Rebel by Marie Lu

...So I have lots of feelings, as usual. And last chapter--I am thriving.

Human rights! Yes. Quality of life and equal rights for the homeless and under-privileged. I have such a heart for the homeless and seeing them as human...Because everyone is human and deserves to be treated with human dignity.Call out society! Preach. I am living. I will rail against the machine, so help me.
Commentary on technology. Chef kiss.

"UN-Limit-ed. Together we're unLIMITed".... does my brain default to musicals... Yes it does.
It also defaults to Disney (Lion King and Oliver and Co....and there's more, but that's just me), Star Wars (...because you can't forget the first one no matter how much you bleach your brain), and How to Train Your Dragon....Because I picture fight scenes in animated form....

I love Eden. The cute little nerd brain with a heart of gold.
Protective siblings. I love getting back into Daniel's head...but I had so much anxiety for some of this because I had no fear and then I had one fear. Sibling bonding time with "Stranger Like Me" in the background.

Daniel you cute little romantic. Marry me. You are a ball of anxiety you little kitten. I must protect.

June. Heart eyes... My sunshine. I love her. Encouraging clear communication and working on relationships. She is a goddess; we all know.

384 Pages

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Requiem is the third and final installment in the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver. I read this book in about 3 days, and I was left wholly unsatisfied. It's a disturbing trend for books and stories that are stretched into a trilogy when the author doesn't really have that trilogy mapped out well enough. 

Lauren Oliver's excellent writing is the only thing that holds this novel together, but the character development and overall story is somewhat forced/contrived. The chapters are split between Lena and Hana's points of view. While it's nice to get a glimpse of what's been happening in Portland while Lena's been away, I truly hate the trend of switching points of view in novels. It's jarring and confusing. Also, love triangles are the worst plot-lines of all time.

The end of the novel is disappointing, as it leaves everything open and unresolved. While it's perfectly okay to not have a revolutionary novel wrapped up in a nice, pretty bow, I certainly needed more of a conclusion and closure than what Requiem provides. To become invested in Lena's character for 3 novels, only to have no idea what happens to her afterward...it's a complete and total letdown.

391 pages

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium is the sequel to Delirium, and it divides the chapters between "Then" and "Now." The "Then" chapters are flashbacks to Lena's dire situation at the end of Delirium and the "Now" is Lena's present day. The time difference is a little confusing at first, but eventually it makes for tense drama in both the past and present.

Even though Pandemonium doesn't quite live up to the beauty of Delirium, I still thoroughly enjoyed Lauren Oliver's writing as well as Lena's journey of change and self-discovery. I won't write too much more, because that would spoil many things, but I liked the new characters introduced in this book!

Lauren Oliver's writing continues to blow me away; it's so good that you wish you could go back in time and read her books again for the first time.

375 pages