Delirium (edition 2011)

ORIGINAL REVIEW AT: LITTLE BOOK STAR

Delirium by Lauren Oliver was such a fresh dystopian read for me. Who would’ve thought that love (amor deliria nervosa) was a disease? Well, these people in the book do. When they turn 18, they automatically have to get cured, meaning that they will have to undergo an examination where it would totally change who they are. There are those who strictly agrees that they should be cured from love, and there are the resistance who thinks that getting cured from love is completely wrong and shouldn’t be practiced. In Delirium, we witness how Lena’s opinion transforms from agreeing to disagreeing with the cure.

Throughout Lena’s life, she always believed that love was a disease especially because of the tragedy that happened to her mother. She lives with her aunt’s family which has a huge impact on how she perceives love. Lena is easily relatable and likable. One thing I like about this book is how the main character slowly develops throughout the novel. She wasn’t a flat, boring, dull heroine which I was glad for. The male protagonist, Alex, was easily likable too. For me, he’s the key to Lena’s adieu to innocence. I love how Alex isn’t just there so there could be a romance. He’s more than just a love interest. He plays a big role in the story, and because of him, something happens that would leave the readers shocked. The other character I wanted to talk about is Lena’s best friend Hanna. At first I loved her character because at first she strongly opposes the cure by breaking the government’s rules. She goes out to parties after the curfew, listens to loud music (which was illegal) and was just plain outgoing & awesome. Then, I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden she strongly agrees with the government. There was definitely an inconsistency to her character. I was really disappointed by that.

Since the book is about love, the romance plays a big role in the story. Fortunately, it played out well. Lena and Alex’s relationship gradually develops. Although I didn’t have any problem with the romance, I wouldn’t say it’s the best. Same thing with the characters, they were likable but they didn’t really stick with me. The pacing slowed a little bit here and there, but it wasn’t super slow that would cause boredom. There were also action scenes to watch out for especially towards the end. Overall I enjoyed reading Delirium and would recommend it to those who wants to read something new. Also, I can’t wait till they make this into a t.v. show! ( )

I picked this book up because it seemed like it would be interesting. A world where love is viewed as a disease that has to be cured is ample ground for a wonderful story. I was hesitant though, because, even though this story focuses on the prevention of love, it revolves around a romance. I worried that the romance would be overly cheesy, or it wouldn’t be developed enough. However, that wasn’t the case.

Lauren Oliver weaves a web of complexity, tangled lies and drawing you farther and farther into the story. The first few chapters were a little slow but it was needed so that you can understand each of the characters, the world, and how they think.

The one thing I liked the most was the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. These quotes – from the Delirium world’s history books, to science books, all the way to children’s rhymes – allowed me to get a glimpse into the beliefs that dominated this city. I loved reading about the stages of the disease and how the fourth stage was death. It was completely believable because people have done anything for love, from starting wars – Troy anyone? – to committing suicide – Romeo and Juliet. Love does make people act differently. There is truth to the concept that people will do just about anything for love. Just as there is truth that love hurts, tremendously.

I do think there should have been a little more development about what incident actually sparked the mandatory cure because I didn’t really feel the urgency to hide Lena’s romance. I knew they would get in trouble and be forced to undergo the surgery, but I didn’t really get a strong sense of the severity. Not until the end that is. Oliver ends the book on a cliffhanger which annoys me because I’m number 18 on the waitlist for the sequel. I want to know what happens next. And I want to know now!

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Read June 2011. Reread January 2012. Best Book of 2011.

Title : Delirium
Series : Delirium #1
Pages : 441
Author : Lauren Oliver
Publisher : HarperTeen
Format : Hardcover
Source : Owned - Gifted

My Opinion : Delirium was my favorite book of 2012. At first I didn’t own it; but I love the book so much! I had gotten it at the library because of how awesome sounding the plot was. I added the book to my Christmas Wish List because I simply loved the book and I want to, in the future, own the whole series. And now I have reread it and, since I hadn't done a review on it the first time I read it, well I am doing one now!

Delirium is Lauren Oliver’s second novel, her first being Before I Fall. Her first novel is in my to-read list since the plot sounds as great as Delirium’s. So I will definitively buy Before I Fall in 2012!
The plot evolves around Lena; it is in her point of view. It is a dystopian book; set in a post-apocalyptic time. And love is a disease; they call in Amor Deliria Nervosa. Everyone below eighteen is infected by the disease and will go through a surgery at age eighteen. The reason they can’t have it before eighteen is that most people who got it before the right time, they were either blind, or not-right-at-all. Then Lena, or Magdalena, falls in love with Invalid Alex. Invalids are people from the Wilds, were love isn’t a disease and they are the rebellion… kind-of. But Alex doesn’t live in the Wilds anymore; he’s a kind-of-spy. And when they try to escape…

I love each and every character; I don’t like their personalities, but I like how they were described and detailed by the author, the way the dialogue was always perfect between characters. I really loved Hana and I am so happy that we’ll get a book about her story.

The writing is so beautiful; you can just tell how much Lauren Oliver, the author, is a talented writer. I love Delirium and I feel like I can almost relate to the book, since it is so well written and that I feel kind of like Lena.

I am so happy that Pandemonium is going to be out soon… I am so exoted and thrilled andwill be ordering as soon as I can!

5 roses and more, since it's awesome!

( )

Lena is an average girl in Portland, Maine. But the America she lives in is a bit different than the America we live in. In her America love is a disease. But luckily there is a cure for this cursed disease that plagues us all in the most horrible way. She is counting down the days until she is cured. Then her interview for her FUTURE is ruined because of people in the Wilds rebelling. The good news is she meets Alex. He changes her life. Now she doesn't want to be cured and knows that love is not a disease. I loved this book it kept my attention.

Okay, seriously. Did I read the wrong book? Because most people talk about how amazing Delirim is and how they can just picture everything perfectly. But when I read it, I was just annoyed. It's like the exct same story as other dystopians. People, whatever you do, do not read Matched and Delirium back to back. I couldn't finish Matched because the beginnings were so similar.

The characters just seemed flat. There's basically no character development in the main character, let alone any others

And the insta-love. This had so much insta-love. It was so annoying, and one of my key issues with it.

Maybe I didn't like Delirium because I was expecting a novel where the character fights back against the government. The key word being there is "fight". Yes, there were a couple scenes where there was action, but it just wasn't enough for me.

I'm sure many people will enjoy Delirium, but personally, it wasn't worth the hype. ( )