Review: Requiem by: Lauren Oliver

Requiem (Delirium #3) by: Laruen Oliver (2013)

Publisher: Harper Collins

391 pages

Genre: YA/Dystopian

*This review contains spoilers from the previous books in this series.

Goodreads Summary: 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 fiancé 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.

My Review

Delirium hooked me in, Pandemonium got my heart racing and left me with hope, and then came Requiem, the final installment of this unique more than meets the eye trilogy, and it let me rest in peace, for the most part.

I’m going to come right out and say it and talk about the ending first. I’m satisfied. That’s right, I’m sure you have heard by now about the ending of this trilogy that it doesn’t exactly tie up all the loose ends (well now you have anyway). I’m not overly happy, but I can see why it would end this way, without answering every question, and it doesn’t bother me. It gave me hope and that after all is a very important emotion to have. It was almost like it gave the readers a choice, something people that are cured don’t really have. Something worth reading/fighting for if you get my drift.

Now let’s go back to the beginning. When I first started reading this book I was anxious but cautious. I have not yet read the novellas that go along with this series, so I was very hesitant at reading from Hannah’s point of view. I mean she wasn’t even really in the last book and not to sound too cold, but I didn’t really care about her. My focus was on Lena and Alex among some others. Don’t worry Delirium fans I soon changed my mind. Hannah’s perspective added loads of awesomeness to this book. It made everything seem more real, urgent, and important. Oliver seamlessly switched between Lena and Hanna. Not a single time did I get frustrated, and that is saying something.  

What to look forward to when reading this (without giving away any spoilers):

• Oh Alex… I can never get enough of you.
• Julian, I’m still not a fan, but thanks for trying. You are chivalrous.
• We learn a lot more about Lena’s mom.
• Hannah is back in one of the most important roles of the series.
• This book is more about the resistance than anything else. Cue the suspense and action.
• Lauren Oliver doesn't disappoint with more beautiful writing.

I can’t wait to see what more of my fellow bloggers and friends think of the end of this trilogy. Even though it is over… I will always love Alex.

So pretty much I’m telling you to read it. If you are new to this series then you should start from the beginning. If you are already a fan… then what are you waiting for?!

RATING 4/5    Buy Requiem

Top Bookish News of The Past Week

Here are all the interesting bookish stories, pictures, videos, and blog posts I found this past week. 

All of the titles are linked up to their respective articles/blog posts. Click away!

ARTICLES

1. Write a Novel this Spring with NaNoWriMo I have never participated in NaNoWriMo but apparently they are changing it up a little bit this year. They are going to have some challenges in April and July instead of just in November, National Novel Writing Month. Have you participated in the past and would you participate in one of these new events? I know I'm thinking about it. 

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Cake

2. 30 Gorgeous and Delicious Literary Cakes I have pictured one of my favorites to the right, but you should really check out the whole list. Some of these are really amazing. I want them all, especially the Harry Potter one! A thanks to Foil the Plot to introducing this article to me. Which cakes are your favorites?

3. Start Here: Read Your Way Into 25 Amazing Authors This is an ebook for only $2.99 that sounds fascinating  They give you a list of authors with essays on why you should read them, and tips advising you on what order you should read their books. Some of the authors featured are David Foster Wallace, Margaret Atwood, and Stephen King! To read a review of this book visit The Broke and The Bookish.

BLOG POSTS

1. Stories and Why They Are Important Check out this wonderful essay written by the blogger over at The Authoress. It is insightful, thought provoking, and very relateable. With the help of this essay she got accepted into the University of Kentuky! 

2. Discussion Post: Genres, Genres, Everywhere Read this interesting post about all the different genres out there and how hard it can be categorizing one book into a single genre. The post also discusses book covers and how they relate to certain genres and audiences. 

3. Friday Focus: Strong Female Fictional Characters Then and Now March is Women's History Month so why not celebrate with reading a book with a strong female lead? There are lots of great ideas in this post.

4. Six Ways You Can Ruin Your Blogging Career This is a slightly older post but I just stumbled upon it this week. ParaJunkee offers some good advice about blogging with a focus on plagiarism  greed, faking it, and more! 

PHOTO

GUILTY! ;)

BOOK REVIEWS

1. Fire by: Heather James  A short and to the point honest review of a book by an author I have never heard about before. I'm going to give it a shot. Read the review to see if the book sounds like something you would enjoy. Who wouldn't want to read about a girl who can control fire?

2. Crash and Burn by: Michael Hassan Midnight Book Girl does a great job at reviewing this book. Although it touches on some hard/dark topics I'm going to give it a try. 

