Requiem (Delirium #3)

First things first: THE COVER CHANGE!! why do authors change the cover in the very last book of a series? WHY? It makes me not want to display the books on my shelves and that makes me feel guilty about the books feeling left out. Gaaaaah!

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Lauren Oliver really redeemed herself in this book; it was full of action for the most part and I felt like the story progressed really well. As always, the defining quality of this book was how gripping it is.

What I liked:

- Lena being called out on her mistakes and faults; I think Lena’s worst quality is that she can be whiny and childish a lot of the time. I don’t mean to say immature because I don’t think that, I just think she has a problem with overreacting and behaving childishly in some situations.

-I mentioned in my Delirium review that a huge chunk of these books seems to have been “inspired” by The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld and while that continues to be true I liked that she veered off from what I expected in a key point in the story. I was really expecting Julian to end like a certain character in the Uglies books “Zane” and it was a pleasant surprise when it didn’t.

-Hana eventually turned up SOMEWHERE in this story, which leads me to my main objection about this book:

What I hated:

- That Hana was only now being mentioned. I felt like I had spent the entire second book wondering where Hana was and by the end of Pandemonium, I was sorta over her. I had accepted that she’s just not part of the picture anymore. Then exactly half of the third and final book is told from Hana’s perspective which I didn’t need. I felt like she was being introduced back at a time when there were other more important things to worry about and that bugged me.

-The ending: not the actual ending but the writing itself. There are a couple of paragraphs at the very bottom of the last page written in a voice that didn’t feel like Lena’s. It felt like the author was talking directly to me and it shattered some of the atmosphere, certainly broke the spell of fiction.

I could have done without the bottom half of that page.

Overall impression: I liked it quite a bit, actually. It was interesting and it made me read all the way to the end and that’s more than enough for me.

I had read Delirium and Pandemonium some time ago. I was a little fuzzy when I finally got a copy from the library (it took FOREVER… seriously), but after a while I remembered what I had read in the first two books. The book did not really give much detail as to what happened in the last books except when it was pertinent so it wasn’t like other books that give a refresher course at the beginning of the each book so you can make sure to be caught up.

In Requiem the focus was more on the building to a final stand between the Invalids and “Zombies”. The love story of Alex and Lena or Julian and Lena was there, of course, but it wasn’t the most important aspects of the book. In Requiem we follow Lena and her pack of Invalids (including her two confusing and equally hot boy toys) across the country as they search for a place to call their own. As their existence became known to the Cureds finally in Pandemonium the regulators start to take strides to eradicate all Invalids from existence. To the shock of the Invalids they actually are venturing out from behind their massive walls and extracting their heads from the sand to push back against the encroaching Invalids.

As Lena becomes more and more confused about her warring feelings for Julian and Alex, their lives become a series of strategic battles and all-out bloody wars. Lena had her heroic moments but it was always with some help. She was braver and more willing to bleed for her cause than she was in the earlier books, but she was by no means as strong a leader as Tack or Raven. I liked the fact that Oliver did not automatically stick her in a leader’s position because she got lucky in a few missions or was the protagonist of her story. She kept Lena as a strong battler, but not the figurehead of the rebellion.

Alex came out of the Crypts in Pandemonium and turned into their snarky asshat in Requiem. I understand he was a bit peeved off at the end of Pandemonium with some of Lena’s actions and choices, but did that mean he had to be as broody? I think not. I still liked Alex, don’t get me wrong. I was a fan of Lena and Alex since Delirium. I just didn’t think he had to react the way he did. I think he could have either accepted it and moved on or fought for what he wanted.

Julian. Poor, sad, forgotten, Julian. I felt for the dude. Throughout the story he was trying his damned to prove he was not like the Cureds and was made for the Wilds. This ruffled a few feathers and got to be a little desperate looking, but bless his heart… he was trying. Julian was a beta character that never did anything too stand-out-ish. Even in battle scenes he was normally forgotten.

The ending of this book felt like it was cut off at the knees. I kept expecting something more extravagant or at the very least more final. Hana, who was the other half the story, struggling with a sadist future husband and questions she shouldn’t be having, had no ending at all. She simply poofed out of the story. Okay? Hana? Where’d you go? What’d you do? I NEED ANSWERS!

I liked the book, but I think it was read more like a middle book than the final book. The ending was unsatisfactory because it left a lot of stuff hanging. Cliffhangers with no chance of answers is horrible. It weighs on my heart and makes me grab fistfuls of hair and tug screaming “whyyy?!” Although, it was a good read, I needed a bit more than what I got. More resolutions and more romance would have made this book worthy of greatness.

Review Posted on: http://www.ladybugliterature.blogspot.com

For me, Requiem was a disappointing end to a good trilogy.

I liked Delirium and even loved Pandemonium. Lena had undergone a great character development and newly-introduced Julian was very likeable. I did not really like the character of Alex (her love interest in book 1 who was captured at the end) that much, but he was away the whole of book 2. Lena's life in the Wilds changed her character for the better.

