REVIEW: Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

 

Author: Lauren Oliver

Series: Delirium

Pages: 375

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Amazon: Pandemonium

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

REVIEW: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Pandemonium is the second book in the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver and continues where Delirium ends. (You may want to skip reading this review if you haven’t read the first book to avoid spoilers)

Pandemonium is a thrilling ride which takes us through Lena Haloway’s transition into the wilds with the Invalids as well as present time and how she is adapting.

Life for Lena in the wilds is tough, she is still coping with her grief at losing Alex but with the help from Raven she learns to get by, it’s a daily struggle to stay healthy, fed and warm but she grows in strength and in courage; she toughens up and lives as they do, she really grew as a character in Pandemonium.

In the present time, Lena has taken on a new identity and is tasked with keeping a close eye on the DFA (Delirium Free America), a group supporting the cure and the leader’s son Julian who is 18 years old but hasn’t yet been cured of Amor Deliria Nervosa due medical problems he has had in the past; his story was heart breaking.

I loved the bond Lena and Julian shared but I found myself constantly comparing him to Alex who I absolutely adored. Julian had such an innocence about him that I found endearing, he was a sweetheart BUT he still wasn’t Alex.

The secondary characters were each developed well, Raven and Tack I especially liked but their betrayal left me squirming and really devastated for Lena.

The setting, characterizations, solid plot and amazing writing kept me absolutely riveted, Ms Oliver delivers a thrilling, gripping story with so many twists and turns that held me captivated.

The ending has left me shocked, my mouth was literally gaping. So many emotions are evoked and I am so so anxious to get hold of the next book, Requiem to find out the outcome.

All in all, Delirium and Pandemonium are complete opposites and I am sure Requiem will be the book that settles everything down and ties it all together. It is an edgy, emotional, complex and thrilling journey we are taken on as Lena discovers not only herself but what she is dealing with in her world. Ms Oliver has certainly impressed me with the amazing story she has weaved.