several months, including his relationship with June. While heartbroken, she's glad that he survives and decides to leave him for 10 years. Nevertheless, the epilogue puts some hope that the two may recreate their relationship back]].
* BoomHeadshot: How [[spoiler: Thomas kills Grace Wing.]] Later, [[spoiler: he himself suffers the same fate.]]
* TheBrute: Kaede. She's very tall, and is described by Day as "hitting like a bull".
* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler: The only confirmed LGBT characters, Metias and Thomas, are dead by the end of the series.]]
* ButNotTooBlack: Day is half-Asian and half-white but is described as having blond hair and blue eyes.
* ButNotTooForeign: Both Day and Anden are half-white and half-Asian. In the former case, the Asian part is known (Mongolian), while in the latter, the white part can be guessed (presumably Greek).
* ChildProdigy:
** June is the only child in the history of the Republic to get a perfect score on her trial [[spoiler: or so we think]]. Her status as prodigy is so much a recurring theme that the second book is even ''named Prodigy''.
** We later learn that [[spoiler: Day did just as well on his trial, but it was covered up by the Republic]].
** Eden, Day's younger brother, is described as the smartest member of the family- which says a lot, considering. In one particular example, Day and John asked him to help them fix an old radio. He was four at the time.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Day gets this after he's caught by the Republic. Especially from Thomas.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The Elector Primo, who has been running the Republic for decades, largely responsible for the rotten state its in. In ''Prodigy'', [[spoiler: this changes when he dies, and his son Anden takes his place as Elector]].
* CrapsackWorld: The Republic, where if you're not born privileged or rich means a horrible, horrible life for you and your entire family and where you'll be sent to labor camps [[spoiler: or rather death camps]] if you're not merited enough for military [[spoiler: or even if you're merited but considered to be too rebellious]]. The entire world as a whole seems to be this at first, judging by June's comments about sea level rising due to the melting polar icecaps; June mentions that South America has broken down into a series of islands. [[spoiler: Subverted in the later two books, where it's revealed that only the United States is crapsack. Other countries are doing fine; Mexico and Canada still exist, the melting icecaps had turned Antarctica into a habitable zone, China is devising a plan to live above water, and Africa is growing richer due to the flow of capital coming from Europe, which had in many places become submerged. In fact, Africa is one of the three world powers, together with Antarctica and China.]]
* CrapsaccharineWorld:
** The Colonies. [[spoiler:As it turns out, all the capital and shining buildings are built due to strict corporatism, where your life depends solely on your company.]]
** Antarctica is revealed to be this in ''Rebel''. [[spoiler:Despite what the higher-ups tell, it is a textbook example of a developing country, in that there is a very wide gap between the rich and poor. The Level system is extremely flawed and disproportionately targets the underprivileged. As June notes, it's basically the Republic with a good PR and less military.]]
* DarkActionGirl: Commander Natasha Jameson.
* DisappearedDad: Day lost his father to a war with the Colonies.
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Day in the climax of ''Champion''. Complete with June's PleaseWakeUp and his near-death experience.]]
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: Jameson suffers this fate in ''Champion'', just to make sure that she dies if not from the gunshot wound.]]
* DistantEpilogue: [[spoiler: The epilogue of ''Champion'' takes place 10 years after the Colonies' invasion.]]
* DividedStatesOfAmerica: The story takes place with America being divided east to west: the dystopian Republic [[spoiler:where the ghetto sectors are used for plague testing]] and the Colonies, which are suggested to be a shining utopia. In ''Prodigy'', [[spoiler: it is discovered that the Colonies is a heavily consumer dominated, corporate police state]].
* TheDragon: Commander Jameson.
* {{Dystopia}}: The United States is split in two again for the second time in history, with the main characters living in the nightmarish military-based Republic.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After a lifetime of suffering, [[spoiler:Day and June decide to move together to Los Angeles at the end of ''Rebel''. The book is closed with Day proposing to June near the place where they first met.]]
* GenkiGirl: Tess, though she temporarily stops being one in ''Prodigy'' when [[spoiler:she becomes jealous of Day's and June's relationship]]. She is back as this by the time ''Champion'' comes around.
* GreaterScopeVillain: The Chancellor of the Colonies serves as one for the first two books thanks to being the leader of the opposite side but not actually figuring much to the plot. He steps down as the BigBad in ''Champion''.
* HufflepuffHouse: [[spoiler: China is this among the world powers, being the only one not to take sides during the Colonies' invasion.]]
* InSeriesNickname: Day rarely goes by his real first name, Daniel [[spoiler: until the epilogue]]. June's AffectionateNickname from Metias is "Junebug".
* InspectorJavert: Thomas shares many character traits with Javert, including a strict separation of right and wrong (in his own opinion), being born and raised in the slum districts of Los Angeles (the same place as Day, but while Day uses his childhood as proof that the government is working against poor residents, Thomas uses his experience as proof of the benefits of hard work and obedience, a la "The Confrontation" in Les Mis), and most importantly, [[spoiler: when his view of the Republic superiority is shattered by the Colonies' troops entering the capital, he chooses to commit suicide by engaging in a one-man suicide charge.]]
* KillThePoor: [[spoiler: The Republic's justification for murdering children who fail the test, as well as contaminating the water source for the poor sectors with chemical weapons.]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Day survives his brain illness at the end of the series at the cost of his recent memories. He remembers his mother's death, but not his romance with June.]]
* LoveDodecahedron: Tess > Day > June < Anden.
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Razor, who attempts to manipulate the Patriots into killing Anden and then framing them for the murder so he can ascend as the Elector.]]
