Overall rating: 4.5/5
Overall plot: 4/5
Overall character development: 3.5/5

Yes, I've finally finished reading the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver! It's the first series I've finished in a looooooong time, and it was definitely very satisfying.

For those who do not know the story, here's a general idea: Oliver paints the picture of a dystopian world where love, or amor deliria nervosa, is a disease. In this world people believe that the deliria is the root of all problems, including fights, wars, hatred and even suicide. The American government thus came up with a "cure", to remove the disease from people once they were of age. The cure is fairly new, and as such cannot be administered to anyone below the age of eighteen for fear of major screwups. Our main character is Lena, a girl who at first can't wait to come of age, but later on discovers more about the deliria and the lies that the government are using. Her best friend Hana plays an important role in Lena's character development, and Lena meets Alex, a boy with whom she falls in love with.

I especially enjoyed how Oliver kept her readers intrigued (or at least me) by changing her style of plot progression in the second and third books. In Pandemonium, Oliver adopts a "then" and "now" style, where the reader would jump from the past (how Lena adapted to her new environment) to the present, and are left to piece the story together. In Requiem, Oliver uses different points of view, oscillating between that of Lena and Hana, her best friend.

I thoroughly loved the plot progression; Oliver has a way of keeping the story going regardless of events, and I was captivated by all the characters until the very end of Requiem. And although character development for Lena was brilliant (it was very easy to follow her transformation from a wary, quiet girl to a brave, outspoken lady), I felt that the character development for Hana and Alex were rather lacking, seeing that they were essential characters to the story as well.

Many readers didn't like the ending of Requiem, because of its abrupt and sudden end, but I personally felt that the ending was very apt because of the nature of the storyline (read more below if you don't mind seeing spoilers).

If you haven't checked out the trilogy, do have a go at it and I assure you, you won't be disappointed! For those who haven't read the books, now's the time to stop reading because there'll be spoilers below!



*SPOILER SECTION*

Okay, let me explain myself when I said I thought the ending of Requiem was apt. The story ended with the walls being taken down, and Lena being concerned about the future and who she'll end up with, etc. I'm guessing that people didn't like it because there weren't any clear indications of who Lena was leaning towards. Not to mention we also don't know what will happen to Tack since Raven died, or to Lena's aunt Carol and cousin Jenny. A lot of things were left unresolved, but wasn't that the whole point of tearing down the walls? To have the freedom to choose, and to have more possibilities for life in general. I felt that Oliver rounded up the story very well with the main theme: freedom. Taking the walls down signified the start of that freedom, and whatever happened from there was up to the people. So yes, the ending was sudden, but still very suited as a resolution to the trilogy.

After the first book when Alex supposedly died I went "WHAT?!??" I kept flipping the pages to see if I missed out on anything important and to see if there were any signs that he hadn't died, but there weren't any. I almost felt that reading the second book would be like how I felt when I watched Death Note after L died - like there was no point in it any more. But Oliver successfully captured my attention nonetheless, even without Alex (who we later discover isn't actually dead).

I hated Fred the most; he was absolutely vile and disgusting. I was so glad he died from the bombing and I loved Hana so much for letting it happen and escaping herself. I didn't like Julian at first, either. In my mind I was going "Lena is Alex's she's his not yours", but after discovering that he wasn't just the hard shell he showed on stage I gradually came to love his bravery and courage, and his certainty in going into the Wilds with Lena. In many ways Julian saved Lena and vice versa, their relationship developing in a much different way as compared to hers and Alex's as a result of what they went through together, which I thought was great.

Honestly speaking, I would want Lena to end up with Alex. He is her first love, after all, and without him Lena would never have been able to go into the Wilds in the first place. Deeds aside, Alex was the very reason Lena decided to cross over in the first place, and I'm sure deep down her feelings for Alex never subsided. Then of course it would be a pity for Julian, who crossed over so that he could be with Lena. But Julian can still go on to meet others, and has the freedom to now that he's on the other side. I don't think he's had much exposure to the real world, being the spokesperson for the DFA and all, so his thing with Lena might have been a fling, even. Or raging hormones, I don't know. Whatever it is, my ideal ending would be for Lena to stay with Alex.

I would love to hear what you guys think about the trilogy. Comments are much appreciated. :)