Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Requiem

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Requiem is the final book in the Delirium Trilogy. We had left off in Pandemonium with Alex returning and Lena promising to stay with Julian forever. Now Lena is torn because she is around both Julian and Alex as they prepare with their group to go to war against the society. Lena and Alex avoid each other and rarely speak and Lena is unable to spend a great deal of time with Julian because of everything they need to do to prepare for their attack.

SPOILERS AHEAD

They prepare to attack, but are betrayed by one of their own in the process and just barely make it out. They also find out that a great deal of their fellow Invalids will be attacked within a few days. They manage to get out of the area and team up with the leaders of the resistance against the society. One of whom is Lena's mom, who Lena had up till recently believed to be dead. They spend some time getting to know one another again and work on building up the resistance. 

Meanwhile, chapter by chapter we also see Hanna's point of view. We see that the man she has been matched up with had a different match originally and she is trying to find out why that didn't work out. Hanna is trying to do everything up to her mothers standards, but feels a ton of guilt for telling on Lena and Alex. She consistently goes to check up on Lena's family and begins to bring food and other supplies to Lena's cousin Grace. 

Their stories meet up when Lena enters back into her hometown and saves Grace. Hanna finds her and manages to be saved herself with the information Lena provides her with, that there is a bomb in her matches house. Hanna has her abusive match promise to not leave the house and then she herself walks away.

Lena heads back to help her group (minus Raven- who has been killed during the fight) and speaks with Alex. She tells him that she loves him and chooses him over Julian. Then Lena starts tearing down the wall that separates society from the Wilds.

While the ending is very symbolic, tearing down an actual wall versus tearing down a symbolic wall between the Invalids and society, I was not thrilled that the trilogy ended this way. I was hoping for a neatly wrapped up package. Instead, what Lauren Oliver left us with are a bunch of loose threads of a story. We know that Hanna has walked away from her match, but did she in turn walk onto a better life? She has been cured already, so will she join the Invalids and be friends with Lena once again? Or will she live her life in a different way? How about Alex and Lena, we know that they have chosen each other but what about Julian? How will Lena let him know that he's not the one for her?

I am left with so many questions at the end of this book, that I am left feeling disappointed. I still would recommend this series without any hesitation, but I still wish that Lauren Oliver had chosen to wrap things up a little nicer at the end. I will just assume for my own benefit that Lena and Hanna are best friends again and everything is forgiven. I will also assume that Lena and Alex are happy and in love and that Julian has found someone that can truly be in love with him.

Have you read the Delirium series? What did you think about them? Were you satisfied with the ending or disappointed like I was?

Any book recommendations out there? I have a HUGE to-read list but am always looking for something to add to it!

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