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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I bought this series of books a few months ago. I had just started reading again and had gotten through a few books when I picked up delirium. I didn't love it at first. I feel like the author has a completely different style of writing than I'm used to, but I would say about halfway through, I got hooked and couldn't put it down.
I was traumatized. As dramatic as that sounds, and without revealing the ending so it doesn't ruin it in case someone hasn't read it, I was heartbroken. There hasn't been another book out there that has done that to me. I haven't read again since then. I've tried but couldn't get into a book because all I could think about was that one. That's how you know you've found an amazing book by an amazing writer. You get sucked into their world and feel everything the characters feel, especially heartbreak.
So here I am, months later, and I realize I really miss reading, so I start on this book, thinking maybe if I read more of Lena's story, that it will ease the pain of the first book
I was traumatized. As dramatic as that sounds, and without revealing the ending so it doesn't ruin it in case someone hasn't read it, I was heartbroken. There hasn't been another book out there that has done that to me. I haven't read again since then. I've tried but couldn't get into a book because all I could think about was that one. That's how you know you've found an amazing book by an amazing writer. You get sucked into their world and feel everything the characters feel, especially heartbreak.
So here I am, months later, and I realize I really miss reading, so I start on this book, thinking maybe if I read more of Lena's story, that it will ease the pain of the first book
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
tense
fast-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
Unlike Delirium which follows Lena’s romance with Alex and her struggles with what she believes about the world she lives and the disease she was taught to fear, Pandemonium chronicles Lena’s life among the Invalids and her struggle to fight to keep her feelings felt. Where Lena once felt that the disease was worse than death she now believes the CURE is much worse than she would have ever imagined. Along with a cast of new Invalids friends from the strong and authoritative, Raven, to the quiet and mysterious, Blue. These people Lena was taught to fear and hate accept her better than anyone else she knew in her previous life.
As well as struggling with her new role in life, Lena was face facts that Alex was not going to be there for her while she learned the ropes of the Wilds. She mends her broken heart to the best of her ability with a little help from a new character, Julian.
This book was interesting in the way it was formatted. Instead of having different character perspectives, it would switch back and forth through time. It would tell of Lena’s “rebirth”, as she put it, in the Wilds and then switched to the present where she was on a mission for the resistance, a band of Invalids who attempt to reform the society of the cured. Along the way is an interesting connection between Lena and Julian which left me feeling a bit uneasy. I was such a big fan of Alex from the first book and was not ready to let go of the Lena-Alex romance.
When I first picked up the book and started reading and realized that Alex wasn’t in it, I almost tossed it aside. That would have been an incredibly poor mistake. I am not one to leave things unfinished. Especially not a book series. So I pushed through and went along with the emotional rollercoaster. The book got better and the new cast of characters made for interesting back stories and interactions with Lena. I believe that this book did not fall into the dreaded slump that most sequels do. This one actually powered through and was about the same quality as the first book in the series. Overall, I liked the book and am hard-pressed to start Requiem because I am afraid it will be the end of the series. With fingers crossed that the series doesn’t end and two thumbs up for this book, I can safely say that Pandemonium and the Delirium series are a must read.
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The sequel to Delirium was fine in my opinion but it was a bit to cookiecutter for me. I found the idea of delirium to have a refreshing look on 'love'. This however did not continue on in the second book and it became a standard dystopian sequel. Not that I didn't enjoy it, it read fine and Lauren Oliver has a great writing style. But I would have loved some different plots, because in this book, after the first few chapters I already saw the ending coming which spoils the story. I was just waiting for the time. And I found that in Delirium the characters had a larger emotional range than in Pandomonium. Eventhough the characters were already 'build' I felt they needed more development to elevate the story to the next level.
Conclusion: the book was fine but don't expect fireworks! It has the beautiful writing style that you're used to from Lauren Oliver but it missed something...
