Delirium (Delirium #1)
by Lauren Oliver
Summary: Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Where to Buy: Amazon. Barnes and Noble . EpicReads
Add to Goodreads
Source: I purchased a paperback copy at Barnes and Noble.
Review:
I have been dying to read Delirium. I loved Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall, I love dystopian settings, I love the concept, and the first sentence is completely gripping. So finally, I made the time to read the book because I just knew I would love it. And I did. And I’m really glad I knew I would love it and I went ahead and purchased the entire trilogy, because I need to know what happens next!
Lena was a fascinating character. My absolute favorite characters in dystopian fiction are ones who don’t realize their world is dystopian at all. I love being a part of that dreadful realization and watching characters start to question everything around them. I felt like I could really understand her by watching her world slowly turn upside down.
The society in Delirium was absolutely fascinating to me. I loved the quotes used at the beginning of each chapter from different texts that the characters in the book were familiar with. I was able to understand the history of the society and the way people felt about others through the texts and Lena’s own point of view. I thought the concept of love as a disease was pretty unique. At first, the idea seemed absurd, but the more the texts were quoted, the more I realized that, while I do understand and root for love, it does have its own side effects and symptoms that can seem quite crazy. I love how the author was able to take such an absurd idea and make it believable.
The pacing was great. I’m sure some people will find the novel to be somewhat slow, but I thought it was perfect. I liked getting to know Lena and understanding what her life was like and what her hopes and dreams were before everything started to change. It made the metamorphosis that much more powerful and shocking. I knew a lot about the plot before reading it. I supposed that Lena would eventually fall in love and that would be the major catalyst. But once that began to happen, I was pleasantly surprised at how slow it all was. I was expecting insta-love and then instant decision making and instant risk. But Lena showed character and bravery by not blindly following one person, regardless of her feelings, and it made the book less predictable overall.
I loved Alex immediately, before I even knew his name. It is so great when I can be introduced to a character and know that I’ll like him right away. I was intrigued and I wanted to know his story. I wanted to know more of Lena’s and I wanted them to share their stories. I loved watching their entire relationship unfold in front of me. I also have a soft spot for Lena’s best friend, Hana and her cousin, Grace. In their own unique ways, they were there for Lena.
I highly recommend Delirium and I am mentally smacking myself for waiting so long to finally read it. I really liked it and I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy. The book was so thought provoking, intoxicating, and full of so many feels!
