Requiem

Delirium Trilogy, Book 3

By: Lauren Oliver

Narrated by: Sarah Drew

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

This exciting finale to Lauren Olive's New York Times best-selling Delirium trilogy is a riveting blend of nonstop action and forbidden romance in a dystopian United States.

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.

With lyrical writing, Lauren Oliver seamlessly interweaves the peril that Lena faces with the inner tumult she experiences after the reappearance of her first love, Alex, the boy she thought was dead. Sophisticated and wide-ranging, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to a thrilling conclusion.

©2013 Laura Schechter (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Kind of like a sparkler...

...started off pretty strong, but burnt out very quickly. One of the initial scenes really caught my attention due to the strength of the narrator's performance. I remember thinking that if the whole book was like that, then I would be justified in giving this series a second chance. Not so much.

I had serious issues with the the first book...too much whine and inner monologues for my taste. I had no intention of reading more, but the second book was available through my library and I was searching for something to listed to after running out of credits. It was much better, so I was actually looking forward to this conclusion. Unfortunately, it was not one.

Oliver spent longer describing characters getting ready for bed than she did on this ending. It was VERY rushed. It seemed like the open-ish end was designed to fit the author's mini-political speech/moral of the story. However, I was so frustrated that the book was ending in this state, I didn't care what she wanted me to gain from reading this trilogy. In a three book series, the reader has invested enough time with the story that he/she expects and, I would argue, deserves to have a solid conclusion.

Overall, the story dragged often. I often daydreamed during large portions and had to stop and rewind to catch up. After a while, I stopped rewinding and let it play. I did like the introduction of Hanna as a narrator. It was a little odd to move to that format in the last book, but it was a great way to show the readers/listeners both sides of the wall.

If you loved the other books then definitely read this, but prepare yourself to be disappointed. I thought the other reviewers might be over-reacting about the abrupt ending, but I think knowing the risk helped ease my frustrations.

Pure Frustration!!!

The trilogy is worth a credit and a listen, it's not that it's terrible, the story is very interesting but I didn't like the direction the writer took the story in. By the end of this novel, Requiem, I was just so overwhelmed with frustration that I was rolling my eyes more often then not. There's a lot of things I would have done differently, things I would have added, things I would have took out and the ending is just painful!!! I finished all 3 books in 3 days, my headphones constantly in my ears while I done everything, I wanted it to get better, I couldn't wait to see how everything ended but all I get left with is a big heaping pile of unanswered questions, so yeah I'm frustrated...... Another thing I have to add is that Lana's constant whiny, childish, attention seeking, bull**** Is enough to make anyone half sick, I was ready to choke this girl and slap her until she quit crying. It just made her look weak, and pathetic and I could in no way relate to that type of character, I liked and respected Raven 100% more!!!!!

amazing trilogy and fascinating read

perfect emotional capturing roller coaster on edge yet relatable and wonderful storylines and voiced narrative

Good YA dystopia

Would you listen to Requiem again? Why?

I could see myself listening to this again. I listened to it rather fast the first time.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! This was truly hard to put down.

Angry! (possible spoilers)

I'm still really mad at the main character for not checking the cells while she was there. I just find it hard to believe and I can't get past it. One of my book buddies thinks I'm crazy and is absolutely in love with the trilogy but I'm just having a hard time getting past that one part. Overall, it was a good story but I don't think I'll read it again.

Great Story

Great series of books. Good for adults and teens. Conveys a good message. I wanted to keep listening.

A Mediocre Ending to a Good Series

This is not my usual fare, but I read this series because I watched the first episode of the Delirium TV show and was curious about the story. While not exceptional, the story and plot were interesting enough that I stayed with it through three books. While I could have predicted the ending pretty well from about the first quarter of the first book, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if the author had developed the ending over many chapters, not just a few paragraphs.

I think Lauren Oliver did her readers a disservice by simply throwing the end together, as if she was about to exceed her word limit and needed to end the story as quickly as possible.

Based on my experience with this last book in the series, I seriously doubt I'll be reading any more of her books in the future.

not my favorite in the series

This was not my favorite book in the series (mostly because I was annoyed with Lena's indecisiveness and the cliché love triangle). overall loved the series though! sad that it is over! Absolutely loved Sarah Drew's narration of all the books!

Felt like somewhat wasted time

There needs to be a short novel or some kind of continuation to wrap this story up better than this! It is left way to open ended and the message at the end should have been epilogue! It would be nice for readers if the author wrote a fourth book to wrap the characters lives and their stories into a tightly knit ending!

I NEED MORE!!!

I love everything about this series and Requiem was another excellent book in the series! I truely hope that there are more to come..

I love the characters in this series, the moral delimmas that they must process, the excitement, and especially the naration - it is spot on! Sarah Drew is awesome!

I could not stop listening to this book. And when i was forced to put it down - to work or be productive - i could not stop thinking about the story! This is a definate favorite in my library! A must read for those who like dystopian or YA novels!