Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Deliriuim

Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium, Book One
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre:  Dystopian
Format: Paperback, 441 pages
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Source:  Personal Library, Bought

Synopsis:

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever.

And I've always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed.

Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

My Review:

This book was a unique and interesting story that will make the reader truly appreciate being able to love and be loved. There wasn’t as much action as in other dystopian-type novels, but Lauren Oliver made up for it with the beautiful love story she weaves. You feel connected to her characters the whole time. In many books, there is at least one character that I just don’t like, but that wasn’t the case in this book. All of Oliver’s characters are wonderful in their own ways and not one of them was your typical annoying YA character trying to find him or herself.

Lena is trying to discover who she is in this book, but it is not in an annoying way. I loved watching her go from someone who couldn’t wait to get the procedure to cure her from amor deliria nervosa, or, in plain English, love, to someone who realizes that without love, what do you have to live for? Love is such an integral part of human emotion and as she grows through this book, she discovers that those who have had it taken away are truly the ones lost, not the other way around as the government would have you believe. The book is written in first person from Lena’s perspective so we really get to be inside her mind, listening to her battle with what she has believed her entire life against something that she is only just discovering.

Alex is such a great character. First of all, he is hot. And of course, I fell in love with him, as usual. He is so patient with Lena and so understanding. Yet, he is also extremely passionate about his beliefs and the cause that he is fighting for. That passion is what made me fall in love with him.

Hana is Lena’s best friend. She is the typical best friend, gorgeous, confident, and someone who knows how to handle any situation. Side note: this was my only complaint about this book. Lena is “average-looking” and Hana is “stunningly-gorgeous.” This just seems so typical of YA novels and I was disappointed that Lauren Oliver followed along with that theme. Anyways, without Hana, Lena would never have discovered love and how amazing it truly is. Hana is supportive of Lena no matter what and brightens up any situation with her breezy personality.

Overall, I loved this book. At the beginning of each chapter, Oliver put a quote of some sort from the different literature the government releases regarding the disease which I found to be really interesting. Lena’s internal journey is exciting and beautiful. I know I said before this book didn’t have a lot of action, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have any. The scenes that did hold a lot of action were suspenseful and exciting. There were major plot twists that I did not see coming. This book will make you cry tears of joy and tears of despair. It is an emotional rollercoaster, but a breathtaking one. I can’t wait to start reading the second book, Pandemonium. Happy reading all! 

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