Monday, February 6, 2012

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Book Two in the Delirium Series
Published By: Harper Collins (Feb. 28, 2012)
Source: Mindy's ARC Tour
Genre: YA Dystopian
My Rating: 5 Solid Stars!!


Goodreads Description:

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. 


My Review:

Heartbreak.

That is the first feeling, not word but feeling, that shot through me as I read the first chapters in Pandemonium.
Heartbreak.
I think my heart is breaking.
For Lena.
For Alex.
Maybe even a little for me because I don't want it to be so. I want a do over. I want things right. I want Lena to be happy. I want Alex to be....well, you know if you have read Delirium. I want things to magically be okay again like they only can in books and fairy tales.
I am so unbelieveably sad.
All the emotions and feelings I had at the end of reading Delirium have come rushing back and I feel my heart break in two and my eyes well. No. NO! It can't really be. Say it isn't so.

I am right there with Lena, running and chanting her chant and hoping. Always hoping.


This book is a little different than the first.
It alternates between the “then” and the “now” which took a little bit to get use to.

This is definitely a book that is filled with a lot more despair and fighting and destruction than Delirium had. It doesn't necessarily have those wonderful warm and fuzzy feelings Delirium did.
This book is more about moving on and survival and the raw truth of what Lena's life is like now and how and what she must do to survive in the world that she is now a part of.

Lena grows a lot in this book and in ways it is sad that she lost some of that innocence that she had before but in a lot of ways I think it is good too that she is becoming more strong and brave and that despite it all, she can still love and be loved and have hope.

Hope. I think that is what Lena comes to realize is most important in the Wilds. To never give up hope, and she doesn't. She is a fighter.

This book was great. Every bit as good and intriguing as the first and the ending?

Oh. My. Gosh. The Ending.

I wanted to cry out, “Really! Really! Now you through that out there? Really?”
Gah!

Oh no Lauren didn't.

But yes she did.

She gave us all a curve ball and left the ending so up in the air that you will be frustrated beyond belief and utterly sad that you don't have the next book right then and there in front of you to devour and find out what happens next.

Ballsy Ms. Oliver and so so frustrating and you know I will love every agonizing minute of waiting until the next book comes out and I can do it all over again.







7 comments:

  1. Great review. Can't wait to read Pandemonium, but I don't want to have to wait for the next one. These novels that leave you on the edge of your seat until the next one comes out are giving me some serious anxiety issues (guess it is good anxiety though). I loved Delerium, though it was sad at the end, and I am looking forward to Pandemonium. Thanks for the great review.

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  2. Alright I am heading over to Mindy's ARC tour. I still need to read book one in this series. I better get after it so I can be ready for this one. Sounds phenomenal!

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  3. Thanks Ellen! And I agree, the endings are killers sometimes! It is going to be hard waiting for the next one!

    Hey Heidi! I am not sure if Mindy is doing the tour anymore or not. I think it might have ended.

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  4. Gahh, *so* want to read this book. I need to know more about Alex...
    Great review! ^-^

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  5. Thanks Ella! I know you will love it when you read it!!

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  6. Hey Kindlemom! What an awesome review! I am so behind on the "Delirium" series! I had it sitting on my bookshelf and ended up bringing it to school so that one of my students could read it, which she ended up loving! You've inspired me to bump Delirium up on my to-reads list :)

    BTW, I noticed you like Indie books. I just finished reading & reviewing a book called, "Graffiti Moon" by Cath Crowley. She is an Australian author and apparently the book was only available in Australia until recently. It hits US bookstores on the 14th. It was a really beautifully written book.

    Check out my review for it and see if you like it: http://themusescircle.blogspot.com/2012/02/title-graffiti-moon-author-cath-crowely.html

    Let me know what you think! Hope all is well!

    Mia at The Muses Circle

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  7. Thank you Mia!

    I really do love indie authors and I have heard a lot about that book, I look forward to reading it. I will definitely check out your review on it.
    Thanks for stopping by!!

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