REVIEW: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Format: ARC, 441 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Source: review copy from publisher
Published: 2/1/2011 by HarperTeen

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.

Why I Read this Book: I’m going to be honest, when I first heard about Delirium from those who had attended BEA 2010, I had no interest in reading this book. Yes, I had read Before I Fall and yes, I thought it was a great, moving read. But for some reason or another I wasn’t immediately captivated by Delirium. Then I started seeing the reviews and that’s what got me. Next thing you know, I was itching to get my hands on this book.

What I Liked: At first, the premise for Delirium didn’t really catch my attention. But as I started reading more dystopian novels, I’ve come to learn that I enjoy reading books from this genre. Before I Fall was well-written, not just as a debut novel but for a novel that focused on retelling the same day over and over – and over again – seven times. That’s a hard feat to accomplish without losing a reader from boredom!

I liked that the pacing with Lena and Alex’s relationship was believable. If there’s one thing about YA novels that annoys me, it’s those rapid fire I Love You’s exchanged by the main characters after only a week of dating. Lena and Alex are both likeable characters, and each in their own way. At first, Lena is a sheep; she goes along with the program of ‘love is bad’. But thanks to Alex, she reassesses her opinion and starts to think for herself and begins to have her own opinion on the matter. Alex is a very appealing character; he’s the forbidden bad-boy. But he’s the guy that makes you question all the rules.

The ending – OMG! – the ending! It sucker punched me. The whole time I was reading the ending, I was thinking No, no. no!!! It felt like I couldn’t breathe. My head was spinning. Delirium put me in a funk for a few days. It’s hard to let go of these characters.

What I Didn’t Like: Delirium was a slow starter for me. It’s told in first person narrative, from Lena’s POV, so there’s a lot of thinking and analyzing going on. Because of this, I wasn’t pulled in right away. Delirium didn’t grab me until page 131, about 1/3 of the way into the book. But after that, I was hooked.

Overall Impression: Delirium will leave a long lasting effect on your heartstrings. It doesn’t just pull on them, it YANKS them. This is a book that will have you thinking and it will affect your emotions. It will take you a while, perhaps a couple of days, to recover. Be prepared for the anxiety that is sure to come after you read Delirium and as you wait for Pandemonium, book 2 in this trilogy. It will eat at you for days. Delirium is a definite must-read for YA readers. Fans of Before I Fall will definitely enjoy reading Delirium. I also think fans of Matched will enjoy this book as well.

Note to self: Re-read the last chapter in Delirium before starting Pandemonium.

The Book Vixen’s Rating: