Lauren Oliver - Requiem

It's been a while since I've read a dystopian book which has been refreshing, reading other genres and branching out to see whether I like other authors and styles, but the next in my pile was Requiem, the last book in the Delirium series which I started over a year ago now.  It is satisfying to come to an end of a trilogy/series because it brings a nice end to the main story while leaving your imagination running wild with endless possibilities of what the characters are getting up to later on.

Requiem is the third and final book in the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver, a series I've been reading for a while and the second book, Pandemonium, was the first book I reviewed on my blog as well.  The Delirium trilogy is set in a time where it is believed people can contract a disease called amor deliria nervosa, falling in love with someone is considered a disease, and the entire population are put through a procedure to "cure" deliria; the focus of the trilogy is Lena, a young woman who fell in love with a young man called Alex who is considered an Invalid as he was born in the Wilds and just pretended to have gone through the procedure.  In Delirium, Alex gives Lena another option, run away with him to the Wilds which she is unsure on up until seven days before her procedure when she decides to run away.  After some problems, including being caught meeting together, Alex rescues Lena and they attempt to escape.  While Lena succeeds, Alex lets himself be captured so Lena is safe and is shot in front of Lena.  Even though she is shocked, she runs away to the Wilds so Alex's sacrifice is not a waste.  After Delirium, in Pandemonium, Lena is in the Wilds, trying to help those that have taken her in to also save the rest of society from being "cured.  Lena goes undercover in society into the DFA (Deliria Free America) so to help people but is captured along with Julian, the leader of the youth division of the DFA and the son of the man leading this strange land.  She is able to escape capture, bringing Julian with her, and she starts to fall for him when they begin to trust one another as she brings him into the world Alex brought her into.  Lena and Julian get back to the rebel camp in the Wilds she went to originally and Lena finds out that not only is her mother still alive, after she was supposed to have died in prison years ago, but so is Alex.

Rating: 7

Recommended To: Dystopia fiction fans

Favourite Characters: Alex - still the same guy despite what he thinks

Favourite Part: Before we can come, Alex whirls around and takes two steps back to me.  I'm startled to see that his face is twisted in anger.
'What the hell was that about?'  he demands.  When I can only stare at him, he goes on, 'You could have died, Lena.  If it wasn't for me, you would be dead.'
'Is this your way of asking for a thank-you?'  I'm shaky, and tired, and disorientated.  'You could just learn to say please, you know.' - Page 121

Good Points: Julian adapting to the Wilds; dual narrators alternating chapters; more focus on the war between the resistance and the government

Bad Points: The love triangle; underwhelming ending

Requiem begins with Lena and the other members of the resistance including Alex and Julian living in the Wilds fighting for survival and trying to overthrow those in charge so that people are not forced to endure a life of subjugation.  Lena is still reeling from Alex's return in Pandemonium and his behaviour is not helping.  The Wilds are being invaded by regulators, trying to squash the rebellion, making it difficult for Lena and co. to find refuge and fight.  On the other side, Lena's best friend from childhood Hana has gone through the procedure and is now engaged to the new young Mayor of Portland who is trying to suppress the rebellion and is using lethal methods to do so; Hana also discovers something horrible about her future husband's past and tries to uncover it so that she knows what she is getting into by marrying the future mayor.  Both girls know they have to survive their world, no matter what they need to do, so that others won't have to suffer as they have, and their stories are told simultaneously.

Much like when Lena was introduced to the Wilds, Julian struggled, having been used to the life of luxury due to his father's position back home, but he did try to fit in.  It seemed authentic that he didn't just slot into place, he found it difficult at times and Lena and the others had to help him, though that frustrated him.  It made his character believable and this is a great strength that Oliver's writing has, well laid out characters with flaws and strengths that make them real in the reader's mind.

Once again, the format of how Oliver told the story has changed, this time alternating between two different narrators - Lena and Hana.  I enjoyed this characteristic of Requiem because it brought a new perspective to the cure as Hana describes what it is like to live with the cure - how it works and how she sees the world.  It showed how those that are cured don't become mindless drones following the procedure which you could be led to be believe.  While they might not be driven by emotions like those in the resistance, those that are cured can still help them and seeing it from Hana's perspective illustrates this perfectly.

One irritating thing about post-apocalyptic/dystopia fiction where the protagonist is female is that there seems to be this focus on her love life not the world around her and I initially thought a series called Delirium was going to be just that.  However, as the trilogy went along, there was a lot of focus on the war between the resistance and the government they are fighting against.  It was great to see all of the characters fighting for something instead of just the protagonist fighting for herself and the love of her life.  It also illustrates Lena's character development because in Delirium, she's this soppy teenager mooning over a boy but in Requiem, she wants everyone to be free to live their own lives, not just herself.  Some may find it disappointing because there are only hints of the first books as Lena and Alex glance at each other but I think that makes this series wonderful.

Unless they have done something truly heinous, I tend to like a certain character throughout a series; I have always liked Alex's character because despite everything he believes - that he's changed since Lena escaped into the Wilds, he's still the guy she fell for, he's just become hardened slightly because he's lost so much.  He still protects Lena, even from a distance, but knows she's fully capable of looking after herself and others, including him.  Though I loathe picking sides in love triangles because they have become a boring cliché in fiction, but if I were forced to, I would pick Alex out of him and Julian because he isn't as dependent on Lena but still needs her in his own way as he loves her but he doesn't want to admit this; he has this quality about him as well that makes him a great leader which is another thing I admire about him amongst the angst and self-loathing.  Maybe it's some sadistic part of me but I like self-loathing characters, they're interesting.

It's been a while since I've read a book with a love triangle in it because they are one thing I loathe and this hasn't changed.  It forces the reader to pick a side and "teams" develop throughout a fan base and inevitably, one group or "team" is left disappointed as the protagonist went for the "wrong" person.  While I would, if pressed, pick a side because Alex is my favourite character but it wasn't because Julian wasn't unappealing, he has just as many commendable qualities, there is just something about Alex that I prefer.  Love triangles also make books predictable as you can see Lena lean towards a particular character and who she will end up with.

After going through all of this turmoil over the trilogy, I was left a bit underwhelmed in the end because I was expecting this huge fight to occur.  However, as it got closer and closer to the end, I knew this clash I was expecting was either going to be rushed or not happen; yes, we see the beginning of the fall but with previous books building up to this moment where everyone is free, with cliff-hangers to build suspense and excitement, the end just fell flat for me which is a shame.

Before we can come, Alex whirls around and takes two steps back to me.  I'm startled to see that his face is twisted in anger.
'What the hell was that about?'  he demands.  When I can only stare at him, he goes on, 'You could have died, Lena.  If it wasn't for me, you would be dead.'
'Is this your way of asking for a thank-you?'  I'm shaky, and tired, and disorientated.  'You could just learn to say please, you know.'' - Page 121

Even though this is an argument, it is clear Oliver wants us to see the chemistry that is still there between Lena and Alex despite Julian; Alex lashes out, true to character, because he was worried for Lena as he still loves her and believes she should know better but now Lena will bite back at him because she's become a stronger person.  I loved this part because Lena didn't stand for any Alex's rubbish, she knows what she did was wrong but he didn't need to react that way, if he was concerned, he should have acted like a normal human being in her mind, not some jealous ex-boyfriend lashing out.

I've finally come to the end of the Delirium series and it's sad in a way to say goodbye to these wonderful characters but they will always be in my mind, according to my mother I have an overactive imagination, and Alex will always hold a special part of my heart, like my other favourite characters, because he is just so sweet.  While I have certain things I don't like in books, love triangles for example, and this book has one, I was able to get over that after a while because I enjoyed how Oliver wrote about Julian adapting to the Wilds and bringing focus onto the resistance and the government rather than primarily Lena's love life.  Once again, Oliver changed the format of the chapters which keeps it interesting and makes this series stand out and this time, we get to see the point of view of someone who has gone through the procedure and how they live with it.  I am intrigued in reading more from Lauren Oliver but may wait until I have defeated some of my ever growing pile.

Other Books by Lauren Oliver