But then Requiem... Of course the previous book ended with Alex reuniting with Lena, while she is now with Julian. The beginning of the book is almost entirely about how Lena is jealous about Alex' new relationship and how she is actually leading Julian on, because she is still in love with Alex. Later fortunately she turned by and got back to her old self, but only after Alex left. This really disappointed me, because Lena had become such a strong character in the last 2 books and this jealous girl was not. The rest of the book was a series of events that showed that rebels were gathering and the government was trying to stop them. Lena's long-lost mother also stops by, but this does not add much to the story.
Of course Alex was not very nice during this book, but what will you expect from someone who has been in prison to save the girl he loves only to find out she has found someone else when he comes back.
Julian is such a great guy, he gave up everything to run away with Lena to Wilds. He is always there for her, he does not deserve to be treated like Lena did. One time she is nice to him and the other she ignores him. This was a bit of a disappointment after their great relationship in Pandemonium, but it was sort of to be expected after Alex returning.
I liked the parts where Hana (Lena's best friend from before the Wilds) was narrating. She gave the reader the opportunity of experiencing the government-controlled cities, not only the Wilds. She has a strong character and she fights back against the Cure.


Then what I most disliked about the book was the ending. I was very surprised when I found out this was the end of the series. The ending was so abrupt, it seemed weird there was no next book.
The whole book the writer has been building up to a conclusion. And exactly when you think all your questions will be answered the book stops. What will happen to Hana, will she escape and will she and Lena live together in the Wilds? Who will Lena choose, Julian or Alex? What will happen to the revolution overall, will the Invalids win? All this was unanswered. Talking about an anti-climax ... The ending of the book kind of ruined the whole trilogy for me. What good is a nice story when there is no actual ending?

So, while Delirium and Pandemonium were great books, Requiem, mostly because of the ending, was not. I would strongly advise the writer to write a fourth book, because I am still full of questions. For now I am leaving it at 2 stars, for the rest of the book was OK.

http://www.evelinesbooks.blogspot.nl

After reading Pandemonium with that gut-punching ending, I cannot wait to read this book. But after reading some reviews when this was released, all those unsatisfied comments sort of dampen my excitement.

Oliver, once again, amazed me with her impeccable writing style and wonderful prose. She has a way with words. I definitely enjoyed reading the alternate POVs of Hana and Lena, which had a great distinction between the characters. You can definitely see the difference between them. Lena was defiant, stubborn and strong-willed while Hana was confused, guilty but surprisingly calm. I was particularly excited to read Hana’s part, especially now that she’s cured.

All the time I was reading, I was looking forward for the two girls to meet. Well, except knowing Lena’s choice. I was excited to see their reactions and if there still was friendship left between them, even a little. Unfortunately, the moment I’ve been waiting for fell short. Of course I was expecting a sort of dramatic event. They were best friends whose paths were separated after all. But I didn’t feel enough emotions on their scene except when Hana admitted to Lena that it was her who told the Regulators about 37 Brooks. It all felt bland and both of them, although wary of each other, seem nonchalant.

The build up of the war was also well-paced except for some unnecessary filler parts. Fillers are not bad, although I was expecting more action because of the upcoming war against the government. I definitely felt a rush reading those dangerous parts, not just on Lena’s part but also on Hana’s. The latter’s visit at the Crypt was also an interesting point, as well as the use of the story of Bluebeard, which I admit scares the crap out of me.

Also, let’s not forget the boys. Reading the change in Alex was heartbreaking. He was like a lifeless soul that didn’t just change but was utterly broken. And although I wanted Alex, Julian’s moments and his adjustment to the Wilds was something that cannot be overlooked. Almost everything he does, he does for Lena, which is really sweet and adorable. I started to see his perspective and I cannot find any reason to be annoyed.

Who annoyed me? Lena. At the beginning, her choice was indeed obvious but I felt a bit of change in the middle. Her confusion between Alex and Julian was perfectly understandable but I hated the parts where she purposely threw herself towards Julian’s direction whenever Alex does something (ignoring her or having a fun conversation with Coral). There were also times when it feels like she’s choosing Julian’s side because she can’t be with Alex, like he’s her second choice. I thought she loved Julian?

Although I have a love-hate relationship with this book, it was still awesome in my book until the ending. Please tell me that my copy has a missing chapter or that there’s another book coming next year because that was not a freakin ending! I liked the thought of the last paragraphs, about not knowing things, I get it but would it hurt to give a conclusion? This is a conclusion to the series, for Merlin’s sake! With Lena’s internal speech about not knowing things, I expected an open-ending but that wasn’t ending at all. It only gave me more questions which was supposed to be answered and put to rest after reading the last book. What happened to Lena’s family? What happened to Hana? What about Fred? [spoiler] With Lena choosing Alex, I assume because of their exchange of I love yous, how did Julian react? [spoiler] Did Hana and Lena’s friendship stood a chance in the end? What about the war? See, questions.

To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement.