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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This sequel was even better than the first! I will admit the ending did kill me, but not as much as the first one. Thankfully!
Lena does A LOT of growing up in this book and comes to realize a lot about her world. Things are definitely not what she thought and she's toughened up. I like all the new characters we meet even if I want to know more about them sometimes. I will admit that there were a lot of new characters and it is hard to keep track of them all. I'm even in Requiem and I'm still having trouble remembering.
Overall, if you liked Delirium, you will love Pandemonium, no doubt! The alternating POV's between the Present and the Past I thought would be annoying, and sometimes I did think the past was unnecessary, but it wasn't too bad. Good book!
I'm just so nervous as to what will be happening in Requiem. :/
4.5 stars
Lena does A LOT of growing up in this book and comes to realize a lot about her world. Things are definitely not what she thought and she's toughened up. I like all the new characters we meet even if I want to know more about them sometimes. I will admit that there were a lot of new characters and it is hard to keep track of them all. I'm even in Requiem and I'm still having trouble remembering.
Overall, if you liked Delirium, you will love Pandemonium, no doubt! The alternating POV's between the Present and the Past I thought would be annoying, and sometimes I did think the past was unnecessary, but it wasn't too bad. Good book!
I'm just so nervous as to what will be happening in Requiem. :/
4.5 stars
I think my biggest issue with DELIRIUM was probably the pacing of the overall story. Even as I reread the story before beginning PANDEMONIUM, I was ultimately overcome with the sense that things were really dragging, since the author was forced to devote most of the story to the world building for a universe that views love as the most dangerous of all diseases. While reading the first book of the series, I found myself constantly wanting more background information to describe to me how our current world could have morphed so quickly into Oliver's dystopian reality, but I'm really not disappointed that PANDEMONIUM seemed to take things in an entirely new direction.
Book two of the series was definitely more action packed than the first installment, constantly alternating between flashbacks of Lena's initial struggle to adapt to life as a refugee in the Wild to sections that depicted the current day scenario, where Lena has been assigned to assimilate herself into mainstream society in order to keep an eye on Julian, a persuasive activist who seeks his life's mission in the fight to have every individual in society undergo the surgery that ultimately removes the ability for a person to feel love.
I definitely think that PANDEMONIUM was more focused than the first novel on the development of the plotline, more so than on the descriptions of the society's belief system. The key issue in this novel is survival -- survival as Lena adapts to a new, unfamiliar world in the Wild and survival as Lena attempts to assimilate herself into mainstream society again with a new project at hand ... to keep an eye on Julian, the head of a Cured activist group that starkly endorses everything that Lena believes is wrong with the universe.
The story alternates between two perspectives in alternating chapters -- "THEN," which depicts the days immediately following DELIRIUM, and "NOW," which details the current movement of the resistance. The format of the story definitely keeps the pace alive, ensuring that the reader discovers the story bits at a time from each section.
I wasn't entirely thrilled with the prospect of another love interest, although the story of Julian and Lena felt less "insta-love" than that of Lena and Alex in the first book. And, although I think the final plot twist was pretty predictable, it was still enjoyable and culminated in a fantastic cliff hanger that will leave the reader begging for more.
But, not so fast. We have a wait for the next novel, of course.
Book two of the series was definitely more action packed than the first installment, constantly alternating between flashbacks of Lena's initial struggle to adapt to life as a refugee in the Wild to sections that depicted the current day scenario, where Lena has been assigned to assimilate herself into mainstream society in order to keep an eye on Julian, a persuasive activist who seeks his life's mission in the fight to have every individual in society undergo the surgery that ultimately removes the ability for a person to feel love.
I definitely think that PANDEMONIUM was more focused than the first novel on the development of the plotline, more so than on the descriptions of the society's belief system. The key issue in this novel is survival -- survival as Lena adapts to a new, unfamiliar world in the Wild and survival as Lena attempts to assimilate herself into mainstream society again with a new project at hand ... to keep an eye on Julian, the head of a Cured activist group that starkly endorses everything that Lena believes is wrong with the universe.
The story alternates between two perspectives in alternating chapters -- "THEN," which depicts the days immediately following DELIRIUM, and "NOW," which details the current movement of the resistance. The format of the story definitely keeps the pace alive, ensuring that the reader discovers the story bits at a time from each section.
