Book: Delirium by Lauren OliverGenre: YA Dystopian
Rating: *****
For: Fun
From: the library
I put this one on hold, like, forever ago and so when it came up for me, I dropped everything else to quickly read it. And quickly read it, I did! Whew, quite the intense book!
This is a future Portland where there are fence borders around the city, and also the country. Society has deemed it a disease to have the emotion of love, and so when people turn 18 years old, they are fixed or cured... by means of some sort of brain surgery. Lena is actually looking quite forward to this procedure and feels like her life will be safe and easy once she is cured. This will happen at the end of the summer and she is counting the days
But then, of course, she meets a guy.
And then, of course, everything changes. She learns that what she has been taught all her life is not really how it is. Very confusing. She doesn't know what to do and she is totally torn. The decisions she has to make are scary and frustrating. And the climatic ending leaves us all, characters and readers alike, totally breathless.
This world is very similar to other dystopian books. There are no choices. Music and books and all forms of information are limited. Technology has gone backward, and people who resist are locked up, or must run away and be banished outside the fence. So I didn't find anything particularly unique about this aspect of the book, but for some reason, everything seemed much more intense when compared to other similar stories.
At first, I got a little bugged with all the description of how bad this society is. It got to the point where I wanted to say, OKAY, I GET it already! But then again, I'm wondering if this was part of the plan to make us as readers just as frustrated as the characters. So that was the first half, but once we get to that point, then things really start happening and I think I read the whole second half of this book (not a small one) in one sitting. (New Year's Day morning I think it was!) That, and because the book makes one really think, is why it ended up getting the five stars.
Needless to say, I'm excited now, along with everyone else, for the sequel, because wow... I've got to know... what happened next!!
Bottom line: I loved it.
Other reviews:
There's a Book
Reviews by Lola
Book Journey
Erin Reads
I really have to read this at some point. I have heard lots of good things.
ReplyDeleteI read Delirium last summer and loved it too! My review is here.
ReplyDeleteI loved this one too! I read it not too long ago. I also read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver just recently too and it was just as good!
ReplyDeleteYour review brings me back to how much I loved this book and the feeling of stress I had when I read it, haha. I am dying for Pandemonium!
ReplyDeleteOh no! Now I'm worried I won't be able to get over that, "get on with it" feeling. ;) Oh well, who knows when I'll finally pick this one up.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to read this one ever since I caught a glimpse of the cover. I had no idea what it was about, though until I read your review. It sounds a lot like the concept of the Uglies series...
ReplyDeleteP.S. I like the new star rating system.