Conclusion: the book was fine but don't expect fireworks! It has the beautiful writing style that you're used to from Lauren Oliver but it missed something...
OH MY GOD WHAT IN EFF'S NAME WAS THAT CLIFFHANGER!!!!????
My expression upon reading the very last word of the novel had something to do with bulging eyes, and a mouth hanging open so wide it began to hurt a little from being stretched so much. I implore you, especially if you are a fan of this series like I am: However much you are tempted to take a peek at the last page, DON'T. Do yourself a favour and let the surprise come to you. I think if you spoil the ending for yourself, it would ruin how potentially good this book could be. Don't even glance at the last page! Without giving anything away, all I have to say about the ending is:
Seriously, Lauren Oliver???? WHY?????? Why must you make me have this need to calm myself down because the outrage is literally bubbling in my chest right now as I remember that scene at the ending.
ARGH!!!!
See, this is the reason why I wanted to wait until closer to Requiem's release date to read this book, but I was beginning to forget the feeling that Delirium gave me after I read it that I decided I needed to jump into this now before I forget it completely. Do I regret it? That's a tough one to answer. On one end I am always happy to read books by this wonderful author, and on the other I find myself vastly impatient to know what happens next. I swear sometimes I hate reading books that are part of an incomplete series. The next one comes out in March. WAH!
The concept: This book picks up where Delirium left off-- Lena in the woods alone, running as far away from the border fences as possible. She has no idea where she's going, but her instincts keep telling her to move. She's injured and tired and hungry, so eventually she blacks out. She wakes up in the hands of the Invalids, and soon enough she begins learning how to live like them. She begins to rebuild herself, regain her strength, and find a place among this new 'family'. Everything and everyone she has ever known from her life inside the cities is nothing now. She is getting a second chance, a new life. Freedom.
But then the bombs come. Smoked out of hiding, Lena and her family of Invalids go on the run. Hardened by the deadly winter, by the discovery of the truth about life inside the walls, by death, grief, and hate, Lena is reborn. And now she's ready to fight back.
The characters: In this novel, we are presented with a Lena that is twice the Lena we met in Delirium. Of course at first I wanted to kick her butt for being her old weak-minded self, but she finds her will eventually. Instead of the helpless girl who allows herself to go with the tide, we see a Lena turned strong and hardened by anger and the pain of loss; matured from all the experiences and realisations she came across during her time in The Wilds. This is a much better Lena, and you can see how much she has grown and changed from the previous Lena who was ready to just accept the Cure as the norm. She now has a mind of her own, and whatever she feels is the right thing to do, she tends to go and do it. Her survival instincts are strong and apparent. Through her narration, I can actually feel her wanting to live- 'freely'- with the one she loves, even if that means living outside the comfort of the cities as an Invalid.
Speaking of Invalids, we also get to meet some of the 'free people' who take Lena in after her escape from Portland. The most striking character here is obviously Raven, who acts as Lena's mother and sister in The Wilds. We are given a glimpse of Raven's life before she crossed over, and I happen to think it's a pretty insightful clue as to her character. I may not agree with some of the things she does in the novel, but I recognize that she is the closest thing Lena will probably get for a real sister now. There were other characters like Tack, and Blue who also played vital roles in shaping the new Lena, and I'm looking forward to what roles the others might play in the future book.
And of course, because this book is all about love, Lena's new love interest comes in the form of one Julian Fineman. He is the son of the leader of the DFA (Deliria Free America), an organization which exists to strengthen the people's belief that The Cure is the answer, and that the deliria is, to borrow from Lena's words, 'the deadliest of deadly things'. Julian is actually the face of the Youth Division of the DFA, and he has spent his time campaigning against the deliria. But all of that changes when unexpected circumstances make him cross paths with Lena.
