BOOK BLURB: Requiem (Delirium #3)

Requiem

Author:  Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Number of Pages: 391

Date Published: March 5, 2013

Goodreads:

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.

***

Thoughts:

I was both excited and worried to read the third and final installment of Lauren Oliver’s Delirium Trilogy due to the mixed reviews I have been reading. Many have expressed their negative feelings toward the book. And though there are also a number of people who really liked Requiem, it cannot be denied that of the three books in the series, it has the lowest average rating on Goodreads.

What makes Requiem different from the first two books is that it was told in both Lena and Hana’s point of view. Lauren Oliver lets readers hear the voice of two very different people who are worlds apart: Lena, struggling and trying to survive in the Wilds; and Hana, trying to figure out life after being cured. Just like in Pandemonium, she wonderfully made both ends meet.

MOVIE MADNESS: The Art of Getting By + Keith

I found time to watch two movies tonight. These were some of the movies my friends and I were planning to watch on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, there had been change of plans due to unexpected classes. So I watched it myself. I'll begin with the one I least liked.

The Art of Getting By [2011]

Rotten Tomatoes:

The Art of Getting By stars Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, who is befriended by Sally (Emma Roberts - Scream 4), a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.

***

Date Watched: February 13, 2013
Rating: 2.5 Stars

Charlie [and the Chocolate Factory] meets Nancy Drew. That’s pretty much how I saw it in the beginning. Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts teaming up for a movie that I really did not quite internalize. Honestly  I felt like there’s a deeper meaning to what I actually saw but I just couldn't grasp it. I got bored a few times with the story. But I did enjoy watching Freddie and Emma on screen.

* Does anybody feel like Freddie still looks like that goody-goody little kid who won the 5th golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s factory? I guess I still see him like that. He has almost the same face as before, just a deeper voice and way way taller. It’s like little Freddie in a tall lanky body. Emma’s face hadn't changed much as well. Luckily, the adolescent stage was very nice to them.

** Yeah, not much comment on the movie. I did like George’s witty intelligence and his weirdness. Let’s stick with that.

*** Ooooh!!! By the way... EMMA ROBERTS will play LENA HALOWAY in the TV SERIES ADAPTATION of Lauren Oliver’s DELIRIUM.

Keith [2008]

Rotten Tomatoes:

Tiger Beat teen idol Jesse McCartney takes the title role in writer/director Todd Kessler's drama about a second-semester high-school senior named Natalie (Elisabeth Harnois), who believes she has life figured out until happening upon Keith, a troubled and unpredictable youth who begins to alter her perspective in ways she never thought possible. Keith is based on author Ron Carlson's short story of the same name.

***

Date Watched: February 13, 2013
Rating: 4 Stars

It was actually pretty good. Though if you try to think about the story, it kind of reminds you of the plot of another movie starring a Hollywood singer.

Anyway, back to Keith. Jesse McCartney plays Keith in the movie, a senior that acts like he does not care about anything in the world except his truck. He is suddenly paired up with Natalie in their chemistry class. She is smart, beautiful and quite popular. Their story starts there.

There are a lot of things I just like to comment on. First of all, Natalie. I don’t like her that much. She’s complicated and kind of annoying. She wasn't appealing in the beginning, but through the end, she eventually aligns herself. Next, the dialogues. Hmmmm... It does not have a lot of powerful lines that will make a mark on the people. And some of the lines delivered that should have made an impact to the viewers were a bit weak. Then, the trailer. PLEASE, if you do not want to spoil your watching experience, PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER. I watched it before I saw the movie and I kinda already know what’s going to happen in the end. Or maybe it’s just me. But still, I warn you.

Jesse McCartney was quite impressive in this movie. I’m not the best judge for acting skills, but I guess I can say that I liked how Jesse portrayed Keith’s character. He was actually great (based on my screwed up judgement biased by my teeny crush on Jesse).

So there!!! Keith everybody! A tear-jerker for some but not for me. It was touching and very emotional. Great!!!

BOOK BLURB: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

***

Date Read: June 11, 2012

Reaction while reading the last two pages: "OH MY GAAAAAWD!" (while pulling my hair)

Initial reaction after reading: "F*CK!!!" (I don't swear a lot. I promise. But that's just what I felt saying/screaming after reading the last word in the book.)

