Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:
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 governments 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.
My Review:
I was pleasantly surprised by Lauren Oliver's second novel, Delirium. A current spin on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the story expertly intertwines a dystopian United States, where falling in love is against the law - with a girl on the verge of having the procedure done, that will cure her forever. Or so they tell her.
As Lena Holoway struggles between what she's been told her entire life, three failed attempts of the procedure on her mother, and the impending date of her 18th birthday looming just around the corner, she meets a boy that could possibly change everything, forever. Faced with piecing together what she believes to be the truth, searching out the details of what really happened to her mom, and potentially committing a crime that could end in her execution - all while trying to hide it from those around her - will be her biggest challenge yet...and I found myself cheering her along, the entire way.
Both Lena and Alex's characters were well-written - and I instantly found a connection to both of them. Even side characters like Lena's best friend, her aunt, and even her sister were well thought out - each with a reason for being included in the story.
My only negative feedback would be that the story was a little slow in the beginning - but that quickly changed and the pace picked up...and the ending? Well, I'll let you read and decide for yourself.
Let's just say I can't wait until Pandemonium (#2) comes out next year.
Solid and entertaining read.
View all my reviews