Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Goodreads
391 pages, YA Dystopian
Delirium #3
My rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis

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.

My 2 cents


Overall, I really loved the book. The writing was really, really good.  It is really hard to do a review on this book without giving away big spoilers, so I think I am going to focus mainly on the characters.  This really is a character driven series!

Lena--I felt I connected more with Lena in this story than in the previous two books.  I really felt her pain, in being torn between Alex and Julian, and then her pain in thinking Alex no longer loved her!

Alex--He was the biggest bummer of the book for me.  I will defend him somewhat.  He is obviously insanely jealous, and who knows what he went through in the Crypts.  (Well, I do, because I read the short story "Alex!") But he was a horrible jerk to Lena through most of the book, and seemed to latch onto a new girl!  I was happier with him by the end, though.

Hana--This character was the hardest for me to make sense of. I can't believe Hana's actions towards the end of the book. She seems to be coming around for most of the story, then she's threatened, and BAM--becomes a meek little mouse.   It really helped me to read her short story, as well!

Raven--I wasn't a big fan of hers in Pandemonium, but I started to like her by the end.  Again, her short story will shed a lot of light on her as a person.  And there is a huge twist with her that is not even mentioned in Requiem, only her short story.  I was crying at the end of the book for Raven!

Julian--Julian is the only character who no longer really has a purpose.  I suppose it helps Lena that he's there, but a lot of Lena's problems would be gone if he wasn't there in the first place...

Annabel--Annabel makes an appearance in this book, and I'm really glad the author tied up things between Lena and Annabel.  I figured we would never see her again, but I'm so glad I was wrong!  Another really good short story to read!

Tack--We never get any closure on Tack, so I'm going to believe that he stayed with Raven.  I honestly think Raven and Tack were the best couple of the whole series!  So loyal and faithful to each other!

Fred--I'm not sure I've ever felt so venomous towards a character before!  I'm not going to tell you what happens to this despicable creature, but he gets his in the end!

Coral--One of the new characters, whom I decided not to like for Lena's sake.  I had come around by the end though.  Its hard to hate someone who has lost everything!  She also was the only character who could and did fix one of Lena's biggest issues!

There are so many other characters, but these are the ones that stick out for me.  Oliver is an amazing writer, and she makes these characters come to life!  I'm not going to go into too much with the plot, but I was completely engaged with it.  

Now for the ending.  I've heard lots of negative reviews on the ending, and I know why.  Oliver gives us a pretty open ending, letting us figure out exactly happens with the characters after the big battle.  I think her readers really wanted everything tied up in a nice little bow.  My only complaint is I would have liked a little more closure with Julian, Hana, and Tack.  The rest I can imagine on my own.

I, however, really LOVED the ending!  The last page was beautiful.  It was pure poetry, and one of the best things I have ever read!  Lena sums up the series and its purpose beautifully, and its something we should all be thinking about every day of our lives!