Review: Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Rating: YA 14+
Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Adventure, Action
Pages: 375

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.

It all started in Delirium, the bestselling Dystopian debut of Lauren Oliver's. Amor Deliria Nervosa, the ticking time bomb... deemed as the deadliest of all diseases in Lena's futuristic society. Some of the most common symptoms (according to the book of Shh...) are anxiety, overwhelming feelings of desire and happiness--- but, be warned that they never last long, mood swings, and the willingness to put the other person  (who infected you) before yourself and ultimately, risk your life for them. Otherwise known as LOVE. 


Let me just start off by saying how much I LOVED (no pun intended) Delirium. What a great idea, and it was just such a beautifully brilliant story which captivated me until the very end. Lauren Oliver's writing was poetic and so emotive... there were times when I actually found tears in my eyes! The characters were so likeable (especially Alex!), and it was a pleasure to read.

And... (I am so happy to say!), that I can speak no less of Pandemonium!! In Pandemonium, Lena is back, with a bite! The Wilds have made her hard, and where she used to be soft, she is now tough and ferocious. She has become a survivor. At first I found it difficult to believe that the Lena in Delirium was the same person as Lena in Pandemonium. And, as much as I longed for the old Lena, I have to say that the new her was just such a kick-ass, cool warrior chick!! 

 Throughout the whole novel, however, I kept feeling like something was missing... like there was something not quite right, that I couldn't put my finger on, until now. Alex. ALEX! There was FAR TOO LITTLE Alex for my liking, in Pandemonium. That was the only thing that made me not like Pandemonium as much as Delirium. Alex. *sigh*

Although there was a new love interest, and you won't believe it, but it's Justin!! I'm not sure if you remember him... there were only a few snippets of him back in Delirium. For those of you who don't know, Justin is the son of the President. Yup. That's right. The tough warrior/rebel chick, and the (seemingly) spoiled, cowardly, and (at first) one dimensional President's son. It sounds like it would never work in a million, trillion years, but it was surprising... (and Alex fans are going to hate on me for saying this), but I kind of liked him. Let me tell you why. In the beginning, he is portrayed as the timid, scared, overruled son of the almighty, evil President. But as the story progresses, he begins to open up, and by the end of the novel, he is a completely different person. How Alex saved Lena and opened her eyes to a whole new world, Lena helped Justin in the same way.

And now, onto the part that has caused so many mixed feelings to rage inside me ... the ending! I literally groaned out loud in frustration. Argh. Damn that brilliant, perfect, wonderfully frightening and heart stopping ending. Must you fill me up with so many bizarre emotions? And, how is it possible for me to be filled with so much adoration for you, but hate you at the same time? Y'all, if the wait for Pandemonium was hard, the wait for Requiem, the last book in the trilogy, is going to be pure torture. 

I hope that everyone reads this trilogy, and please... PLEASE don't let your fear of the ending, or anything else stop you from reading Pandemonium. Even if you didn't like Delirium, give it a go, because you might really enjoy Pandemonium. And if you did like Delirium, and you haven't read this yet.... what on earth are you waiting for?!!

5 Muffins - Positively Enticing!

If you like this, try:

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie

Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) by Moira Young

The Pledge (The Pledge #1) by Kimberly Derting