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. 

A review for Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Posted by Jess
Published Date: August 4th, 2011 (UK release)
Finished Date: October 27th, 2011
Publishers: Hodder & Stoughton
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 393


The Blurb from Goodreads: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

The Review: "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."

I'm not even sure where to begin with this review. Delirium was just an intensely powerful read, that it left me on the edge of my seat for a lot of the time.

I've wanted to read this book for so long now, and I was so happy when Donna managed to get it from Harper for me to review. It's taken me a while to get to reading it, but I finally managed to.

I knew this was a Dystopian, but I didn't know what the concept was until I started reading it. Love. Love is a disease medically called Amor Deliria Nervosa, at least that's what the government think. So they've created a 'cure' that every one must have when they reach the age of 18. We meet Lena Haloway. Lena doesn't know any different, and she's excited to receive her 'Procedure', so that she can be 'cured' or be prevented from being 'infected' with the disease. But then she does the unthinkable...she falls in love.

Well what can I say. Delirium was just beautifully written. Lauren Oliver has such a way with words that all her descriptions just jumped off of the page. Such vivid descriptions and the way everything is written just leaves you sucked in.

The first half of the book is pretty slow to get going, lots of story on the state of the U.S, we understand that they believe love is a disease, but we lack the understanding as to why they came to this conclusion. So a little more on the background of why, more than the how's and the cure would have been good. That's my only gripe though. Everything else was flawless. The characters I thought were wonderful, Lena to start off annoys me a little and I found it hard to connect to her, but later on as events unfold I begin to sympathize with her and slowly my liking for her grew. Alex. Well Alex, if you don't read this book for something, please at least read it just for him. Alex is an incredible character, he was my favourite. Lauren Oliver created a boy-sorry-man that just makes your heart go all a flutter and you simply fall head over heels for him. Lena's best friend Hana was great too. She pretty much starts off as a rebel and Lena is the quiet subdued one, but eventually Hana realizes she's just settled in the 'cure' life and Lena realizes, it's not what she wants at all, she loves; and it's because of that love that the epic chain of events takes place, leading to a dramatic climax that will leave you wanting so much more! 

I'm not really sure what else to write, I've said all I can. Only that I must have Pandemonium NOW! I need to know what's happened to Alex. God, I hate the self sacrificing heros! Why, why do that to us readers? Especially when we fall in love with you. Anyway, safe to say I have officially been infected with 'Amor Deliria Nervosa'.

Thank you to Hodder for allowing me to review this wonderful, wonderful book.