Friday, April 12, 2013

Requiem by Lauren Oliver [REVIEW]

TITLE: Requiem (Delirium #3)
AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PUB DATE: Mar 5 2013


Summary 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."

Rating:

No!!! Please, no! That it so not the end of this series!

Golly, come to think of it, I’ve more or less started all my reviews from Lauren Oliver’s Delirium series with a “no” (see Delirium and Pandemonium reviews). I’m starting to think whether this is because I have an arguable explanation for saying so or it’s just my refusal to accept what’s at hand every time the books reach their endings... yeah, both.

[Be warned, this will contain spoilers from the first two books...and a bit from book three too. Okay maybe a lot. Sorry. I have to vent out some things.]

Let’s do a little recap... (I’ll make it quick, don’t worry)

We follow Lena’s story first through Delirium, where she is set on getting the cure for deliria, but then she meets a boy named Alex who shows her what love feels like. Falling in love with Alex made Lena decide not to take the cure anymore and instead run away with Alex into the Wilds, which first she thought was dangerous. In their attempt to flee Portland, Alex ends up being shot and left behind while Lena escapes into the Wilds.

This then follows on to Pandemonium where Lena is now living in the Wilds along with other un-cureds/Invalids. She thinks that Alex is dead. On the effort of trying to move on with her life, she takes on a mission for the movement against the DFA. Through her mission, she meets Julian, the role model of young individuals of the society, typically telling all the people that being cured is the right – and only – choice. So Lena, although grieving over Alex’s supposed death, manages to fall in love with Julian, which then leads to them running off to the Wilds together, that is after Lena rescues Julian and all that. I know... vague details. You’ll all get it once you read both books (if you haven’t yet that is). So anyway, although Lena is now happy having Julian with her, surprise, surprise – Alex is alive and has found his way back to her... and so here is where Requiem takes the lead...

Those who oppose the “Deliria-Free America” law of the domineering government continue on with their goal – to give people the freedom to act without the need of the cure. Lena, Julian and Alex are all part of this group, which isn’t exactly comfortable for any of them. Lena is determined to stand by her decision but Alex’s presence makes things complicated.

Compared to the first two books, Requiem has a faster pace. Although most of it involved Lena travelling with her companions to seek other rebels and finally fight against the DFA, and watching Hana prepare for her upcoming wedding to Fred, whom I’d like calling the “ultimate villain” of this story.

In Pandemonium, we got alternating views of the “Then” and “Now” of Lena’s life in the Wilds, here in Requiem, we get alternating points-of-view of Lena and – wait for it... Hana! Yeah. If you’ve read the ebook entitled Hana, her side of story showed that she betrayed Lena which led to the misfortune that happened in Delirium. So imagine reading from her now that she’s cured... but guilt seems to be eating her up inside. I was so excited to see how she and Lena would eventually come face to face here.

Majority of the book revolved around the love story between Lena, Julian and Alex. To be honest, this love triangle was rather stressful. You see, I find Lena a bit annoying here for the whole “torn between two lovers” bit. But I admire her for trying to stand firm on what she has chosen.

I was heartbroken to see my dear, dear Alex come back as someone I don’t know anymore. *sob* The Crypts sure have done a hell of a job on him. I’m still no fan of Julian even though he’s done nothing but his best to fit into Lena’s world. I do love the brawling scene between these two. Probably one the most entertaining parts of this book. LOL. Sorry. *sheepish grin*

Still, I really feel that this is just too exhausting. It feels like one of those Tucker-Christian (from Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly series) slash Adam-Warner (from Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series) moments. Seriously, are these authors talking and plotting against their readers? *glares*

Now let’s get to the part where my “no”, at the beginning of this review, fits in. I hate the ending. Let me explain... Have you watched the movie, Inception? You know the part at the ending where Leonardo DiCaprio spinned his totem on a table to see if that part was a dream or not (if it’s not a dream the totem stops, if it is then the totem keeps spinning), so when he walks away it just keeps spinning until it agonizingly slows down (and just barely even) then – boom! Screen goes blank then the credits roll. And you sit there stunned thinking: “did it stop spinning or not?” and no one gives you the answers... that’s how Requiem’s ending was. Damn it!

I refuse to believe that “bringing down the walls” scene was the only goal of this Resistance. There has got to be more than that. And the whole Lena-Julian-Alex mess? No way did that get settled as simple as that! And frankly I don’t think Lena should get off the hook that easily.

So I have to ask... there is going to be a spin off or something right? Because that CANNOT be the ending. It’s not fair!