I would have given this book FIVE STARS just for blowing my mind off at the end. But all in all, Pandemonium's 375 pages seemed to drag on and felt longer than Delirium's 480. I liked it a lot, even though I read it with less enthusiasm and excitement, but equal anticipation, than Delirium.

Well, the only downside I could think of is that the second book introduced a "Then and Now" way of reading, with the past (after Lena ran away from Portland) and present alternating chapter after chapter. At first, I found it a bit difficult getting into my reading mode because it's a little hard for me to recall some of the events from previous chapters of a different setting (and because it's new to me). But as I read on, it became easier. The "Now" chapters are far more interesting than the "Then" chapters. Maybe that's why they alternated the chapters, to keep the readers going.

The second book is quite at the opposite end of the first one -- new characters, new setting, etc... A new Lena emerges. The story is more action-packed and more intriguing as you continue nearing the end. What interests me the most, though, is Julian.

If you have been scouring the internet for Pandemonium reviews or other related things, it may not be a surprise to you that there's a new guy in the scene. In Delirium, after her escape, Lena has been shattered and heartbroken because Alex got left behind, got caught between the cruel hands of the government. Then, in Pandemonium, her path gets tangled with the Mayor's son Julian. (That's it. No more spoiling.)

Julian? Alex? I love Alex! But let me tell you this: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO CONFUSED IN MY WHOLE BOOK-READING LIFE! Usually, there's always a certain guy I am rooting for in love triangles and I stick with that guy 'til the end. But Julian and Alex? Urghhh!

Aside from that, I like how Lena grew in Pandemonium. She's stronger and tougher, and in a way, more independent and smarter. Lena has renewed herself as she tried to bury her past. She has new found friends and a new life.

To sum it all up, I guess the book deserves five stars. But you know, I'm a little devil inside (sometimes), so I'll give it 4.5. The beginning of the book was okay. Nothing really happened much. Some fighting, action, and romance in the middle, then, BOOM! IT ENDS WITH A BLOW. :)

View all my reviews


teepee J

BOOK BLURB: Hana (Delirium #1.5)

Hana by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

Lauren Oliver's riveting, original digital story set in the world of her New York Times bestseller Delirium.

The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss.

But on the surface, Hana must be a model of perfect behavior. She meets her approved match, Fred Hargrove, and glimpses the safe, comfortable life she’ll have with him once they marry. As the date for her cure draws ever closer, Hana desperately misses Lena, wonders how it feels to truly be in love, and is simultaneously terrified of rebelling and of falling into line.

In this digital story that will appeal to fans of Delirium and welcome new admirers to its world, readers will come to understand scenes from Delirium through Hana's perspective. Hana is a touching and revealing look at a life-changing and tumultuous summer.

***

Date Read: June 7, 2012

Lena and Hana's friendship once drifted apart. Both of them pulled to the opposite ends of the road by their conflicting beliefs. We knew how Lena felt about that, and this book told us how Hana felt.

Hana is said to be prettier and bubblier than Lena. She's the carefree rule-breaker, the risk-taker, the girl who goes to underground parties and listens to illegal music. She hates the feeling of being watched and monitored all the time. She wants to feel free and to fly high. She's the exact opposite of Lena, who's afraid of breaking the rules and is very eager to get cured immediately. But beneath her eccentric personality lies her true self.

The story showed how scared and vulnerable she was. I actually felt sorry for her, though there were times I felt a little annoyed that her hormones were completely screwed up. Hahahaha.. Or maybe not. I like how she and Lena ended up. They're still best friends, but something has changed.

And this line...
"I'm sorry, Lena."
...this broke my heart. :(

View all my reviews


teepee J

BOOK BLURB: Delirium (Delirium #1)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safeforever. And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

***

Date Read: May 19, 2012

I'm still finding the right words to describe how I felt after reading this book. I actually thought I wouldn't like it that much. I thought it will be just some sappy story about love. But it wasn't. I think it's much more than that. And there were a lot of things in the book that actually got me thinking hard. It really got me, the plot and the characters and all the other stuff in between. Now, I guess I have to admit that my first impression was definitely wrong. I loved it. It's a smart book.

View all my reviews

teepee J