I wasn't entirely thrilled with the prospect of another love interest, although the story of Julian and Lena felt less "insta-love" than that of Lena and Alex in the first book. And, although I think the final plot twist was pretty predictable, it was still enjoyable and culminated in a fantastic cliff hanger that will leave the reader begging for more.
But, not so fast. We have a wait for the next novel, of course.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Zdecydowanie cierpi na syndrom drugiego domu. Nigdy chyba nie zrozumiem, dlaczego autorzy dystopii zamiast dać tym dziewczynom pobyć samym i rozwinąć się indywidualnie, zawsze wciskają jej na każdym kroku jakiegoś faceta
Amazing, but it had the kind of ending that made you want to throw the book across the room; luckily I just about managed not to do this, since I was reading it on my Kindle...
I don't think that Julian was quite as strong a character as Alex was, and the book definitely lacked something without him in it.
I did love the way it switched between 'then' and 'now' though and some of the other new characters (like Raven) were really great.
Overall, it's going to feel like a very long wait until Requiem comes out. #TeamAlex
I don't think that Julian was quite as strong a character as Alex was, and the book definitely lacked something without him in it.
I did love the way it switched between 'then' and 'now' though and some of the other new characters (like Raven) were really great.
Overall, it's going to feel like a very long wait until Requiem comes out. #TeamAlex
This book was brilliant, and in my opinion it was much better than Delirium.
Firstly, the book was split into two distinct time periods: 'Then' and 'Now'. Each chapter would alternate between Lena's description of the events 'then' and what was happening 'now'. I found this an exceedingly effective structure because it allowed two tales to be narrated in tandem instead of each event being told in chronological order. This allowed for several moments of suspense as the story alternating between the two time periods; therefore, if there was a cliffhanger in the 'now' time, the reader would have to wait until the next 'now' chapter in order to sate their curiosity. Meanwhile, the tension and suspense would build throughout the 'then' chapter inbetween these two 'now' chapters, making for an exciting reading experience.
Furthermore, this alternating structure allowed for a quicker pace to run throughout the book as the two stories would both have interesting and action-packed events, so there was never a lull period where the excitement died down.
Oliver used a homodiegetic narrator again which allowed the reader to remain ignorant to various sub-plots or secrets within the novel, thus creating an added sense of suspense and mystery. In this way, the story was presented much more vividly as the reader saw the events unfold through Lena's eyes, and the reader also became emotionally involved with Lena's life as the homodiegetic narration allowed for the reader to empathise with her and experience her feelings simultaneously.
The best thing about this book was the various metaphors and imagery that Oliver uses to create an animated and dymanic novel. One such example is portrayed in the following excerpt: 'Her heart is nestled next to a small set of bones buried beside a frozen river, which will emerge with the spring thaw, a skeleton ship rising out of the water.' I thought this was a beautiful metaphor for Raven's stoicism and persistence: it wonderfully portrays the fragility of her strength, but also her determined bravery. The novel is littered with descriptive, delicate imagery than enhances the narration and creates a more expressive version of events.
The thing that made me like this book more than Delirium was that the novel was not soley focused on Lena's relationships or love: there was a greater emphasis on the political side of the storyworld which I found thrilling and fascinating. The struggle for survival in the Wilds was another facet of the novel which ran in parallel with the political and romantic sides to the story, and the way Oliver created a novel than encompassed several themes within the same story produced a more elcectic and varied tale.
So I have saved the best until last: the ending. Endings are usually rushed and unsatisfying but the end to this novel is so shocking and heart-breaking that I simply cannot wait until Requiem comes out.
In conclusion, this book was fantastic, exciting, dymanic and wonderful. If I could, I would give it 4.5 stars as I prefer it to Delirium. When I had finished Delirium, I was dubious as to whether I should read the sequel to an already brilliant book, but now I am so glad I did. It is rare to find a sequel that is as good as, or better than the original, but Pandemonium has done it.
