Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
2:20 AMAuthor: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperTeen
ADVANCE REVIEW COPY THANKS TO HARPERCOLLINS CANADA.
Release: March 6, 2012
Pages: 375
Series: Delirium #2
Lauren Oliver captivated readers with Delirium, the first book in a thrilling dystopian trilogy in which Lena Haloway dared to fall in love with Alex and escape the cure, the government-mandated procedure that renders a person immune to the disease of love. Lena and Alex staked their lives on leaving their oppressive society, but only Lena broke free.
Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.
Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet.
Pandemonium continues Lena’s gripping story. After escaping from Portland, Maine, Lena makes it to the Wilds and becomes part of an Invalid community, where she transforms herself into a warrior for the resistance. A future without Alex is unimaginable, but Lena pushes forward and fights, both for him and for a world in which love is no longer considered a disease. Swept up in a volatile mix of revolutionaries and counterinsurgents, Lena struggles to survive—and wonders if she may be falling in love again.
Full of danger, forbidden romance, and exquisite writing, Lauren Oliver’s sequel to Delirium races forward at a breathtaking pace and is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes action of The Hunger Games and the bittersweet love story of Romeo & Juliet.
Review:
After finishing Delirium and experiencing it's cliffhanger, I knew that I had to read Pandemonium fast. I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy shortly after and I dove in right away. I went in with very high expectations after reading Delirium and loving it, and Pandemonium did not disappoint.
The cover follows the theme of the special edition version of Delirium; it has the same cover model and font for the title/ author name, but this time the cover features much more angry colours, less mellow than the blue and green theme used on Delirium. The biggest difference overall would have to be the look of distrust or anger on the cover model's face, which fits some of the themes in this book. Altogether, I really do like this cover, it looks great next to Delirium and it is different from the other as well.
In Pandemonium, one of my only problems was that Lena's best friend was dropped, only mentioned a few times when she had played a large role in Delirium. Apart from that, I enjoyed all the characters, especially Lena, she experienced so much growth that she came out nearly a different person. Not only did she change dramatically, but she changed for the better, becoming a very strong young woman. Also, her point of view was enjoyable to read, never becoming too complaining or bitter. When you look at the cast of characters
in Pandemonium versus that of Delirium, there are not many in common; Lena is back, but most of the characters are new. I enjoyed all of these new characters, especially Raven, because they were worked into the story very well, not trying to fill an old character's boots.
Have you ever read a book and come up with your own predictions, just to find yourself proven very, very wrong? That happened to me when I tried to guess the ending of this book. I thought I had it all sorted out, but then it all changed before my eyes. The events leading up to this crazy cliffhanger ending were just as exciting and unpredictable. The story was told in two different time frames, Then and Now, alternating in the chapters. Then explains what happened just after Lena escaped from her oppressive society. Now covers the current events in her life, showing the dramatic contrast between Lena who followed the rules and Lena who breaks everyone of them. On the side of the writing, it was just as good as it was in Delirium, providing a ton of description and personality to Lena's point of view on her life.
Overall, this was an excellent sequel to a great first book. I would recommend this series to anyone who loves dystopian, or just wants a good read, and to those who have read Delirium, you need to pick up Pandemonium. Pandemonium gets a 5/5 for being a great sequel that will keep you hooked until the final page.
2 comments
I loved Delirium. I am so excited to read this one, your review was wonderful. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! You need to read it soon, it was great!
DeleteThanks for commenting! I love getting feedback or just say Hi!