Showing posts with label Delirium Trilogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delirium Trilogy. Show all posts

07 March 2012

Book Review: Pandemonium



Book Details
Author: Lauren Oliver
File Size: 340455 KB
Publisher: HarperCollins ebooks (February 28, 2012)

Summary:
I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, 
pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, 
push, 
push, 
push, 
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Review:
Rating: 4/5

It would be somehow safe to say that Pandemonium is the most awaited dystopian YA book this year just as Delirium was the favorite book of the previous year.

For a person who isn’t into dystopian novels – I caught amor deliria nervosa. It was one of my favorite books in 2011 and it took me a lot of patience to wait for Pandemonium. And I was so glad it didn’t fall into the 1st book syndrome.

Pandemonium starts the moment Lena was on the other side of the fence, yes right after Delirium ends. She is on her own and is running for hours to save herself. This book brings us to a different world, introduces us to new characters and to a stronger and more courageous Lena whose completely opposite of the old Lena we knew in Delirium. The new characters are okay, they were almost real people but I miss the old characters from Delirium.

If the first book is light and romantic, this one is filled with adventures and action-packed sequence that will leave you breathless.

The story went back and forth between the “then” – when Lena was in the wilds and the “now” when she serves as an undercover for the resistance movement. Perhaps the only problem in this is the fact that I could not remember when the “then” and “now” connected.

And then there’s Julian. Although he’s likable, he’s a walking cliché (he’s the enemy, the epitome of perfection), and I am still on Team Alex on this.

Pandemonium is worth the wait. If the death of Alex broke my heart in the end of Delirium, the surprising end of this book had my heart thumping so hard I could hardly breathe. Yes, every review you read about how amazing the ending is would make you want to take a peek – but please don’t. It would ruin the surprise and you will end up bumping your head on the wall.

Now, if only Requiem can be released ASAP – it would be a lifesaver.


Favorite Quotes
“If you’re smart, you care. And if you care, you love.

“This is what hatred is. It will feed you and at the same time turn you to rot.” 

“We all need mantras, I guess - stories we tell ourselves to keep us going.”

“If he were less well trained, and less careful, he would say hate. But he can’t say it; it is too close to passion, and passion is too close to love, and love is amor deliria nervosa, the deadliest of all deadly things: It is the reason for the games of pretend, for the secret selves, for the spasms in the throat.”
ChuCha

30 January 2012

Book Review: Hana (A Book in the Delirium Trilogy)



Book Details

Author: Lauren Oliver
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 5 KB
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 28, 2012)

Book Summary
Lauren Oliver’s riveting, original digital story set in the world of her New York Times bestseller Delirium.

The summer before they’re supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss.

But on the surface, Hana must be a model of perfect behavior. She meets her approved match, Fred Hargrove, and glimpses the safe, comfortable life she’ll have with him once they marry. As the date for her cure draws ever closer, Hana desperately misses Lena, wonders how it feels to truly be in love, and is simultaneously terrified of rebelling and of falling into line.

In this digital story that will appeal to fans of Delirium and welcome new admirers to its world, readers will come to understand scenes from Delirium through Hana’s perspective. Hana is a touching and revealing look at a life-changing and tumultuous summer.

Book Review

Rating: 4/5

Hana is a short fantastic novella about Lena’s best friend and her adventure all through the Delirium timeframe. This book is not really that incredible, however, it somehow served as teaser for his fans who are waiting for the release of Pandemonium. After reading Hana, it made me crave more for the upcoming book and wishing it would be February soon.

Lauren Oliver has always written exceptionally. I have loved the books since Before I Fall and I expect a lot from the second book of the Delirium Series. Anyway, Hana is a remarkable character since in the first book in the series, Lena is always talking about her beauty and confidence. But, when Hana speaks, you will notice how uncertain she is. She’s not really sure of what to do and doesn’t let herself to succumb to the ‘disease’ the way that Lena does. This book made me love Lena’s POV in the main novels more.

This book may not be that mind-blowing and to-swoon over but I will recommend this for anyone who loves Delirium and waiting for its sequel Pandemonium.

ChuCha