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.
***
Review
Requiem is a satisfying conclusion to the delirium trilogy. Lauren Oliver, through showing us the way that those in her intricately woven world live- make us appreciate what we are so fortunate to have today; the freedom to love unconditionally.
Personally, I found that Requiem didn't reach the height of Pandemonium in keeping the reader engaged. Most of the time I found myself wanting to read a chapter from Hana as opposed to one from Lena since this book is written with dual perspectives.
My favourite aspect of this book was the character development that can be seen since we were first introduced to everyone in Delirium. Lena, being a timid girl who refused to break the rules, became a determined, warrior-like woman. I especially enjoyed seeing Hana develop as, arguably, she did have what would be considered the perfect life within their society. Hana showed us as readers that although the cure does take away ones ability to love, it doesn't take away our humanity or relationships that once meant the world to them. I absolutely adored all the characters in this trilogy, not because they made all the choices that I believed that should have, or because of the way that they chose to see the world, but because they were so flawed and three dimensional. The best example of this is Hana. On the surface she loves Lena, and although that isn't a façade, her inherent selfishness takes away her ability to make rational decisions when she is envious. In some ways, I preferred Hana's ending to the trilogy because it showed that as long as humans will thrive; we will have the natural instinct of 'every man for themselves'.
The plot in Requiem was intriguing however proved to be quite slow at times. It seemed as if the entire book was going on a downwards spiral and I didn't pick the book up for about a week after being discouraged about the events that Lena found herself in. Only after forcing myself to read the final 100 pages was I truly engaged in the story. I found Hana's perspective interesting as, so far, we haven't been able to see the world of Delirium through the eyes of someone who has been cured.
In summary, Requiem was a fulfilling conclusion to the Delirium trilogy. I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys young adult dystopian fiction.
Personally, I found that Requiem didn't reach the height of Pandemonium in keeping the reader engaged. Most of the time I found myself wanting to read a chapter from Hana as opposed to one from Lena since this book is written with dual perspectives.
My favourite aspect of this book was the character development that can be seen since we were first introduced to everyone in Delirium. Lena, being a timid girl who refused to break the rules, became a determined, warrior-like woman. I especially enjoyed seeing Hana develop as, arguably, she did have what would be considered the perfect life within their society. Hana showed us as readers that although the cure does take away ones ability to love, it doesn't take away our humanity or relationships that once meant the world to them. I absolutely adored all the characters in this trilogy, not because they made all the choices that I believed that should have, or because of the way that they chose to see the world, but because they were so flawed and three dimensional. The best example of this is Hana. On the surface she loves Lena, and although that isn't a façade, her inherent selfishness takes away her ability to make rational decisions when she is envious. In some ways, I preferred Hana's ending to the trilogy because it showed that as long as humans will thrive; we will have the natural instinct of 'every man for themselves'.
The plot in Requiem was intriguing however proved to be quite slow at times. It seemed as if the entire book was going on a downwards spiral and I didn't pick the book up for about a week after being discouraged about the events that Lena found herself in. Only after forcing myself to read the final 100 pages was I truly engaged in the story. I found Hana's perspective interesting as, so far, we haven't been able to see the world of Delirium through the eyes of someone who has been cured.
In summary, Requiem was a fulfilling conclusion to the Delirium trilogy. I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys young adult dystopian fiction.
RATING | ★★★★
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