We are even free to choose the wrong thing.
Summary from Goodreads:
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was underway 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 infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.
As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.
My review:
Requiem by Lauren Oliver is the shocking ending to the
Delirium Trilogy. In a world where love has been cured and eradicated in the cities, Lena and her band of Invalids are on a mission to break down the barriers. Meanwhile, Hana's POV intercepts in a way I've been waiting for since
Delirium. Finally, I got to see the world through Hana's eyes and it's just as bad as Lena's.
The novel was phenomenal. The switching points of view allow the reader to understand life in the Wilds and life in Portland during the start of the war. Even though I had to crawl along with Hana (her chapters felt shorter than Lena's even though they probably weren't), it provided a blindingly bright light on the evils and manipulations of the government, something we saw only briefly with Julian Fineman in
Pandemonium.
The love triangle. Oh. My. It was intense. I imagined who Lena would choose and I was
wrong. For the first time in quite a while, the romance was just as thrilling as the political demises and they flowed together seamlessly. Granted, the plot focuses on the idea that love is a disease, so love should have been a main plot line, but we also see love between family and friends that is pushed and strained in a way that will make you question whether love is such a great thing after all.
And Hana. Hana, how could you?! I have never felt to betrayed and then redeemed by a character since Peter in
Divergent. Not only that, but Lena never annoyed me, not even once. She matured into the kind of character this series deserved, especially after all the deaths. Oh, the deaths. They're still wounding to think about.
Overall,
Requiem was phenomenal (did I say that already? Too bad. Phenomenal, phenomenal, phenomenal!) At first, I was worried it would be too open an ending, but Oliver patched everything up in the final two pages. Two pages. I would have liked to be told something about my biggest question before then, but at least she gave me something. Read this series if you haven't. You need this in your life.
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
If you haven't read (and you need to), you can get a
physical copy here or a
digital copy here.
