Title: Requiem
Published: March 5, 3012
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 391
Rating:
From Goodreads:
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 fiancĂ©e 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 Thoughts:
Warning: This review contains spoilers
if you haven't read Delirium or Pandemonium yet. There are NO
spoilers for Requiem.
“We wanted the freedom to love. We wanted the freedom to choose. Now we have to fight for it.”
Whom amongst us hasn't felt the sharp edge of love? Requiem explores the very real and terrifying side effects of love. The jealousy you feel looking upon someone you love getting close to someone else. The utter confusion of loving two people at once. The chest constricting, I can't breath feeling when you realize it's over. All these are feelings that Lena battles with in Requiem.
“How can someone have the power to shatter you to dust--and also to make you feel so whole?”
This series did things to me. I fell in love with Alex in Delirium, only for him to be ripped away. My heart was broken. Then I kind of fell for Julian in Pandemonium, but only as much as I could when I still loved and hoped for Alex. When Alex came back I was elated, but I knew it would be too easy for things to go back the way they were between him and Lena. The journey of their relationship was more realistic than I expected, and it was almost disappointing because I just needed them to be together. I can't say much more than that without giving anything away.
“Mama, Mama, put me to bed
I won’t make it home, I’m already half-dead
I met an Invalid, and fell for his art
He showed me his smile, and went straight for my heart.”
Lena's is such a changed character. She developed so much throughout the series. When I cracked open Requiem I was met by a girl who was no longer meek or frightened. Lena has felt the hard truths of love, but she does not give up her fight to keep the wonderfully painful feelings. I truly grew to love her. I was slightly annoyed by her in Delirium and Pandemonium, but she definitely redeemed herself for me in that sense. However, I did not like the way she was to Julian. She knew she still had all these feelings for Alex, so she was using Julian as some kind of place holder. Does she care about him? Sure. Does she love him? I don't know.
I liked the Hana part of the story much more than I thought I would. I'm actually really happy that some things were cleared up for me with Hana. I really enjoyed being in her mind after she had the operation, it gave me some insight on how they feel after. It seemed like most of the emotions were dulled, which makes sense considering love is such a dominant emotion.
Alex and Julian were more in the background of this story, it was more about Lena and the revolution building around[and inside] her. I would have liked a little more time with both of them, especially Alex.
Lauren Oliver's writing style always sucks me in, and she definitely did that with Requiem. I was completely engrossed in the story from page one until page three ninety one. The one thing I really have to complain about is that non-ending. I don't think I've hated an ending in a long time, but I definitely hated this ending. It just did not feel complete to me. There were too many unanswered questions, too much that I NEED TO KNOW! Give a girl an epilogue or something to ease my mind.
Did you read this series? What did you think of the ending?
“We wanted the freedom to love. We wanted the freedom to choose. Now we have to fight for it.”
Whom amongst us hasn't felt the sharp edge of love? Requiem explores the very real and terrifying side effects of love. The jealousy you feel looking upon someone you love getting close to someone else. The utter confusion of loving two people at once. The chest constricting, I can't breath feeling when you realize it's over. All these are feelings that Lena battles with in Requiem.
“How can someone have the power to shatter you to dust--and also to make you feel so whole?”
This series did things to me. I fell in love with Alex in Delirium, only for him to be ripped away. My heart was broken. Then I kind of fell for Julian in Pandemonium, but only as much as I could when I still loved and hoped for Alex. When Alex came back I was elated, but I knew it would be too easy for things to go back the way they were between him and Lena. The journey of their relationship was more realistic than I expected, and it was almost disappointing because I just needed them to be together. I can't say much more than that without giving anything away.
“Mama, Mama, put me to bed
I won’t make it home, I’m already half-dead
I met an Invalid, and fell for his art
He showed me his smile, and went straight for my heart.”
Lena's is such a changed character. She developed so much throughout the series. When I cracked open Requiem I was met by a girl who was no longer meek or frightened. Lena has felt the hard truths of love, but she does not give up her fight to keep the wonderfully painful feelings. I truly grew to love her. I was slightly annoyed by her in Delirium and Pandemonium, but she definitely redeemed herself for me in that sense. However, I did not like the way she was to Julian. She knew she still had all these feelings for Alex, so she was using Julian as some kind of place holder. Does she care about him? Sure. Does she love him? I don't know.
I liked the Hana part of the story much more than I thought I would. I'm actually really happy that some things were cleared up for me with Hana. I really enjoyed being in her mind after she had the operation, it gave me some insight on how they feel after. It seemed like most of the emotions were dulled, which makes sense considering love is such a dominant emotion.
Alex and Julian were more in the background of this story, it was more about Lena and the revolution building around[and inside] her. I would have liked a little more time with both of them, especially Alex.
Lauren Oliver's writing style always sucks me in, and she definitely did that with Requiem. I was completely engrossed in the story from page one until page three ninety one. The one thing I really have to complain about is that non-ending. I don't think I've hated an ending in a long time, but I definitely hated this ending. It just did not feel complete to me. There were too many unanswered questions, too much that I NEED TO KNOW! Give a girl an epilogue or something to ease my mind.
Did you read this series? What did you think of the ending?
What you described at the beginning about your feelings for Alex and Julian in the first two books is exactly how I felt too. I wish we had gotten so much more of Alex in this last book because I loved him so and with him missing in Pandemonium, it was needed. But, alas. I still loved the series but wish the ending felt more like an ending. Great review! :)
ReplyDelete~Sara @ Forever 17 Books