Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Page Count: 391 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: March 5th 2013
Find it on Goodreads: Requiem
Source: Purchased 
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.
It's really hard for me to review Requiem, as it is the final installment in one of my favourite dystopian series of all time. I loved this trilogy and I thought its finale was fantastic.
I was extremely nervous going into Requiem, as Pandemonium left off on such a huge cliff-hanger, it wasn't even funny. If you're hoping for a LOT of romance in this book, you'll probably be disappointed, but I personally liked the fact that the romance was pretty subtle and not the entire story. There was a lot of contemplation within the head of Lena about Alex and Julian, but not a ton of interaction. I enjoyed reading Lena's thoughts on it all and her struggles with the decision. Lena is an amazing character and I was so scared to say good bye to her. She has grown so much in this trilogy and I loved being in her mind.
The story in Requiem focuses a lot on the rebellion and them trying to overtake the government. It is told in both Lena's perspective, in the Wilds, as well as Hana's POV, as she prepares for her wedding to the young mayor of Portland. I really enjoyed reading Hana's chapters, as it gave the reader a look into the cured's mind and what it was like. I loved the contrast between Hana's robotic-like thoughts (although still something a bit more than robot...) and Lena's mind as a fighter in the rebellion. Oliver is of course amazing at cliff-hangers and she leaves little ones at the end of the chapters, so that the reader has to wait and read the other POV's chapter beforehand.
I know a lot of people didn't like Requiem because of how it ended, but personally, I thought it was perfect. It was a classic Oliver cliff-hanger, but not so dramatic that you're desperate to find out more. It closed off the series with a sense of mystery as to what comes next, but it's up for you to decide. Who does Lena choose? Does the Resistance win? Is Hana going to be defective? You decide. I think if this book had been concluded in a nice and tidy, all wrapped up and ready to go kind of way, it wouldn't have given off the same feeling that this conclusion did. With the fact that the reader is still left wondering what will happen, but has a sense of it, Requiem was a beautiful finale and I loved it to no end.
Requiem was written beautifully, in Oliver's graceful prose. It was not a disappointment, when it comes to conclusions, but I am so disappointed that this trilogy has come to an end. Although, I am excited to see how the TV show turns out!
Let me know what you thought of this finale and if you haven't read this trilogy, do you want to? Are you excited for the TV series?
Happy reading!
~Kristy
I'm looking forward to reading Requiem, I'm glad it was a satisfying finale, even if it's a shame that this is the end of the series...but there's the TV series to look forward to :)
ReplyDeleteOoh I have Requiem and now I want to start it soon! I'm glad the ending satisfied you, because I was initially really worried about it from other reviews, but it seems to definitely have it's strong points. :)
ReplyDeleteHana's POV chapters also look so engaging and amazing and eek! I'm just really excited now. But not. For the TV show. Because all of the first book is happening in one episode basically. HOW DO LENA AND ALEX FALL IN LOVE IN ONE EPISODE? And then where is the show going to go after? They completely changed the book compared to the movie and it seriously annoys me that it's totally okay to completely twist around a book when it's being translated onto TV but when it's a movie if it's nothing like the book then it's considered the worst movie adaptation ever. I mean, why is a TV series so different from a movie! Yeah so there are more episodes but if one book was only one or two seasons, then the show could be done and they could make room for other shows that they want to put on instead of just disconnecting a show. I don't really understand this at all. *runs around on Twitter complaining*
Okay, rant over.
Did I tell you that you have an awesome review? And that I'm glad you enjoyed the last book? Yeah? Okay well I'm saying it again ;)
BYE KRISTY!
I really enjoyed reading Hana's chapters, I agree her robotic nature of being cured was a nice insight to their life. I am glad you liked the ending, I can see what you are saying about it being a cliff hanger but not so dramatic. Personally I wanted more resolution but can understand why others enjoyed the ending :)
ReplyDeleteAshley @ The Quiet Concert