Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: February 28th, 2012

Source: Won (from Emilie's Book World)

My Rating: 4/5

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. 

*Warning: Plot spoilers for Delirium and Pandemonium*
I was pretty nervous to read this book. I absolutely, totally, and completely LOVED Delirium. The last paragraph still gives me goosebumps, and I want the quote "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it." tattooed somewhere on my body. While I had heard solely good things about the novel I also heard it was, in typical Lauren Oliver fashion, a heart-breaker. I couldn't resist the temptation long (or the frantic tweets from my friend Crim) and finally picked it up. 

There were lots of things I loved about this book. In Delirium we were exposed to life in regular society: rigid, controlled, and loveless. Lena, as part of this society, follows the rules and doesn't question them. After the events at the end of the novel, Lena is a changed woman. She is brought into The Wilds and turned into a self-reliant survivor. It was very interesting, and a part of the novel I loved, to see Lena transform from this docile young girl, to a fierce member of the resistance. Lauren Oliver switched styles beautifully, darkening the tone of the series and giving us a harsh glimpse of life outside society's walls. I really liked having an overall view of this world, something I find is often lacking in many books. And the writing! Man, Lauren Oliver is crazy fantastic. She knows how to write a powerful and engaging story with believable characters and a fantastic plot line. Her writing itself never fails to amaze me. She gives me chills!

There were a few new characters introduced Pandemonium that left me with mixed emotions. I really liked Raven but I constantly felt suspicious of her intentions, and could never completely bring myself to believe in her. The same went with many members of The Wilds. And then there was Julian. Although I thought he was a perfectly fine person, what he caused I was not a fan of. So, this is when I talk about why I couldn't give Pandemonium five stars. It's a bit spoiler-y, as I mentioned above, so read on with caution.

Julian and his relationship with Lena kind of ruined the book for me. In Delirium the idea of love conquering everything was so prominent I felt like it defined the book. I've been a bit frustrated with YA romances recently, but Delirium was different and I loved all the messages it was sending. It was strong, powerful, and consuming. It made me want to get up and preach love from the rooftops! It made me so happy to live in a world where love was cherished. But, I felt like this message of hope that was said in Delirium was undermined in Pandemonium. For Lena to very quickly and easily fall into a new love, so soon after the loss of her previous one, confused the message of "love conquering all" for me.

I was also frustrated with the ending. Lauren Oliver is a fantastic writer and the Delirium series is superb both in concept and in execution. So, was it necessary to throw in that cliffhanger? I knew it was coming, and it was frustrating to have it thrown in at the end. Readers of the Delirium series will pick up Requiem without question. I felt it unnecessary to leave us hanging that way, and lessened the impact of the novel for me. I love cliffhangers, but I was not a fan of this one.

Now, I did love Pandemonium, don't get me wrong. It was a fantastic sequel in almost every way. Yes, there were a few things that irked me, but they didn't ruin the book for me. The Delirium series is one of the best romantic dystopians out there, and I highly recommend them! I'm very, very excited for Requiem and I can't wait to see how it all ends.

- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Find this book: Amazon | Goodreads | Lauren Oliver's Website

Waiting on Wednesday (10): The Kill Order

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

This week's pick: The Kill Order (Maze Runner 0.5) by James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Release Date: August 14th, 2012

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares seared the earth and mankind fell to disease. "The Kill Order" tells the story of that fall.

The Maze Runner trilogy was one of those heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat kind stories that doesn't let you put the book down until the final page is turned. I loved the characters and the intelligent plot line, which quickly made it one of my favorite series. To be entirely honest, I was a bit disappointed with The Death Cure, and found it to be unsatisfying and frustrating. I'm really hoping The Kill Order will fully explain everything, satisfy those loose ends, and keep me captivated just like the other three.

This prequel tells the story before The Maze was created, the fall of humanity to devestating sun flares, and the disease that destroyed the survivors. It's going to be really interesting, and no doubt heart-breaking, reading about how the world we  came to fear in the trilogy was created. James Dashner is sure to deliver a racing plot filled with lovable characters, lots of terrifying moments, and a story unlike any other.


This prequel to the Maze Runner trilogy will be out August 14th! Just a couple days after my birthday!


What books are you waiting for this week?


-Ciara who is lost at midnight

Waiting On Wednesday (8): Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

This week's pick: Rebel Heart (Dust Lands #2) by Moira Young

Publisher: Random House

Release Date: October 30th, 2012

WARNING: Summary (from Goodreads) contains spoilers for Blood Red Road
 

The Tonton have been defeated. Lugh has been rescued.
The heartstone has brought Saba and Jack together.
Now, Saba and her family head west to meet him and start a new life. All should be well.
But shadows of the dead are stalking Saba.
And another kind of shadow is creeping over the dustlands.
Then a messenger shows up.
With news of Jack.

Not too much of a description at this point, but if it's anything like Blood Red Road it's sure to be fantastic. Blood Red Road was one of the most interesting dystopians I've ever read. There wasn't a new society filled with cool-technology and corrupted government. Instead, it was set in the dustlands, a wide expanse of nothingness. The way it was written was unique as well and took some getting used to (I'm a crazy grammar freak. I love commas and punctuation and editing everything, so reading a book with slang, minimal punctuation and lots of incorrect sentences drove me slightly bonkers) but once I found a rhythm, it added the perfect atmosphere to the novel.

Although I've wanted to read it for a while, I actually picked up Blood Red Road because of my book club (I'll be talking more about that in the coming weeks). One thing that was mentioned about the book has always stuck with me. One of the women said, and I paraphrase "Blood Red Road is realistic. If we went through an apocalypse our world would probably look like this."


I'm really excited to see where Rebel Heart goes. There's a lot of possibilities and potential to this world, and the characters have a lot of things going for them. I can't wait to dive back into Saba and Jack's witty banter, and this desolate world with so many secrets. I just hope it doesn't break my heart! (I have a feeling it's going to)


What do you think? Is Blood Red Road a realistic dystopian? If you haven't read it, thinking of checking it out? What's your Waiting on Wednesday pick?


- Ciara who is lost at midnight