Monday, March 18, 2013

Requiem (Delirium, #3) by Lauren Oliver



Requiem (Delirium, #3) by Lauren Oliver
Published: March 5, 2013 by HarperTeen
Received: Purchased via Amazon
They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.

But we are still here.

And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.

Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.

But we have chosen a different road.

And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.

We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge. [goodreads]

This book brought out such the anxious reader in me; and that was even before I had a copy in my hands!  I have followed this series from the beginning, anticipating the release of each new installment, terrified of what would come next and how it would all end.  But at the same time savoring each beautiful story as Oliver wove together words and phrases that clutched my heart so tightly, only to let go just long enough before another wave hit.

At the end of book two, Pandemonium, I felt myself in such a state as that: Pandemonium.  How could you end it that way, Oliver??!!  If there is ever an award for most gut-wrenching cliff hanger endings, that one would win gold!  So, just as many other readers of the series felt, I was beyond anxious to read Requiem and find out how it all ends.

We're thrown back into the Wilds immediately alongside Lena and the family she's adapted to.  But it's not a slow pace either, it's the forever moving forward tone that sets this series in motion.  Lena and her pack are destined to find a purpose in the choices they've made; in the lives they've created for themselves.  Right from the beginning there is a sense of foreboding.  I had this feeling of wanting to look ahead, but refusing to spoil myself.

What I love about this series is that Oliver doesn't center it around one relationship, or one idea.  Yes, there's a central theme, but there are individual stories branching off from this central theme, creating stories inside of stories.  The most focused story lies between Lena and Alex.  The boy who showed her love.  The boy who infected her.  The boy who saved her life - or did he just set her free?  I was anxious to see where this would go, worried I may not like its conclusion.  But I will say this, I was satisfied with the finale that Oliver hands us.  It builds on the fact that the story is much bigger than one person, or one theme.  Everything can't be wrapped up with a pretty bow on top.  I never got the sense from Oliver that she was writing a story to be portrayed that way, and so that is why I am pleased with the ending that was delivered.

There is a war, among the cured and uncureds; but also within each person, too.  This story is a representation of how one life can be changed, but in the big scheme of things that one life alters so much more.  The very last page, within the last few paragraphs, Oliver sums up this beautiful story so eloquently.  I admire her for finishing this novel the way she did.  Though it may not be loved among the masses, this reader closed the last chapter with a sense of finality.

6 comments:

  1. I've also followed and loved the series since the beginning.

    I have this on my shelf but I'm finding myself putting off reading it as I don't want to be let down by it.

    From your review though I don't think I will be let down :)

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  2. We're review twins today. :) I love what you said about not making it about one person but about the world. I loved that too. I was one of those people irritated with the ending, but only because my Kindle said I was at 93% and I didn't know about the extras after the novel, so I was NOT ready for the ending. lol

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  3. I didn't find it necessary for the bow on the package either. I was satisfied with the ending. I love how you said the story is bigger than one person or one theme. Great way to put it. Great review!

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  4. Totally skimmed this, but I did read your last line. And I am happy that the series is nicely wrapped up for you. I am always afraid of series having Breaking Dawn syndrome, where every single thing is in its place and PERFECT (except the movie. I loved the movie!) so I'm a little nervous to continue on with Pandemonium and Requiem, like I plan on doing very soon. Crossing my fingers that I'll enjoy it like you did :)

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  5. Merhm, I was not a huge fan of Requiem - I was just disappointed, I guess. Not with the ending - I did like the ending and I don't think there's a way she could have wrapped it up perfectly for us. But I just didn't get quite the same feels out of Requiem as I did the previous two books. I was sobbing and sobbing and sobbing for Delirium and Pandemonium, but with Requiem? Nothing. And I'm an easy crier. Bah!

    Anyway, that was rambly - I'm really glad it worked for you! I agree, I did close the book feeling some sort of closure.

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  6. I only skimmed your review because I still need to read this one. I've heard so many bad things about this review that I'm quite scared. Your review made me feel better though.

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