Lauren Oliver review - Pandemonium, Delirium, Before I Fall

A couple years ago I won an ARC copy of Lauren Oliver's debut novel, Before I Fall and this is when I fell in love with her style of writing. I'm not talking about Before I Fall today - but just looking at the beautiful cover should make any YA fan interested!

Lauren Oliver writes primarily for the YA audience but also recently released a book for the middle grades called, Liesel & Po. Her style and technique is flawless, and I think she sets such a great example for her audience. Her books have just enough risque, without going over the top.

I knew after finishing Before I Fall, that I would devour her second novel, Delirium. The synopsis totally sucked me in, and I was just dying to get my hands on this book! As soon as it came out the beginning of 2011, I bought it on my Nook (one of the first books I read on it!) and took it in in almost one sitting.

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.


It's another dystopian - but we aren't sick of them yet, right?? Like The Hunger Games, this novel is about a society that strives to eliminate love. They believe that passion, emotion and falling in love is a sickness that must be cured. Some people fall for the hype and are brainwashed, others rebel and escape to live in the Wilds as Invalids.

I adored Delirium (obviously) and when I saw that the sequel, Pandemonium was on Around the World Tours, I quickly signed up. Several months later, it was finally my turn to read and review!

Now, I'm posting about both books, because I'm not sure who has read Delirium and who hasn't. I'm hesitant to talk too much about the sequel because I don't want to spoil anything! I didn't love the second installment as much as the first, but it was still very, very good. The first half of the book dragged a little, but once it got passed about halfway through, it was obvious that the ground needed to be set to make way for the real action. I'm glad I breezed through it and got to the good stuff because the end was SHOCKING. I did not see it coming.

I will say, if you liked The Hunger Games and you liked Divergent, you will probably like these too. This trilogy (yep, there's going to be a third!) seems to be more for girls, but it has the same major elements as both THG and Divergent. Dystopian, wannabe utopian society. Possible love triangles. Action and adventure. Chaos. Cliffhangers.

Don't miss out on this author - she's fantastic!

Today I've linked up with Heather at Blonde Undercover Blonde for Bookclub Friday!