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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Usually the second in the series lacks that extra something special that the first book offered. I do believe I liked Pandemonium better than Delirium. And the ending! When does the next book come out! I need it NOW!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, it was really good and worth the read and I couldn't pick up the third book fast enough to find out what happened next. The relationship between Lena and Julian felt slightly rushed; there were some awkward moments that I felt the need to justify in my head since Julian, the poster boy of the DFA, has no experience or concept of romantic relationships or boundaries. The twist in the end was expected but surprising all at the same time. The "Then" chapters were a little slow but still interesting.
This book is quite different than Delirium in that it is told in the Then, right after the ending of Delirium, and the Now, about a year later. I enjoyed being able to see how Lena faired after her near fatal escape and how she got to where she in now in the Resistance. I did miss the absence of Alex's character and their chemistry but soon fell in love with Oliver's new characters. Action-packed, nail-biting, romantic and heart-wrenching... all in one. I must say that I do not like the cover art of the book, but I think that's because I like to picture what the characters look like on my own.
I thought that this book was really really good. It had tons of action. *****SPOILER ALERT***** Even though Alex wasn't in the book until the last page, this book was good. *****SPOILER END***** Every page I turned, was a new action and a new problem I am definitely reading the next book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Literally nothing to add it was very mediocre. Not necessarily a bad thing though I love mediocre books they're the backbone of my existence and this is the kind of book that shaped me when I was 10 definitely.
I really liked Pandemonium. I definitely liked it more than Delirium, and you can't help but wonder what's going to happen next. You're thinking that Alex has been dead for the entire novel, only to have him return at the very last minute.
I really like that each chapter is a different time. Seriously, the best way to describe it is past-Lena and present-Lena. It's nice to see the difference in time, and what happened while she was in the wild, and how she infiltrated the DFA. I liked that we learn having the surgery is all about control, which should have been obvious to me. Oliver did a really good job of keeping things going, and the book doesn't feel like filler for the next book.
I really didn't like the ending, where Alex appears. I get why we think he's dead, because it really seemed that way. And I suppose that Oliver needed to get a romance in there somehow. For me, it was a lame attempt at getting in a love triangle- almost like Oliver couldn't think of anything else.
Overall, it gets a 4 out of 5. It was fast-paced and enjoyable, but the ending and the romance felt a little forced.
I really like that each chapter is a different time. Seriously, the best way to describe it is past-Lena and present-Lena. It's nice to see the difference in time, and what happened while she was in the wild, and how she infiltrated the DFA. I liked that we learn having the surgery is all about control, which should have been obvious to me. Oliver did a really good job of keeping things going, and the book doesn't feel like filler for the next book.
I really didn't like the ending, where Alex appears. I get why we think he's dead, because it really seemed that way. And I suppose that Oliver needed to get a romance in there somehow. For me, it was a lame attempt at getting in a love triangle- almost like Oliver couldn't think of anything else.
Overall, it gets a 4 out of 5. It was fast-paced and enjoyable, but the ending and the romance felt a little forced.
I was pretty disappointed with Pandemonium as the sequel to Delirium. I fell in love with Delirium right away. It simply blew away all my expectations and held me in a death grip made of excitement and beautiful writing, and I hoped Pandemonium would do the same. I know Pandemonium is the second book in the Delirium trilogy, so I still have high hopes for Requiem, but I will say my overall impression of this series is lower now.
Pandemonium is not a bad book; it just doesn’t compare to Delirium in the slightest. First, the writing in this book was not nearly as captivating as the writing in Delirium. Remember this amazing passage from Delirium?:
I missed that prose throughout Pandemonium.
This book is also told in two different in two different timelines: “Then” chapters and the “now” chapters. “Then” chapters follow Lena straight from the end of Delirium and document her time in the wilds, while the “now” chapters deal with Lena as part of the resistance and her interactions with the cured and the DFA. I am normally a huge fan of timeline and POV splits. I know many people don’t like them as a rule, but many times they’re my favorite way to read and to tell a story. However, I really just didn’t feel it in Pandemonium. I found the “Then” chapters much less compelling because they were interspersed throughout the book, so I already knew that Lena survived to the current point in time. It made them feel unnecessary. I think I would have liked this book a lot more if the story had been told chronologically.
