A Review for Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Posted by Jess
Published Date: March 2nd, 2012
Finished Date: March 7th, 2012
Publishers: HarperCollins
Source: For review
Format: Hardback
Pages: 344


The Blurb from Goodreads: 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.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, ' Delirium.' This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

The Review: Well what is there to say about this one? I loved it. I really did. I was sort of worried that I wouldn't because Donna was really disappointed and I know a few others were too. But I wasn't. It was just what I was expecting. 

Pandemonium is a slow burner, but this is mostly due to being thrown into a completely new world where Lauren Oliver had to introduce new characters, new scenarios, new atmospheres, and I don't think without any of this, the book wouldn't have worked out. The book is split between 'Now' and 'Then' telling Lena's story of when she was found in The Wilds and when she's undercover in New York City. This was written really well, it kept the flow of the story and it was good to see how Lena grew during both tenses. A lot of people were annoyed with Lena in this one, I think it comes from everyone being Team Alex (like me). However, I was able to get into a new character and like many other readers before me, I ended up falling for his charms. Do I blame Lena for falling in love again? No I don't, if you've read Delirium you'll know what happened in the end. And that's why I don't judge her for falling in love again. What was she supposed to do? Wallow in pity for the rest of her life? No. She escaped, she needed to start over, needed to try and get her life back on track. So before everyone starts to judge her, just put yourself in her shoes at the end of Delirium. What would you have done?

This book is filled with the same world building as the first, it didn't add to the pace but it didn't slow it down either, there was enough there to keep you reading on and wanting to know what's going to happen next. A lot of new characters were introduced into the story, and by the end I'd already guessed who prisoner 5996 was. And then there's THAT ending. Ok, now I'm all for cliffhangers, but they shouldn't be like that! That was very frustrating, even though I knew it was coming, I was still a little shocked at it. *sigh* another year to wait and Lauren Oliver has left us to dangle there. 

Anyway, there isn't a lot more I can say about this book without spoiling. But if you haven't read Delirium then you should, and if you have and you still haven't read Pandemonium then you need to pick this book up.

I eagerly anticipate book 3...one year to go.