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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
The ending was brutal. I am so nervous about what will happen to Lena in the next book.
I have no words to express my frustration with the authors of YA. Why, why, WHY do we have to read about those stupid, illogical, totally out of place love triangles, squares and other weird love figures?? Why can't anyone write a book without them? Why do we always have a heroine who, without being especially clever, beautiful or special in any way, inevitably gets her own men harem?? What's wrong with finding new plots instead of using the same old boring one, again, and again, and yet again?
I'm so disappointed with Lauren Oliver. I really expected better of her, especially after the first book in this series.
I'm so disappointed with Lauren Oliver. I really expected better of her, especially after the first book in this series.
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
i love julian but hated everything else and i knew alex would be back of course
At first I didn't know what was going on switching between "then" and "now" I thought I skipped ahead by accident somehow. And Julian. Really? Julian? Terrible twist. My jaw dropped twice near the end of the book-huge twists that I didn't see coming. Now I have to wait until March for the third book!!! I don't know if I can wait that long!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Aw, man. This book was so close. So. Close.
I let a lot of time pass between the first book and this one. I read a lot of books in between, and started this up with only a slight idea of the basis for this plot, a world where love is illegal, and this girl "got infected" and tried to run away with her boyfriend, and bad things happened.
Thankfully, this book sucked me immediately back into this world. I absolutely adore the format that Lauren Oliver used. I expected this would circle around the aftermath of the first book, and that it might (miiiiiight) suck a little bit and get kind of boring. Instead, she did flash cuts of "Then" and "Now". So when I start getting disinterested in Lena getting stronger, we flashed to Now, where she's already strong, a member of the resistance, and kicking ass. And just when I'm curious what happened to get her there, we have another Then flashback.
Brilliant. I wish more book series followed this format.
The story really is fantastic. It's a story of survival in the wilds, Lena learning how to get along without the intense rules of society, all while fighting to keep from being found by the Regulators, and being attacked by Scavengers. It's seriously action packed, and I found myself getting so into it my heart was pounding. It's fantastic when that happens.
I didn't even (sort of) mind the intense melodrama when it came to Lena and Julian. I mean...sure, I could've done without it, but at least she took her time getting there, as she did with Lena and Alex in the first book. Do we know the time frame between when she lost Alex and had all this happen with Julian? I suppose I'll find that out next book.
So, yeah, I was head over heels happy with this book. But of course.
Are we going to be dealing with some love triangle bullshit here? Because honestly, I don't believe I will have any warm fuzzy feelings about book 3 if that is the case. Perhaps I should just not read it, rate it a 1, and move along.
We all know that's not going to happen.
I am interested to see what is going to happen considering just how angry Alex seems. I presume Lena is going to work towards softening him next book.
And of course, either Alex or Julian is going to die. Which one? My guess is Julian. I guess we'll have to see.
So, yeah. Based on that bit, I have to remove a star. Without it, we'd have been at a solid five.
I let a lot of time pass between the first book and this one. I read a lot of books in between, and started this up with only a slight idea of the basis for this plot, a world where love is illegal, and this girl "got infected" and tried to run away with her boyfriend, and bad things happened.
Thankfully, this book sucked me immediately back into this world. I absolutely adore the format that Lauren Oliver used. I expected this would circle around the aftermath of the first book, and that it might (miiiiiight) suck a little bit and get kind of boring. Instead, she did flash cuts of "Then" and "Now". So when I start getting disinterested in Lena getting stronger, we flashed to Now, where she's already strong, a member of the resistance, and kicking ass. And just when I'm curious what happened to get her there, we have another Then flashback.
Brilliant. I wish more book series followed this format.
The story really is fantastic. It's a story of survival in the wilds, Lena learning how to get along without the intense rules of society, all while fighting to keep from being found by the Regulators, and being attacked by Scavengers. It's seriously action packed, and I found myself getting so into it my heart was pounding. It's fantastic when that happens.
I didn't even (sort of) mind the intense melodrama when it came to Lena and Julian. I mean...sure, I could've done without it, but at least she took her time getting there, as she did with Lena and Alex in the first book. Do we know the time frame between when she lost Alex and had all this happen with Julian? I suppose I'll find that out next book.
So, yeah, I was head over heels happy with this book. But of course.