What do you think of this weeks bookish news? 

Previously On... T.V. Shows Get Recaps. Why not books?

Warning: This is a slight rambling rant about my horrible memory with a lot of Despicable Me cuteness. Sit back, enjoy, and share your own thoughts below.

I will admit that I watch a good amount of television. I recently became addicted to Downton Abbey and I have a soft spot in my heart for Psych, Vampire Diaries, Modern Family, and more. I won't keep going on, that would take a while, but when television shows do their little recap of the previous episode or ones even further back that pertain to the upcoming episode I'm not bothered, I actually love when I hear the words..."Previously on..." Unless of course I've been watching the show back to back and I don't need  a refresher but that is something totally different. So what does my rambling about television shows have to do with books? Well, to put it simply, we need those "previously on" recaps when dealing with books in a series or trilogy.

Have you ever read a book in a trilogy or series and then have to wait a year for the next one to be released? I'm sure you have. Well, have you ever pretty much forgotten almost everything that was in the previous book? Then you start reading and you are really confused. It looks something like this.

I have and I am completely guilty of this. This frustration came to me recently when reading Requiem and the last Sookie Stackhouse novel. But don't be fooled, this happens to me almost every single time. I read a LOT and I can't always remember every book that I read, at least not all the details. Especially when I don't get my hands on the new book in the series for a while after it comes out. So really usually it is more than a year since I last read the previous book. So one day a while ago I had an idea...

Every book in a series/trilogy should have a short recap at the beginning of the book.  It doesn't have to be long, just a page will do. Highlight the important events of the previous books and maybe remind us of the characters. That is all I ask. I doubt it will ever happen, but I can hope and rant about it on my blog. :)

So many times before I pick up a series where I left off I have to look up a summary of the book online to refresh my memory. It's a lot of work, but when I don't do that I usually end up confused. Therefore this one page would do wonders to my sanity.

This is me when the new book comes out that I have been anxiously waiting for.

This is me when I finally get my hands on the book, start reading, and realize that I don't know what is going on because of my horrible memory.

No one wants to feel that way. Therefore, I firmly believe that there should be a "previously on" version for books.

Heck, maybe as a blogger I should offer up some previously on posts on my blog for when new releases come out. Hmm... I'll have to brain storm more on that later since it may be difficult to do if I can't remember myself.

My rambling discussion post is now over. Discuss away! Do you think books should have "previously on" summaries at the beginning of a book?

Review: Deadlocked by: Charlaine Harris

Deadlocked by: Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse #12)

Publisher: Gollancz

327 pages

Genre: Adult/Fiction/Vampires/Supernatural

*This review may contain spoilers from the previous books in this series.

Goodreads Summary: Sookie has a murder investigation on her hands.

A young girl has died at a vampire party - and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn't do it, the police don't believe him, and even Sookie isn't so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim's blood minutes before she was killed.

But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early - just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her own blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistable, or was it something more sinister?

Sookie will have to find out ... but it's the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfil Sookie's heart's desire. The only problem is, she still doesn't know what - or who - her heart truly desires ...

My Review

I’m going to keep this review short because I’m having a hard time avoiding spoilers.

Full disclosure: I am an Eric fan. I will always be an Eric fan. Eric and Sookie forever! This may make my review slightly biased. 

Okay, with that said, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The series has been slightly declining as of late and it isn't really bothering me that the next book is the last one. (Okay, it still is kind of bothering maybe just not as much as I had hoped.) Don’t get me wrong, I still love this series, but not every book in the series is great. Plus, it just feels like it is time for it to be over. Let’s just hope the last book is epic. I'm waiting for it pretty impatiently.

What I DIDN'T LIKE about this book:

• Not enough Eric Northman. He is barely in it for being such an important character.
• Sookie is starting to get annoying. She just seems so unsure of her self sometimes which shouldn't be the case after 11 books.
• I feel like Harris at time was gripping at straws for plot ideas, if you know what I mean. Especially when dealing with Sam.
• One of the plot twists was just ugh. All I can say is that we all know Eric is more clever than that and should be able to find a different solution. We are talking about Eric freaking Northman here!

What I DID LIKE about this book:

• I still love the world full of supernatural creatures that Harris has created. Fairies, Shifters, Werewolves, and Vampires! Oh my!
• We get a little more time with the Fairies in  this book and it was rather enjoyable.
• I really liked one of the plot twists a lot. I didn't really see it coming and I love a good shock.
• For some reason I just did. I think it is because I'm such a Sookie Stackhouse fan both in print and on the screen.

