REVIEW: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:
Battling against a society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the rebels. And Lena's emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic return of someone she thought was lost forever...

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Lena and her best friend Hana, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to an exhilarating end and showcases Lauren Oliver at the height of her writing powers - emotionally powerful and utterly enthralling. (goodreads)

Review (contains spoilers for ALL 3 books):

I read Delirium and absolutely loved it. I read Pandemonium and thoroughly enjoyed it. As for Requiem I certainly LIKED it, but I did have a few issues, which I will submit you to now. ;)

I suspected it from the moment I picked up book 2 and by the end I knew it was inevitable. Brace yourselves... the love triangle is coming. I'm afraid I rather dislike love triangles. I think it was sparked by Twilight, and then bolstered by countless other books with the same tired formula. I'd rather just focus on the one couple, and bypass all the drama that comes with a second suitor. I'm certain love triangles can be done right but... I'm just a bit tired of seeing them done wrong.

In Delirium I completely fell for Lena and Alex. I relished every scene they had together; they seemed such a sweet, perfect couple. As a result I went into Pandemonium ready to hate Julian and... didn't. In fact I really love Julian, and that only intensified with this instalment. He's been through so much and his world was turned upside down, yet he never wastes a moment feeling sorry for himself. Instead he focuses on adapting to life in the wilds, and soon proves his worth to the rebels. This is all in spite of Lena's complete lack of support, as she is absolutely awful to him from the moment Alex reappears. I was really, really disappointed with how petty and mean she becomes. The only time she is nice to Julian is when she's using him to distract herself from Alex, or trying to make him jealous.

Speaking of Alex, I didn't find him very sympathetic in this instalment. At the end of Pandemonium I was actually (unpopular opinion alert!) not that happy about him turning up again. Because I knew the love triangle was imminent, and because I really. like. Julian! After the big Alex shaped space in book 2, I needed Requiem to remind me why I adored him so much in the first place and sadly, it didn't deliver on this front. He has a much less significant role than I expected, and spends most of it either cosied up with Coral or trying to rival Lena in the pettiness factor. I was really annoyed with his whole "I never really loved you" thing, and I can't believe Lena bought it. Pleeeease! You are both better than this.

Luckily there is much more to Requiem than the relationship drama. After the events of Pandemonium the government have stepped up their campaign against the 'invalids', and the time has come to make a stand. The tension had me glued to the page throughout and there was a certain fatality that absolutely ripped my heart in two... As well as following Lena's story we also rejoin her former best friend Hana, who has been cured and is preparing for marriage to Portland's mayor to be. At first this may all seem a bit irrelevant, but we soon learn Hana's new life is not as simple as it seems, and eventually the two story lines converge in the finale.

I really did enjoy this final instalment to the Delirium series, despite my issues with the love triangle setup. I liked the hopeful, open ending and the last few paragraphs gave me goosebumps! (the good kind) By the way, was I the only one who wanted to belt out this song as I turned the last page? 

Probably... but doesn't it fit well?!

What was your opinion on this book, or the rest of the series for that matter? :) Let me know!

REVIEW: 0.4 (Human.4) by Mike Lancaster

Summary (from Goodreads)

It's a brave new world. 'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.' So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on to old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world.


Review

This was a really, really interesting book. I think part of what makes it so good is the way it unfolds and so I’m going to try and give as little away as possible, whilst still giving a tiny bit more information than the blurb. The gist of it is this: Kyle Straker, his friend’s girlfriend Lilly and two adults volunteer to be hypnotised in a backwater village talent show. However whilst they are under this influence, everything changes. Suddenly their parents and friends are acting strangely, and it is left to the four of them to out why...

The story is presented as a transcript of some mysterious old tape cassettes recorded by Kyle, interspersed with author’s notes which explain apparently archaic concepts such as reality television and Coldplay. It was a refreshing format and I especially looked forward to reading the notes, which were often funny little digs at pop culture and academia. As for Kyle and co. themselves, whilst I did not exactly dislike them I did not feel particularly attached to them either. The one exception to this was Mr. Peterson, despite the fact his back story was condensed into a few paragraphs. Possibly it is an effect of how short and fast-paced the book is, but I never really felt like any of the characters were fully developed. Similarly the attempts at romance felt rushed and thrown in; I really felt the book would have worked better had those been left out altogether.

Despite the flatness of the characters I did find this to be an extremely gripping read. I got through most of it in one night and yes, there may have been a few times I felt a little bit creeped out walking around in the dark after reading it! The scenes in which Kyle realises there is something wrong with his parents were especially thrilling, and there were a few moments which made my heart jump into my throat.

This was a very quick read but definitely not a shallow one, and it leaves you a lot to think about. However I did find my final view of it was slightly bogged down not only by the characterization but also by some logical inconsistencies, especially surrounding the 1.0’s interest in Kyle’s tapes and his being able to record them in the first place! But despite its flaws 0.4 was still a very compelling tale. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the premise for the sequel, 1.4, but I will definitely give it a shot!