Spoiler
The last minute. Well, actually, the last 15 minutes, because at the 15 mark, Lena starts talking about how everything is going to be okay now!!! Which, hi, I read and watch television, that means something is about to get seriously fucked up.Are we going to be dealing with some love triangle bullshit here? Because honestly, I don't believe I will have any warm fuzzy feelings about book 3 if that is the case. Perhaps I should just not read it, rate it a 1, and move along.
We all know that's not going to happen.
I am interested to see what is going to happen considering just how angry Alex seems. I presume Lena is going to work towards softening him next book.
And of course, either Alex or Julian is going to die. Which one? My guess is Julian. I guess we'll have to see.
So, yeah. Based on that bit, I have to remove a star. Without it, we'd have been at a solid five.
It was pretty boring though. The only somewhat interesting thing was when she was in the Wild. Her time with Julian was boring, uneventful and predictable. In the first book, I was ok with predictable but now, it's almost too much. The ending, was irritating, but predictable too. I guess I catch on to things quickly. I knew what would happened the minute Julian was mentioned because there was way more detail than necessary to describe him.
I liked how she missed Alex. She mentioned him a lot and tried not to think about him. It was realistic. I do not think she should be with him after what happened, even though I have a soft spot for Alex. Julian and Lena went through a lot together and Lena isn't the same person she was in Delirium. Her time without Alex changed her and I don't think she is the same person Alex loved. As much as I hate to admit it, she should be with Julian. Can't wait to see what happens.
I liked how she missed Alex. She mentioned him a lot and tried not to think about him. It was realistic. I do not think she should be with him after what happened, even though I have a soft spot for Alex. Julian and Lena went through a lot together and Lena isn't the same person she was in Delirium. Her time without Alex changed her and I don't think she is the same person Alex loved. As much as I hate to admit it, she should be with Julian. Can't wait to see what happens.
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I say this a lot about sequels: this didn't need to exist.
I could see a sequel for 'Delirium' in which more questions are answered. I would have liked to understand maybe the perspective of the leaders of the USA, the history of these systems, external relations with other states, a growth on behalf of the main character that adds to her complexity. But this is very much an adventure novel with a love triangle.
With Lena now living in the Wilds, we experience more of the life without urban comforts. I didn't find her daily life particularly interesting or educational, and I also didn't connect with any of the characters she now cohabitates with. They are all fairly simplistically described, with one, Raven, being a figure of authority, wisdom and leadership without making it clear what her credentials or success stories were. It wasn't clear why the others in this group trusted her with their lives.
I also didn't appreciate the cheapness of the new love triangle we'll observe. Lena was previously depicted as reflective, thoughtful, here her new love is instant. I suspected that something along these lines would happen when she is tasked to follow this young male enemy who she registers as attractive, but I thought maybe it's going to be something casual and that's it. I still had hope. But no, her feelings for Alex appear to be more fleeting and that was disappointing to me, especially after all the investment that Lauren Oliver previously built. It's just so inconsistent.
The read remained enjoyable enough, entertaining, but not nearly as captivating as the first in the series.
I could see a sequel for 'Delirium' in which more questions are answered. I would have liked to understand maybe the perspective of the leaders of the USA, the history of these systems, external relations with other states, a growth on behalf of the main character that adds to her complexity. But this is very much an adventure novel with a love triangle.
With Lena now living in the Wilds, we experience more of the life without urban comforts. I didn't find her daily life particularly interesting or educational, and I also didn't connect with any of the characters she now cohabitates with. They are all fairly simplistically described, with one, Raven, being a figure of authority, wisdom and leadership without making it clear what her credentials or success stories were. It wasn't clear why the others in this group trusted her with their lives.
I also didn't appreciate the cheapness of the new love triangle we'll observe. Lena was previously depicted as reflective, thoughtful, here her new love is instant. I suspected that something along these lines would happen when she is tasked to follow this young male enemy who she registers as attractive, but I thought maybe it's going to be something casual and that's it. I still had hope. But no, her feelings for Alex appear to be more fleeting and that was disappointing to me, especially after all the investment that Lauren Oliver previously built. It's just so inconsistent.
The read remained enjoyable enough, entertaining, but not nearly as captivating as the first in the series.