Julian at the beginning doesn't seem to have much of his own personality- a brainwashed zombie teen, if you will- following along with what his father does and tells him to do. But after being thrown into difficult situations, his resilience and resolve get tested, and his mind begins to open to the truth of what the deliria and the Cure are all about. That's when we start seeing him come into his own. We begin to see bits and pieces of his life, which isn't all it's been painted to be. We see him talk about growing up in a house full of pain and cruelty. We see him breaking out of the societal cocoon that was formed around him, taking apart the concept of deliria and replacing it with the concept of love. I think the real Julian is yet to be revealed because he is still adjusting to this new environment of 'freedom' and 'love', but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
Here's the funny bit: At first I was so sure I would remain to be Team Alex. I liked him a lot in Delirium, and when he and Lena first kissed I got the wildest butterflies in my stomach. I was so sure they were meant to be. But after reading this book, I realised I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA WHO ALEX REALLY IS. Unfortunately for him, I got to know Julian a lot more than I ever got to know him, and that's when I started to like. Julian just seems so much more concrete to me than Alex ever was. We don't get a backstory, we don't know anything about Alex's life before he met Lena other than he is an Invalid posing as a citizen. It's just so much easier to relate to and sympathize with Julian. After all the horrible experiences he shared with Lena, the reader gets a real sense of Julian's true nature, and I think that's what sealed the deal for me. I'm not denying Alex the recognition of being the one primarily responsible for opening Lena's eyes to what love is like. I can't deny either that Lena's thoughts of Alex and those final moments before the first book ended spurred her on to becoming the strong Lena I now know. But I can't get past the fact that there still are a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle that is Alex.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Julian seems like a great choice for Lena if she really wants to move on from her past. THERE I SAID IT. (I'm so sorry, Alex.)
The execution: In many ways, this novel is very different, and- for me- is even better than its predecessor. The characters are a lot stronger and have immensely more personality. The story moved a lot faster, had more unexpected turns, and was a lot more action-packed. The world-building was a lot more solid too. It seems to me like Lauren Oliver had a more tangible idea of what The Wilds is like compared to Lena's Portland. Looking back, I realise there were some holes in her world-building in Delirium (which I was too overwhelmed with the feels to notice), but I find there were holes in the events in this book as well. There are still a boatload of things I want explanations to-- for instance, I was wondering about how Tack, Raven, and Lena came to be the trio that were sent into New York City. The small things that don't take away from the reading experience are okay unexplained I guess, but the bigger questions- like the freaking cliffhanger!- I am expecting to be answered in the last book.
And while we're talking about the cliffhanger ending, I just wanted to say: Holy moly. I honestly have no idea what happens from here on out after that. Mostly I'm terrified out of my mind of what might happen, of the repercussions, of the ending of the third book. I can theorize all I want but the fact is, I have no freaking idea what happens next!! This just makes the waiting so much worse!!! *shakes fists [lovingly] at Lauren Oliver*
The story is told in alternating points of time. 'Now' chapters narrate the events involving Lena working for the Resistance, when she is planted back inside the border as a Cured. 'Then' chapters narrates the road to 'Now', the time Lena discovers what it's like to live as an Invalid and starts adjusting-- the time before Lena fully understands the price of 'freedom' in her world. In a way, the 'Then' inserts are like explanations and insights immediately after the questions are raised in the 'Now' chapters. I don't have any particular complaints or feelings toward this kind of set-up, though I think this is probably Oliver's way of not dragging the story for too long, allowing the readers to fill in the gaps between the chapters of the same time period.
The moments when Lena would compare Julian to Alex were some of the more heartbreaking parts of this book. There was this constant feeling of melancholy and aching from start to end, and I could really feel Lena just trying to stay strong despite being burdened by a heavy heart. She mourns all the things she's lost even though she seldom shows it outwardly, but you can feel it with her words in her narration. I think Lauren Oliver really did an amazing job writing about Lena's heartache. This novel had me believing and feeling the same things as Lena all throughout, so I can just imagine how the ending must've felt like for her! Lauren Oliver has this way of really pulling you in emotion-wise with her writing, the same way she did to me with Before I Fall. I think that's one of the greatest strengths of this book (or her writing in general)- how she is able to play to the reader's emotions- because a big part of what makes this novel work is being able to really feel how Lena changes and struggles to find a new life for herself.
