Thursday 1 March 2012

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: UK: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 393  (of the actual story, there are extras at the back)
Series: Delirium #1 (Pandemonium #2)



Blurb: (From Goodreads)

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.




I really loved this book. It wasn't particularly fast-paced or had a lot of action but, damn, the setting and the plot were good!! Lauren really wrote the setting very well and slowly revealed the horrors of the society that Lena was in. It is scary in a way that's not, "monsters jumping out everywhere!!" but in, "these people are not people, they would do unthinkable things if they were told to. They are basically herds of cattle (wink, wink for those who've read it!!). " 


I really liked Lena, she reminded me a bit of myself, knowing she should do the right thing and partially wanting to do the right thing but the wanting the wrong thing wholly. One thing that bugged me was the UK cover because the author went to so much trouble describing Lena and especially her eyes and then they use a model that looks absolutely nothing like her!! Look at the eyes!! Lena did surprise me and I loved her in the evaluation. I knew it was wrong when she said the word, "Grey" but then her explanation made me wonder how I'd never noticed it before.


Alex. Just Alex. He sounds like every sane girl's dream (including mine despite the fact that I'm unsane, no  , wait, insane). One thing I would have liked from him would be a bit more humour. That is the one thing. I'm a Jace Wayland/Herondale/Lightwood/Morgenstern girl myself, ooh and a Daemon Black kinda girl so I like quite a lot of humour and sarcasm and Alex just needed a little bit more. He was gorgeous, in my mind, of course!! 


Hana, I loved Hana. Even if I was disappointed in her near the end I still loved her. I loved her spirit and how she acted, like she didn't have a care in the world and never would. I'm really looking forward to reading Hana too. That's all, I think,  but overall Delirium would be a 4.5 or 5 star book. Absolutely brilliant. I hated the ending though. In a, it's such a cliffhanger and why does that have to happen????, way but still brilliant.




C xxx

2 comments:

  1. Don't ask me what happened to the writing, I do not have a clue!! :L

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  2. Great review, I know what you mean about Alex, I don't find him personally swoonworthy but I did really like him for Lena. I totally get what you mean about the cover too...I hate it. Pandemonium, the sequel, is just as good (there's a review posted on my blog today) so you should totally check that out.

    Ps: you can get rid of the white by going into edit post>edit html then hit ctrl+F type white into the box and replace all the highlighted words white with none instead. time consuming but it works!

    The Cait Files

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