Requiem by Lauren Oliver [CONTAINS SPOILERS]

Synopsis 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 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.

RATING | ★★★★

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Synopsis from Goodreads

From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, hallways hum “Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. Until they are not. Leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her - normal.

***

Review

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a book that should be considered a classic among the Young Adult genre. It beautifully portrays  the value of being an individual and doing what makes you happy as opposed to what will make others like you. 

Personally, I found that the narrative voice in Stargirl was perfect. Leo Borlock is a teenager much like myself who conforms to what is considered the 'norm' within his school so that he won't be noticed and won't fall headlong into trouble. Although Leo's opinions and attitudes towards Stargirl's extroverted and unique personality seem harsh, it is presented in the exact same way that you or I would feel. 

Throughout this book the concept of 'them' and 'us' is explored frequently. This book teaches you that everyone feels as if they are going against the tide of the entire world, yet in some people this is easier to see. Leo telling Stargirl that she should behave normally was a powerful and pivotal point in this book. It showed that no matter how pleased everyone may be with us, it won't benefit our own happiness. 

The characters in this book were intricately woven, especially Stargirl and Leo. Stargirl is one of the most interesting characters that I've read about for a while now. She carries an air of kindness and generosity that most characters in young adult novels don't have. Many of the other books in this genre present their female characters as being 'strong' and 'independent' , although this is an extremely important character trait for females in modern literature, we must also take into account that women and girls alike, are also kind, compassionate and caring.

Leo's character is one that most people would disagree with. It's easy for us, as readers, to acknowledge that Leo is shallow, however it begs the question, in Leo's position, wouldn't we behave in the same way ? Leo was indeed shallow and lured in by the concept of normality that he lived by, but ultimately he is a very realistic representation of an introverted adolescent.

The plot in Stargirl was woven more around the characters than events, so it follows that the books was just as interesting and quirky as the characters.

In summary, Stargirl is a beautiful novel that expresses the importance of individuality, kindness and open mindedness in a world that seems to accept so little of it.

RATING | ★★★★★

4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

Synopsis from Goodreads

Fifteen-year-old Jane Shilling’s best friends don’t know her real name. In fact, they don’t know anything about her at all. Jane’s life has collapsed in the last few years; following the death of her mother, her father turned to drinking, and Jane is reeling from the double blow. To escape, Jane devises a number of online personas, each with a distinct personality, life history, and set of friends. But things become trickier when she finds herself drawing close to some of her online friends, and winds up struggling with the question of how to maintain a real friendship while masquerading as a fake person. With the help of Gary, a socially awkward classmate and competitive Skeeball player who is Jane’s only offline friend, and Nora, her therapist, Jane begins to sift through her issues. The only catch is that that involves taking a long, hard look at what her life’s like when the computer is shut off, and that’s a reality she’s been fighting for years.

***

Review

I received a free ARC copy of this novel to review from Netgalley.

4 to 16 characters is a novel that portrays our lives as adolescents perfectly. The main aspect that I enjoyed about this novel is the structure of it. The first person narrative is formatted as a series of journal entries and the direct dialogue between characters is expressed through chat-rooms. I really appreciated the fact that Kelly Hourihan explored 'Internet culture', if you will, as  it is a large part of the lives of the adolescents in my generation. 

I loved reading about all of the characters, except for the protagonist. Despite that, they were all very much complex and contributed wonderfully to the novel. Although most of the characters that attend Jane's school are intellectually disabled or have trouble with school, they all had strong qualities and contributed towards the theme of 'every-person-being-valuable'. 

This book also touched on themes such as self harm and disorders and I believed that she expressed the feelings of people who go through such things well. Kelly Hournihan's novel perpetuates the idea of imperfection in everyone, and loving ourselves and others for their own flaws as well.

In summary, 4 to 16 characters is a young adult novel that I would highly reccomend to anyone who is going through a rough time, or may just want an enjoyable read.

RATING | ★★★★

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl- Jesse Andrews

Synopsis from Goodreads

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

***

Review

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a novel that will speak to all adolescents on a very personal level. What made it so profound, was in fact, its complete lack of sentiment and profundity. 

This novel truly captures the essence of being a teenager and presented it with brutal honesty. The characters were extremely three dimensional and what make you really empathise with them is their very much human flaws. 

The plot is extremely gritty and although this novel will make you cry in laughter, it can't exactly be classified as light-hearted literature.  

Many young-adult authors create stories that give us unrealistic expectations of our own life. What I personally loved so much about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (apart from its quirky cover) was the fact that Jesse Andrews was completely honest about the fact that high school, for the lack of a better term, sucked. There wasn't any question about it but it's okay, because it is only a passing phase in our lives. 

This book was in the top ten for YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adult readers, and deservingly so. It has the ability to draw in any reader, to make them empathise with and sympathise for the characters. It portrayed important themes like loyalty, independence and honesty. One of the major aspect about this novel is humour. This is one of those novels where you can go from laughing to crying in a mere matter of seconds. 

Although this book was not written with the intent of creating an important moral or based on a valuable theme, both character and plot development were evident. 

In summary, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is an extremely well written book. This is a great young adult novel that I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a good laugh, realistic fiction or perhaps both. 


RATING | ★★★★★

The Heir by Lynne Stringer

I received a free copy of this novel via a Goodreads giveaway. 

I really enjoyed The Heir. It was fast paced, the characters were three dimensional and the plot was intriguing. 

I think something that is, unfortunately, too common among young adult authors is that they create their adolescent characters to be mature beyond their age. The Heir contained a vast range of realistic characters that was a breath of fresh air. 

I appreciated the fact that this novel went beyond the shallow, girl-likes-guy, guy-has-girlfriend aspect.  

The planet of Verindon lacked world building, but I can understand that that may have been because the author was hoping to properly introduce it the second novel. 

Something that I'd really like to congratulate the author on is creating a novel that wasn't predictable in the slightest. I went through so many possibilities of what was going on and I had suspicions about a few of the characters, but ultimately, I was surprised by what was actually happening. 

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone. I'm also excitedly anticipating the sequel to The Heir.