I will say I liked the inclusion of Julian’s character and the parallels that the relationship between Lena and Julian had to the relationship between Lena and Alex. I felt in many ways, Lena was playing the role for Julian that Alex had played for her to open her eyes up to the world around her and show her that love is not necessarily evil, as she had been taught. Even though I’m not sure how I feel about this new love triangle development, I did like how the relationships reflected each other.
I also really enjoyed the story line of the book. At the end of Delirium, I knew that story could continue in so many different ways. I really wanted Lena to join the resistance, and I thought she would, but there was always that doubt in my mind. She had just undergone quite a tragedy and I expected more of Pandemonium to be dedicated to her starting to work through that.
Also, as to the “twist” at the end: not terribly twisty. I always thought the story would end there, ever since the end of Delirium. I read novels with a lot of character deaths, and most of them have a certain “feel” for me. Alex’s death didn’t have that seem feel. I never really thought he died, so all of Pandemonium I was just waiting for him to show back up, which meant the ending didn’t really pack a punch for me at all.
Final Impression: Ultimately, I found Pandemonium okay, but thought it was a bit weak as the sequel to Delirium. I’m still invested in the characters and their lives, but I wasn’t as much of a fan of the way this part of Lena’s story was told. The time-jumping and predictability make this read nowhere near the level of love I have for Delirium. 3/5 stars.
Review originally posted on my blog at Book.Blog.Bake.
Pandemonium is not a bad book; it just doesn’t compare to Delirium in the slightest. First, the writing in this book was not nearly as captivating as the writing in Delirium. Remember this amazing passage from Delirium?:
“You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred thousand arms, but I will find a way to resist. And there are many of us out there, more than you think. People who refuse to stop believing. People who refuse to come to earth. People who love in a world without walls, people who love into hate, into refusal, against hope, and without fear.”
I missed that prose throughout Pandemonium.
This book is also told in two different in two different timelines: “Then” chapters and the “now” chapters. “Then” chapters follow Lena straight from the end of Delirium and document her time in the wilds, while the “now” chapters deal with Lena as part of the resistance and her interactions with the cured and the DFA. I am normally a huge fan of timeline and POV splits. I know many people don’t like them as a rule, but many times they’re my favorite way to read and to tell a story. However, I really just didn’t feel it in Pandemonium. I found the “Then” chapters much less compelling because they were interspersed throughout the book, so I already knew that Lena survived to the current point in time. It made them feel unnecessary. I think I would have liked this book a lot more if the story had been told chronologically.
Spoiler
I will say I liked the inclusion of Julian’s character and the parallels that the relationship between Lena and Julian had to the relationship between Lena and Alex. I felt in many ways, Lena was playing the role for Julian that Alex had played for her to open her eyes up to the world around her and show her that love is not necessarily evil, as she had been taught. Even though I’m not sure how I feel about this new love triangle development, I did like how the relationships reflected each other.
I also really enjoyed the story line of the book. At the end of Delirium, I knew that story could continue in so many different ways. I really wanted Lena to join the resistance, and I thought she would, but there was always that doubt in my mind. She had just undergone quite a tragedy and I expected more of Pandemonium to be dedicated to her starting to work through that.
Also, as to the “twist” at the end: not terribly twisty. I always thought the story would end there, ever since the end of Delirium. I read novels with a lot of character deaths, and most of them have a certain “feel” for me. Alex’s death didn’t have that seem feel. I never really thought he died, so all of Pandemonium I was just waiting for him to show back up, which meant the ending didn’t really pack a punch for me at all.
Final Impression: Ultimately, I found Pandemonium okay, but thought it was a bit weak as the sequel to Delirium. I’m still invested in the characters and their lives, but I wasn’t as much of a fan of the way this part of Lena’s story was told. The time-jumping and predictability make this read nowhere near the level of love I have for Delirium. 3/5 stars.
Review originally posted on my blog at Book.Blog.Bake.