While the first book had been an introduction to a Deliria-free world, this second book feels to me like a flame that has provided the spark for an explosion. I would expect nothing less than some huge rebellion in the next book. Even though a lot of things happened in this book in relation to Lena, the rebellion factor was relatively small-scale and was mostly mentioned in passing near the end, although I thought it was cleverly played out. We are yet to see the extent of the network and the resources of the Resistance; yet to see how many people they have planted into positions of power; yet to see their real plans for overturning the oppressive government that forces people to leave out love from their lives. I'm curious to know how they're planning to bring Love back into this dystopia, or if they will even do it. How do you even fix something like this? I fervently hope that the last book finds a balance between the actual story on the societal aspect and Lena's personal story.
Now if you're wondering why it has a rating that is a quarter star lower than that of my Delirium review, my explanation is this: Delirium was my first Lauren Oliver. It was the first time I was ever exposed to her amazing writing, and I guess you could say nothing quite beats the magical feeling of discovering something for the first time. I didn't get the same feeling of utter amazement and wonder this time, probably because I already knew to expect nothing less than a good story and brilliant writing, and that was the only point in which this novel lost. By a quarter stars.
I swear sometimes I get so OC with these things.
The verdict:
1/2. I can't believe I got through this review without uttering a single curse word! This was no less satisfying than any of the Lauren Oliver books I've read so far. Outrage and frustration aside, I need to get my hands on the third book. NOW!
My expression upon reading the very last word of the novel had something to do with bulging eyes, and a mouth hanging open so wide it began to hurt a little from being stretched so much. I implore you, especially if you are a fan of this series like I am: However much you are tempted to take a peek at the last page, DON'T. Do yourself a favour and let the surprise come to you. I think if you spoil the ending for yourself, it would ruin how potentially good this book could be. Don't even glance at the last page! Without giving anything away, all I have to say about the ending is:
Seriously, Lauren Oliver???? WHY?????? Why must you make me have this need to calm myself down because the outrage is literally bubbling in my chest right now as I remember that scene at the ending.
ARGH!!!!
See, this is the reason why I wanted to wait until closer to Requiem's release date to read this book, but I was beginning to forget the feeling that Delirium gave me after I read it that I decided I needed to jump into this now before I forget it completely. Do I regret it? That's a tough one to answer. On one end I am always happy to read books by this wonderful author, and on the other I find myself vastly impatient to know what happens next. I swear sometimes I hate reading books that are part of an incomplete series. The next one comes out in March. WAH!
The concept: This book picks up where Delirium left off-- Lena in the woods alone, running as far away from the border fences as possible. She has no idea where she's going, but her instincts keep telling her to move. She's injured and tired and hungry, so eventually she blacks out. She wakes up in the hands of the Invalids, and soon enough she begins learning how to live like them. She begins to rebuild herself, regain her strength, and find a place among this new 'family'. Everything and everyone she has ever known from her life inside the cities is nothing now. She is getting a second chance, a new life. Freedom.
But then the bombs come. Smoked out of hiding, Lena and her family of Invalids go on the run. Hardened by the deadly winter, by the discovery of the truth about life inside the walls, by death, grief, and hate, Lena is reborn. And now she's ready to fight back.
The characters: In this novel, we are presented with a Lena that is twice the Lena we met in Delirium. Of course at first I wanted to kick her butt for being her old weak-minded self, but she finds her will eventually. Instead of the helpless girl who allows herself to go with the tide, we see a Lena turned strong and hardened by anger and the pain of loss; matured from all the experiences and realisations she came across during her time in The Wilds. This is a much better Lena, and you can see how much she has grown and changed from the previous Lena who was ready to just accept the Cure as the norm. She now has a mind of her own, and whatever she feels is the right thing to do, she tends to go and do it. Her survival instincts are strong and apparent. Through her narration, I can actually feel her wanting to live- 'freely'- with the one she loves, even if that means living outside the comfort of the cities as an Invalid.