* MultiEthnicName: The half-European half-Mongolian Day has the full name Daniel Altan Wing. His brothers, meanwhile, are John Suren Wing and Eden Baatar Wing.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Thomas [[spoiler: killed Matias, ''his best friend'', due to Matias' treasonous hacking into government servers.]] Despite [[spoiler: being sentenced to death for following orders]] and [[spoiler: engaging in a lengthy dialogue with June about how he feels abandoned by the Republic while Day, a barely reformed criminal, and until recently, traitor, is now a national hero]], he chooses to [[spoiler: engage in a suicidal attack against invading Colonies soldiers, shouting patriotic slogans, no less.]]
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Thomas [[spoiler: obeys Commander Jameson's orders to fire into a crowd of protesters, killing dozens. During his trial in ''Champion'', he continues to show obedience and courtesy to Anden, who just handed down a death sentence (as opposed to Commander Jameson, who used her time to speak at the trial to constantly insult Anden and other leadership figures).]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Daniel Altan Wing as Day. [[spoiler:He reverts back to his real name at the end of ''Champion''.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: June and Tess start the series with both of their parents dead. [[spoiler: Day]] joins them later.
* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: The Republic's leader, Elector Primo, has been reigning for 30 years and counting through rigged elections, though the elites (including June, at first) don't mind much. He has also designated his son, Anden, as his heir, effectively making it a hereditary republic. [[spoiler: While Anden does ascend as leader after Primo's death, he is interested in reforms and actual democracy may finally be ushered after the war.]]
* RayOfHopeEnding: [[spoiler: ''Champion'' does this regarding June and Day's ShipSinking. Day may or may not have recalled some of his memories with June, and might regain all of them if they start befriending again. Even if he can't, he and June can simply start everything from scratch. The post-series novellas reveal that he does indeed regain his memories, although not entirely.]]
* LaResistance: The Patriots, who work Colonies to undermine the Republic and finally bring it and the Colonies together. [[spoiler: Subverted when it turns out in ''Prodigy'' that they are being manipulated by the Republic's cronies all along, but by ''Champion'' has managed to regain their sense of independence.]]
* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler: Grace, Day's mother]].
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: John, Day's older brother, and Kaede]].
* SexyDiscretionShot: [[spoiler: June and Day's [[TheirFirstTime first time]] in ''Champion'' swiftly cuts to the next morning.]]
* SherlockScan: June. She even tends to randomly analyze what materials objects in her vicinity are made of.
* ShipSinking: [[spoiler: The finale of ''Champion'' manages to sink ''both'' main shippings; June's relationship with Day abruptly ends because of the latter's amnesia, while June and Anden both agree after dating for a few years that they're BetterAsFriends. However, the epilogue indicates some hope that Day and June may get together again.]]
* ShipperOnDeck: [[spoiler: Tess graduates into this in the epilogue of ''Champion'', as she arranges for June and Day to finally reunite after 10 years. Yes, the same Tess who earlier showed jealousy against June for taking Day's attention.]]
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: Commander Jameson orders Thomas to shoot Day's mother in the head in order to lure Day out, which Thomas does without a second thought]].
* SpaceFillingEmpire: [[spoiler: There are only a few countries left in the world, most of which are expanding through defunct ones. What's known is that Africa, the Middle East, and Europe each unite together as single constituencies.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: ''Legend'' is ''Spanner in the Works: The Novel''. Who thought that sending an attractive teenage female super-spy to capture an attractive teenage male super criminal was a good idea, again?
* StraightGay: [[spoiler: Metias and Thomas. In fact, this is why June never learns about their secret relationship until much, much later.]]
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler: Elector Primo, who is set up as a major antagonist in the first book only to abruptly "die of old age" in the opening of the second book.]]
* TakeThat: In ''Rebel'', after his visit to Los Angeles' National Museum, Day reflects that no matter how horrible the world is, it's still better than the era before the division, i.e. when the Republic and Colonies were a single country called the United States, since at least they didn't discriminate people based on nothing but skin color. He expresses disgust upon finding out that the country's first civil war was caused by such a flimsy reason as race.
* TheyDo: [[spoiler:Day and June hook up for good in ''Rebel'', after having been separated for ten years. At the end of the book, the two are engaged.]]
* TraumaCongaLine: Poor, poor Day.
** Even before the narrative takes place, at the age of 10, [[spoiler: he is experimented on and then left for dead by the Republic]]. By the end of ''Legend'', [[spoiler: his mother is shot dead in front of him, he's captured and tortured by the Republic, and his older brother John dies to save him from execution. Not to mention his younger brother Eden is in the hands of the Republic, and most likely dying of the plague mutation]].
** By the end of ''Prodigy'', [[spoiler: he finds out he's dying, which causes him to part ways with June, who by this point is one of the only people left close to him]].
** As ''Champion'' opens, [[spoiler: Day has spent the last 8 months plagued with headaches and slowly dying. He has also not spoken to June during that time, which just adds to his misery ]]. Ironically, the epilogue is probably the only time where he is able to be left happy, and it requires [[spoiler: forgetting June and most of the things that happened in the previous months (he still remembers his mother's death, though). By this, he has little regrets and is able to move on with his life, just as June has planned.]]
* TrilogyCreep: The series was written as a trilogy. It ended up being a tetralogy, plus three short stories.
* UrbanWarfare: [[spoiler: The final war with the Colonies takes place in Los Angeles and is very haphazard indeed.]]
* WhereItAllBegan: [[spoiler: The series starts in Los Angeles before the two heroes travel to other cities to carry out the rebellion. However, they return to Los Angeles once again for the final war against the Colonies.]]
* WorthyOpponent: The Republic hadn't even the slightest hint as to Day's identity or whereabouts for years. Enter June.
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