Rebel: The Graphic Novel

 

Rating: 3 out of 5 | for the ability to bring new readers to an already established series through a different medium

My Thoughts:

Marie Lu is a prolific YA science fiction and fantasy author best known for the Legend series - on which this graphic novel is based - as well as The Young Elite series, and my personal favorite, the Warcross series. Rebel: The Graphic Novel is a spy-fi story that adapts the fourth book in her Legend series. 

Essentially, if readers have never read any of the original Legend books, there will be gaps regarding the characters' pasts that will not be fully answered here. There will also be things left hanging in true manga fashion. Regular manga readers will be fine with this -- that is the power of graphic novel audiences. They don't need all the little gaps filled in, and they are comfortable being left with elements that are not explicitly written or drawn. 

The benefits of this kind of story telling is that if the snippet of character study piques their interesst, it will encourage them to go find the original novels.

Lu is a proven YA writer when it comes to action, and intrigue. Besides attracting  reluctant readers to a longer series, the illustrations by Kaari -- compared to the earlier Legend and Prodigy graphic novels -- will appeal to an older audience. This edition will easily bring in high schoolers, whereas the earlier graphic novels had a more middle-school aesthetic. The characters are drawn in a sleek Japanese manga style, with slender, slightly androgynous character designs. This visual shift is precisely why I think it will appeal to an older demographic. 

If I were in the classroom suggesting a next read for a student,  I would probably point them toward the audiobooks for the original  Legend trilogy (Legend, Prodigy, Champion) and then have them physically read Rebel, which functions as book four. Yes, I get it -- a  "book four" of a trilogy only makes sense because Ms. Lu is a prolific storyteller who specifically wanted to focus on Eden Wing, the younger brother of the main character, Daniel. 

Also, I know this has nothing to do with this graphic novel, but I did reread my 2018 review of Warcross and remembered why it remains my favorite of her books. I highly suggest it as a follow-up to this series!  This is a duology with Wildcard. I actually asked my local public library to order it and they did. Read my reviews. This may be your next read, too. 

From the Publisher:

Eden Wing is a brilliant student. He’s about to graduate a year early from Ross University of the Sciences. But most people don’t introduce Eden this way. Instead, they say, “This is Eden, Daniel Wing’s younger brother.”

Ten years ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. Day has since spent the past decade piecing together his memory of his time in the Republic, quietly hiding from the world―even if it’s meant giving up June, the love of his life.

When June suddenly steps back into Day’s life, rekindling the flames of their romance, the pair team up to rescue Eden who’s been drawn into Ross City’s dark side. But like the rest of the world, they may have underestimated Eden―what he’s capable of, where his loyalties lie, and how hard he’s willing to fight for what he believes.

Return to the world of Legend in this epic graphic novel adaptation of the pulse-pounding finale to the series, which brings to life the bestselling Rebel with full-color illustrations.

Publication Information:

• Author: Marie Lu
• Illustrator: Kaari
• Adapter: Kyla Vanderklugt
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication Date: September 1, 2026
• Print Length: 224 pages
• Reading Age: 12-17 years