Firstly, the book was split into two distinct time periods: 'Then' and 'Now'. Each chapter would alternate between Lena's description of the events 'then' and what was happening 'now'. I found this an exceedingly effective structure because it allowed two tales to be narrated in tandem instead of each event being told in chronological order. This allowed for several moments of suspense as the story alternating between the two time periods; therefore, if there was a cliffhanger in the 'now' time, the reader would have to wait until the next 'now' chapter in order to sate their curiosity. Meanwhile, the tension and suspense would build throughout the 'then' chapter inbetween these two 'now' chapters, making for an exciting reading experience.
Furthermore, this alternating structure allowed for a quicker pace to run throughout the book as the two stories would both have interesting and action-packed events, so there was never a lull period where the excitement died down.
Oliver used a homodiegetic narrator again which allowed the reader to remain ignorant to various sub-plots or secrets within the novel, thus creating an added sense of suspense and mystery.
Spoiler
For example, the reader became intimately related with Lena so that when she discovered that the women who took her to the warehouse was her mother, the reader was equally shocked and surprised by this information, thus producing increased excitement and astonishment.The best thing about this book was the various metaphors and imagery that Oliver uses to create an animated and dymanic novel. One such example is portrayed in the following excerpt: 'Her heart is nestled next to a small set of bones buried beside a frozen river, which will emerge with the spring thaw, a skeleton ship rising out of the water.' I thought this was a beautiful metaphor for Raven's stoicism and persistence: it wonderfully portrays the fragility of her strength, but also her determined bravery. The novel is littered with descriptive, delicate imagery than enhances the narration and creates a more expressive version of events.
The thing that made me like this book more than Delirium was that the novel was not soley focused on Lena's relationships or love: there was a greater emphasis on the political side of the storyworld which I found thrilling and fascinating. The struggle for survival in the Wilds was another facet of the novel which ran in parallel with the political and romantic sides to the story, and the way Oliver created a novel than encompassed several themes within the same story produced a more elcectic and varied tale.
Spoiler
The romance between Julian and Lena was slightly unrealistic. I do not think Lena would have fallen in love so soon after Alex's death, however I did like this side to the novel, although it was quite a predictable plot line. In addition, I disliked the lack of explanation of the event that unfolded in the tunnels. Despite Raven and Tack's brief account of what happened, I found that the kidnapping and rescue was not explicit to the reader, and I was still a little confused at the end of the novel. Another gripe is that Lena was able to make it to Julian's house in under 12 hours but I personally think it would have taken much longer to achieve this journey, especially since she spent the best part of the early morning watching the border.So I have saved the best until last: the ending. Endings are usually rushed and unsatisfying but the end to this novel is so shocking and heart-breaking that I simply cannot wait until Requiem comes out.
Spoiler
I cannot believe Alex is alive. WHAT?! I had fallen in love with them as a couple in Delirium, and that ending was especially tragic, but throughout Pandemonium, I had gotten used to Lena and Julian being together. Now, however, that is about to change. There is an immense sense of sadness for Alex, guilt and shame for Lena, and heart-break for Julian. I just cannot fathom what will happen. It will truly be a spectacular story, which I cannot wait to read.In conclusion, this book was fantastic, exciting, dymanic and wonderful. If I could, I would give it 4.5 stars as I prefer it to Delirium. When I had finished Delirium, I was dubious as to whether I should read the sequel to an already brilliant book, but now I am so glad I did. It is rare to find a sequel that is as good as, or better than the original, but Pandemonium has done it.
Huge spoiler. You've been warned.
Ahhh I don't think I can even begin to write what I liked about this book because all I can think is the last word that was written on the last page: Alex.
I knew he was alive. The whole book I was hoping he was. Even when I started to like Julian a little bit, I was still hoping and wishing for Alex. And I got him. But on the last freakin' page, really, Lauren Oliver? Ugh. And "Don't believe her." That killed me.
I kind of wish I didn't read this book so soon because the wait for the next one is going to be torture.
Ahhh I don't think I can even begin to write what I liked about this book because all I can think is the last word that was written on the last page: Alex.
I knew he was alive. The whole book I was hoping he was. Even when I started to like Julian a little bit, I was still hoping and wishing for Alex. And I got him. But on the last freakin' page, really, Lauren Oliver? Ugh. And "Don't believe her." That killed me.
I kind of wish I didn't read this book so soon because the wait for the next one is going to be torture.