This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 Prodigy starts out on a completely different note than Legend. Day and June are now working together and running for their lives. The tension and action is already cranked up and you're on edge wondering what will happen next. 
 I love Day and June. I loved how their personalities grow as they experience things together but I also like that their differences were kept intact. Things just wouldn't be right if they weren't such different people, with different ideas and beliefs. But it is their differences that make them stronger. (Do you think I said different enough?) They help each other see things from different perspectives and that helps them become better people all around. I also really liked that they don't give up on one another when the going gets tough. They're willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt even when things look suspicious. I think in a "normal" world they would be the ultimate power couple. 
 Prodigy also gets an A+++ for world building. Not only does the world feel like it's springing to life in front of you, Marie Lu takes time to explain how the world got the way it did and how it operates now. I hate when dystopian novels simply have "Random Horrible Government X" with almost no explanation for how the world got that way and why people sat passively by and let it happen. Marie Lu gives the reader excellent perspective and history and I thought the entire situation was believable and logical. I also loved that we got a look at the Capitol, the Patriots and the Republic and were able to see the positives and negatives of each. No government system is perfect and Prodigy is upfront about it. 
 I thought all the characters in Prodigy, new and old, were pretty well developed and intriguing. The only one I really had a problem with was Tess. I really liked her in Legend but in Prodigy she just fell a little flat for my taste. I couldn't quite buy her storyline and I kept wanting to reach into the book and shake some sense into her. Hopefully she goes back to her regular self in book 3! 
 Overall I found that Prodigy was different from Legend but in a good way. It didn't have that same high action feel (although it was high drama) but in exchange the series has become a lot more detailed and thoughtful. 
 Recommendation: An absolute must for fans of Legend. This is one sequel that will not disappoint.