If you read this series already just keep going. You may as well read this one since there is only one more book left. For those that have yet to start the series, give it a try. Who doesn't love romance, a lot of action, vampires and other supernatural beings all in one book? I promise the beginning of the series starts out so strong that it will be worth your time reading it. Be warned however, the television show doesn't really fallow the books all that closely, especially in this last season.

The last book, Dead Ever After, comes out May 7, 2013!

RATING 3.5/5   Buy Deadlocked

Library Loot #8

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

I'ts official. I love going to the library a little too much. On top of the three books I still have to read from my last trip I have added 6 to my pile! This doesn't even include other random books I still need to read. Oh well, I thought I would do better after my last trip, but I guess I didn't. There is always next time. ;)

My Library Loot

Review: If I Stay by: Gayle Forman

If I Stay by: Gayle Forman (2010)

Publisher: Penguin Group

320 pages

Genre: YA Fiction

Goodreads Summary: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My Review

I feel like there have been a lot of reviews of this book recently which is kind of interesting since it came out in 2010. I myself didn't even know a whole lot about this book until I entered into the blogging world. With no further ado, here is my review of If I Stay.

I was cautious and unsure at the beginning. I was treading lightly at this new type of story, written different than what I’m used to, with no chapters but instead stamps of time and blocks of the past to separate the story. I actually ended up really enjoying this format in which the story was told.

It was heart wrenchingly beautiful. I can say with certainty that this novel will not easily be forgotten. It’s not one to read if you are looking for something light. It is something you should read if you are looking for something profound.

I put the book down only after I had finished it in one day. I cried. Have tissues handy. I was lucky enough to know this in advance and was prepared.

For some reason there isn’t much else I have to say. I suggest you read this book. It has that effect on you, kind of like Every Day by: David Levithan.

Just in case, a heads up: this book is kind of graphic with the details of the accident and teenage sex isn't treated as a big deal. 

One more small thing. When I found out there was a second book....I had that big ridiculous smile on my face while I was bouncing in my seat at my computer. Best news!

RATING 4.5/5   Buy If I Stay

Top Bookish News of The Past Week

Here are all the interesting bookish stories, pictures, videos, and blog posts I found this past week. 

All of the titles are linked up to their respective articles/blog posts. Click away!

ARTICLES

The Archived #2

1. The Unbound (The Archived #2) by: Victoria Schwab That's right! It has only been like a month and a half since the first book came out and we already get to see the cover of the second Archived book and get the synopsis! The cover is inciting.  The little synopsis sounds thrilling, although I am sad to say there is no mention of Wesley or her moving up from becoming a keeper, but we can hope! Thanks Michael at The Bookshelf Review for reminding me that this was being announced this week!

2. 2013 BEA Author Breakfast Announced If only I could be able to eat breakfast with these amazing authors including Rick Riordan and Diana Gabaldon! 

3. E.L. James Reveals Details of New book  Although I'm not a huge fan of this series and the first book was hard for me to get through, I enjoyed the second two and I will have to say they were a guilty pleasure. But alas, James says her next books won't be nearly as steamy and she has no new updates on the film. So really this is not really that news worthy, but fans of Fifty Shades may want to know about it. I'm not sure I would read any of her books in the future, although I am intrigued how they are going to make the movie.

Daren Kagskoff - From Lauren Oliver's Blog

4. Daren Kagskoff to play Alex in Delirium TV Show I have never seen this kid act. I don't watch the The Secret Life, but he is pretty cute. Either way I wouldn't miss this show for the world. We will have to wait and see how it all plays out. Thanks Christine at Buckling Bookshelves for showing me this! 

BLOG POSTS

1. Pay to Browse? Over at Bookshelvers Anonymous is a very interesting post about the literary world thinking about charging people just to browse at a book store!? Crazy right?

2. Movie Review: Safe Haven I only discovered this blog like a week ago but I really do enjoy reading their posts. I am a big Nicholas Sparks fan and I have yet to see this new movie. A fun and interesting review. Does anyone else plan on seeing it or have seen it already? What did you think?

3. Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent + Giveaway A female undertaker in 1861?! I'm sold. Plus there is a chance to win a copy of the book so you may as well check out this post.

WEBSITE

1. Out of Print I found this website on pinterest. I fell in love. Who doesn't want book themed tote bags and t-shirts and more?

Outsiders shirt you can buy from Out of Print

VOTING

1. Book Blogger Twitter Con 2013 This Twitter Con is happening April 1 - April 7. Voting is now open so go vote for your favorite book blogs! This sounds like a fun and interesting idea and I can't wait to participate in this first ever Book Blogger Twitter Con. Are you going to participate?