Author: Lauren Oliver
Publication: March 5, 2013
By: HarperTeen
4 Stars
Love this cover!
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. 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.
Thank you YABC and HarperTeen for this ARC. Requiem was one of the books that topped my MUST READ list and I couldn't wait to rejoin forces with Lena, Julian, Alex and the rest of The Resistance. *checks neck for fake cured marks* Yep, I'm still infected with Amor Deliria Nervosa.
Requiem is well-written, action-packed, intense and heartbreaking.
What I liked: Lauren Oliver is a fantastic world builder and her ability to convey exactly what the characters are feeling made Requiem quite painful* (*painful in the best possible way) to read and left me just as frustrated and heartsick as Lena and Hana. I enjoyed Hana's POV and found it interesting especially since she's "cured" now. The romantic tension between Lena, Alex and Julian was palpable and I couldn't decide who I wanted to see her end up with, you know, assuming they all survive and that people's feelings stay the same.
There were a few twists that I didn't see coming, some I felt were warranted and a few I wasn't so sure about but one in particular made me angry. So much so, I wanted to figure out a way to continue on without having to see/hear/read anything more about that person. Thankfully, there were more than enough opportunities for redemption and these characters are challenged to make decisions that require great sacrifice.
What left me wanting more: The ending. I'm thankful it wasn't a cliff-hanger like it's two predecessors because I wasn't made to feel like I was having a heart attack but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting either. It felt unfinished and left a lot of unanswered questions which leads me to believe...
1) This will be a series and not a trilogy.
2) The rest of the story will play out in e-books like Hana, Raven and Annabel's (Lena's Mom) stories have. Maybe we'll hear from Alex (perhaps his time spent away from Lena?) and Julian, which would be made of all the awesome.
3) This really is the end and I'll just have to deal with my feels. If this is true, then an Epilogue would've been helpful to tie up the loose ends. (Or appease readers like me.)
Final verdict: Some readers may be unsatisfied but this really is a great addition to the Delirium Trilogy!
Review also posted at YABC.
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