Book Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Hey everyone!
Today I have the long awaited book review on Requiem! All in all, I really did like this book. I have one part that really bothered me, but otherwise, I thought it as great! This book review will contain spoilers for all three books: Delirium, Pandemonium, and eventually, Requiem.
"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."


(Spoilers!)

What I'm Excited to See in Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Hey everyone!
So for almost a year, I have been anxiously (but not patiently) awaiting the release of the third, and final, installment in the Delirium trilogy. More than any other book (except maybe House of Hades), this was the book I wanted to read the most. With the date drawing nearer and nearer, I thought I should do a "What I'm Excited to See" post. Also, amazing news! If you want to read the first 86 pages of this book, click here! I was going to wait, but my curiosity got hold of me! So I do know a small amount of answers to some of these questions I have. THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST TWO. I will try to make this short because I could right a paper on this. One other thing, I pre-ordered this, so I'm going to get it in a week or so. In case you might be wondering why my book review will be up a little later.

"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."

One thing I can not wait to see are the reunions: Lena's mom, Alex, Grace, Hana, etc. There's so much to see and happen and AHHH! I just can't wait to see their reactions! Speaking of Hana, we get to see Pandemonium from Lena's and her point of view, and since Hana got the cure... it will definitely be interesting. And the whole Alex/Julian deal... very intriguing. Now some people argue why Lena never went back to save Alex, which I disagree with. First of all, if she went back to Portland, she might as well stand on the sun. In other words, she would 99% die. Of course, 99% of her thought Alex was dead, and 1% was right,  so if she went back to Portland just to check that Alex was dead, well, not great news for Lena because she'd be the one dead. Anyways, that is going to be entertaining because Lauren Oliver really made it optional for either. Furthermore, on the fourth to last page I believe when Raven is saying someone came from Portland, she also said he escaped the bombing. A bombing. A. Bombing. In Portland. So just wanted to point that out.
Those were my top-top points I wanted to make! Let me know what you're most excited to see down below! -Kait

My Top 5 Want-To-Reads | February

Hey everyone!
I decided it would be fun to gradually share what books I'm interested in reading. These types of post can helps us all out. If you like similar books that I like, you may be interested in some of these picks. If I mention a book you love, you can let me know and I will definitely look more into it! You can see all of my Want-To-Reads here, on Goodreads, but I'm just taking a few from here. In other words, if you do look at them then you will know what books I'll mention in future posts. I will do these monthly, starting with a book in a series that I can't wait to read, whether it comes out that month or I just read it. Then I will go into a few (normally 4) other books. Now this isn't a To-Be-Read pile, these are just some books that I want to read, just maybe I'm not going to in a while. Plus I'm kind of broke and saving my money for Requiem. Ratings and synopses are from Goodreads. Let's get started!

SEQUEL OF THE MONTH:
Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium Trilogy #3)

"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. 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."
If you read Pandemonium, you probably are very excited (unless you hated Pandemonium, of course, but I don't see how...) for Requiem! This is my most wanted to-read for a sequel, even more than Divergent #3. I'm going to make a separate post on it, but I'm soooo excited! Less than a month!

WANT-TO-READS:
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (UTNS #1) Rating: 4.13
"EXILED from her safe home in the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria finds herself in the outer wastelands known as the Death Shop. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent energy storms will. There she meets a savage, an Outsider named Perry – wild, dangerous – who is her only chance of survival.

But Perry needs Aria, too, and they are forced into an unlikely alliance that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky."
I wanted to read this for a while and I still have not read it! The synopsis, and from what I've heard, makes this book sounds really interesting. I read a sample which I enjoyed too.
 
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (The Infernal Devices #1) Rating: 4.26
"When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all."
Long synopsis, but I did read The Mortal Instrumentes and heard really cool things about this series as well. I think it will also be very fascinating to hear about the Shadowhunter world in a different era.
 
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed #1) Rating: 4.14
"How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart."
  Well I was strolling through my To-Reads and came across this book. I knew I wanted to read it and saw it at my bookstore, but then when I read the synopsis again, did I realize it said "demigod". As in Percy Jackson related-ish? If so, ... you'll probably see a book review in a little bit.

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (Article 5 #1) Rating: 3.80
"New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved."
Personally, I think this sounds so cool! (Okay, that sounded way too enthusiastic for a dysotpian world where they have no rights and everything.) But yeah, looking forward to reading this. I wanted to read it for a while, but they don't have it at my bookstore.

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know so I can see if you all like me doing these! -Kait

Books of 2013 I Can't Wait For

Hey everyone!
Many exciting books are due to come out in the upcoming year that I have been impatiently waiting. So here's the list of books that I am dying to get, but come out in 2013 in order from I really can't wait to a little more patience.

1. Requiem | Lauren Oliver (March 5, 2013)
    The ending of Pandemonium. There's so much to look for in that book. I will probably do a separate post when March comes around!

2. Divergent #3 | Veronica Roth (Fall 2013)
    Yes, you can see that I really want Requiem if Divergent #3 came in second!

3. Prodigy | Marie Lu ( January 29, 2013)
    I loved the first one Legend a lot and can't wait to continue Day and June's story!

4. Unsouled | Neal Shusterman (October 15, 2013)
    Again, the first two were great and I can't wait to continue their stories! With Connor and Risa and then Lev, Miracolina, Starkey and Cam. It's going to be awesome!

5. Unravel Me | Taherah Mafi (February 5, 2013)
    I can't wait to see how Shatter Me continues. Especially why certain people can touch Juliette without getting killed....

6. Rise | Anna Carey (April 2, 2013)
    This series is not my favorite, but I did enjoy it and I really want to see how it turns out!

All these books I'm looking forward to reading! I recommend all the series I mentioned too. :) -Kait