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caresays 's review for:

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
3.0

So, while I was reading this I kept getting it confused with the other dystopian YA novels I've read in the last year, like Matched and Divergent. About three or four chapters in, I realized that I had actually enjoyed Delirium, unlike both Matched and Divergent, and had myself a decent time. Also, it helped that the novel got more exciting.

SpoilerI was SUPER not into the chapters where Lena was talking about "then", like what she did after she left Portland. I think it was okay at first, when she was describing her first month or so in the Wild, but then it got rapidly boring and dismal. I was way more into the "now" plot -- her living in New York, undercover, and getting kidnapped and that love affair with Julian, WHICH I AM TOTALLY INTO. HIT THAT, LENA. HE IS WAYYYY BETTER THAN ALEX.

Um, I thought the romance with Julian was really well done and obviously Romeo-and-Juliet-like, especially since his dad is like LEADER OF THE CURED or whatever. But maybe I just totally buy into the trope of falling-in-love-with-your-fellow-hostage. Whatever the case was, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and actually did not see the ending coming! I was too into the Julian-and-Lena plot, I think. But, um, wtf??? I'm of the general mind that characters who die should stay dead, and this seems like ALEX II: REVENGE OF THE ALEX. Clearly he is not the same Alex as before. I think I'm just going to call him Darth Alex from now on, since that is what he seems to be.

Baaaaaasically, I think Lena and Julian should get it on and Darth Alex should get stabbed for the cause or something, and I can't believe this turned into a freaking love triangle -- one of the characters should be DEAD for god's sake. I'M SO FUCKING SICK OF LOVE TRIANGLES IN THESE BOOKS. I guess the third book will be Lena trying to figure out who she loves more! The reanimated, apparently evil corpse of her ex-boyfriend or New Hot Boyfriend! I suppose I'll be reading it.