Speaking of Invalids, we also get to meet some of the 'free people' who take Lena in after her escape from Portland. The most striking character here is obviously Raven, who acts as Lena's mother and sister in The Wilds. We are given a glimpse of Raven's life before she crossed over, and I happen to think it's a pretty insightful clue as to her character. I may not agree with some of the things she does in the novel, but I recognize that she is the closest thing Lena will probably get for a real sister now. There were other characters like Tack, and Blue who also played vital roles in shaping the new Lena, and I'm looking forward to what roles the others might play in the future book.
And of course, because this book is all about love, Lena's new love interest comes in the form of one Julian Fineman. He is the son of the leader of the DFA (Deliria Free America), an organization which exists to strengthen the people's belief that The Cure is the answer, and that the deliria is, to borrow from Lena's words, 'the deadliest of deadly things'. Julian is actually the face of the Youth Division of the DFA, and he has spent his time campaigning against the deliria. But all of that changes when unexpected circumstances make him cross paths with Lena.
Julian at the beginning doesn't seem to have much of his own personality- a brainwashed zombie teen, if you will- following along with what his father does and tells him to do. But after being thrown into difficult situations, his resilience and resolve get tested, and his mind begins to open to the truth of what the deliria and the Cure are all about. That's when we start seeing him come into his own. We begin to see bits and pieces of his life, which isn't all it's been painted to be. We see him talk about growing up in a house full of pain and cruelty. We see him breaking out of the societal cocoon that was formed around him, taking apart the concept of deliria and replacing it with the concept of love. I think the real Julian is yet to be revealed because he is still adjusting to this new environment of 'freedom' and 'love', but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
Here's the funny bit: At first I was so sure I would remain to be Team Alex. I liked him a lot in Delirium, and when he and Lena first kissed I got the wildest butterflies in my stomach. I was so sure they were meant to be. But after reading this book, I realised I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA WHO ALEX REALLY IS. Unfortunately for him, I got to know Julian a lot more than I ever got to know him, and that's when I started to like. Julian just seems so much more concrete to me than Alex ever was. We don't get a backstory, we don't know anything about Alex's life before he met Lena other than he is an Invalid posing as a citizen. It's just so much easier to relate to and sympathize with Julian. After all the horrible experiences he shared with Lena, the reader gets a real sense of Julian's true nature, and I think that's what sealed the deal for me. I'm not denying Alex the recognition of being the one primarily responsible for opening Lena's eyes to what love is like. I can't deny either that Lena's thoughts of Alex and those final moments before the first book ended spurred her on to becoming the strong Lena I now know. But I can't get past the fact that there still are a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle that is Alex.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Julian seems like a great choice for Lena if she really wants to move on from her past. THERE I SAID IT. (I'm so sorry, Alex.)
The execution: In many ways, this novel is very different, and- for me- is even better than its predecessor. The characters are a lot stronger and have immensely more personality. The story moved a lot faster, had more unexpected turns, and was a lot more action-packed. The world-building was a lot more solid too. It seems to me like Lauren Oliver had a more tangible idea of what The Wilds is like compared to Lena's Portland. Looking back, I realise there were some holes in her world-building in Delirium (which I was too overwhelmed with the feels to notice), but I find there were holes in the events in this book as well. There are still a boatload of things I want explanations to-- for instance, I was wondering about how Tack, Raven, and Lena came to be the trio that were sent into New York City. The small things that don't take away from the reading experience are okay unexplained I guess, but the bigger questions- like the freaking cliffhanger!- I am expecting to be answered in the last book.
