I found this book to be MUCH better than Legend. It clearly defined the Republic and it's conflict with the Colonies, as well as developing the relationships between the characters and the mounting tension between the Patriots and both sides of the war. It took a book that read well as a singular, individual novel, and made it interesting enough to be a series. 
 The characters made more sense, and their actions were not so unbelievable. The romance was a bit ... unneeded, if that makes sense? There's enough of the actual story to draw interest without so much angst. However, it did not bother me as much as it did in Legend. 
 I am in the middle of Champion now, so it's getting hard to differentiate between the different books. That should tell you something about how MUCH better the second book was, when I finished I was knocking on my sister's door demanding the third.