And while we're talking about the cliffhanger ending, I just wanted to say: Holy moly. I honestly have no idea what happens from here on out after that. Mostly I'm terrified out of my mind of what might happen, of the repercussions, of the ending of the third book. I can theorize all I want but the fact is, I have no freaking idea what happens next!! This just makes the waiting so much worse!!! *shakes fists [lovingly] at Lauren Oliver*
The story is told in alternating points of time. 'Now' chapters narrate the events involving Lena working for the Resistance, when she is planted back inside the border as a Cured. 'Then' chapters narrates the road to 'Now', the time Lena discovers what it's like to live as an Invalid and starts adjusting-- the time before Lena fully understands the price of 'freedom' in her world. In a way, the 'Then' inserts are like explanations and insights immediately after the questions are raised in the 'Now' chapters. I don't have any particular complaints or feelings toward this kind of set-up, though I think this is probably Oliver's way of not dragging the story for too long, allowing the readers to fill in the gaps between the chapters of the same time period.
The moments when Lena would compare Julian to Alex were some of the more heartbreaking parts of this book. There was this constant feeling of melancholy and aching from start to end, and I could really feel Lena just trying to stay strong despite being burdened by a heavy heart. She mourns all the things she's lost even though she seldom shows it outwardly, but you can feel it with her words in her narration. I think Lauren Oliver really did an amazing job writing about Lena's heartache. This novel had me believing and feeling the same things as Lena all throughout, so I can just imagine how the ending must've felt like for her! Lauren Oliver has this way of really pulling you in emotion-wise with her writing, the same way she did to me with Before I Fall. I think that's one of the greatest strengths of this book (or her writing in general)- how she is able to play to the reader's emotions- because a big part of what makes this novel work is being able to really feel how Lena changes and struggles to find a new life for herself.
While the first book had been an introduction to a Deliria-free world, this second book feels to me like a flame that has provided the spark for an explosion. I would expect nothing less than some huge rebellion in the next book. Even though a lot of things happened in this book in relation to Lena, the rebellion factor was relatively small-scale and was mostly mentioned in passing near the end, although I thought it was cleverly played out. We are yet to see the extent of the network and the resources of the Resistance; yet to see how many people they have planted into positions of power; yet to see their real plans for overturning the oppressive government that forces people to leave out love from their lives. I'm curious to know how they're planning to bring Love back into this dystopia, or if they will even do it. How do you even fix something like this? I fervently hope that the last book finds a balance between the actual story on the societal aspect and Lena's personal story.
Now if you're wondering why it has a rating that is a quarter star lower than that of my Delirium review, my explanation is this: Delirium was my first Lauren Oliver. It was the first time I was ever exposed to her amazing writing, and I guess you could say nothing quite beats the magical feeling of discovering something for the first time. I didn't get the same feeling of utter amazement and wonder this time, probably because I already knew to expect nothing less than a good story and brilliant writing, and that was the only point in which this novel lost. By a quarter stars.
I swear sometimes I get so OC with these things.
The verdict:
1/2. I can't believe I got through this review without uttering a single curse word! This was no less satisfying than any of the Lauren Oliver books I've read so far. Outrage and frustration aside, I need to get my hands on the third book. NOW!
OMG. Lauren Oliver I cannot believe you left us hanging like that!!!! March 2013 cannot get here quick enough!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
it doesn't impress me as much as I thought it would. But I still got to enjoy it.
Pandemonium completely and utterly lived up to the hype! If you can get over the first few chapters of confusion it is totally worth the read. The book made me experience sadness along with anger, to think Lena is torn between the memories of Alex but at the same time she is falling for Julian made me extremely angry but at the same time incredibly sad for her. My loyalties are with Alex at the beginning of the book but as Julian was introduced and developed over time, I (along with Lena) was being sucked in. The ending made me feel so sick because it was such a cliffhanger that I instantly went online to by the next book, I can't wait to read the next one!