Series Reviews: Delirium, Pandemonium & Requiem (Delirium series) by Lauren Oliver

I read the Delirium trilogy some time ago and while it didn't become a favourite, I did enjoy the storyline. My review for the first book is spoiler-free but the next two books do contain major spoilers so you have been warned!

Delirium (Delirium #1)

by Lauren Oliver

February 3, 2011

441 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

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 government 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.

 

Review

I must have put this book down at least five times before I eventually got to the end. It wasn't that it was bad, I just couldn't get into the mood. The dystopian atmosphere was spot on with characters that lived very by the rule. Love is a disease is a most unique  idea but the method to curing it gave me goose bumps. 

So I didn't like Lena very much. She was a very passive protagonist until Alex came along. Even though she felt something wrong deep down, she never questioned the things around her until Alex pointed them out to her. Her worrying nature also bothered me. I wanted her to just scream and let it all out.

 

The plot dragged a little towards the middle until it eventually picked up with Lena getting caught. From then on, I loved every minute of the action even if it was painful to watch everything go down.

 

The ending was a very big cliffhanger so be sure to have Pandemonium prepared if you want to jump straight back into the story to see where the story goes and how Lena fares.

Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

by Lauren Oliver

February 28, 2012

329 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

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.

In this electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller Delirium, Lauren Oliver sets Lena on a dangerous course that hurtles through the unregulated Wilds and into the heart of a growing resistance movement. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Review

I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series. The flashbacks between now and then moved the story along at a great pace with enough actions.

The thing I loved most about this book was we got to see more sides of this loveless world. It's not just the cured vs. the uncured. We encounter different types of people. The Invalids are fighting to be free of control and destruction, the ruthless Scavengers are killing without a thought and the ambitious DFA are pushing for the cure at an earlier age. Conflicts everywhere! There's even a world in the underground for those who are born with defects. This world is definitely bigger and more complex than I first imagined.

Lena's life in the Wilds was a welcomed-glimpse to her struggle for survival (without Alex). Every meal was earned and every breath was fought for. I did not like her in Delirium but in this one, I find that she's become a character I can sympathize with. Having experienced the loss of Alex, she is determined to stay strong for his sacrifice. She stays true to her beliefs even when it puts herself in danger.

Holy crap that ending! Even though I knew it was coming, I was still hit hard! Alex!! I want to say poor Lena but I'm conflicted. I was happy that she found Julian but I felt she betrayed Alex even though she truly believed he was dead at the time. I can't even begin to fathom what she must be feeling when she saw him alive and standing right in front of her.

I really want to get on that final book but I'm a tiny bit afraid. Everyone I know who's read the last book has expressed how unsatisfactory the ending turned out to be :( I'm still excited though, to see how this world without love will transform with the resistance fighting back the powers that are pushing for total control.

 

Requiem (Delirium #3)

by Lauren Oliver

March 5, 2013

391 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

As her country erupts in open rebellion, Lena fights for the resistance and must make a heartbreaking choice between two loves.

After saving Julian from a death sentence, Lena escapes with him and other members of the resistance. But as she embraces her love for Julian, a boy from her past returns and causes her to question everything.

In the meantime, Lena's best friend, Hana, is engaged to Portland's young mayor and is living a safe, proscribed, loveless life. The story is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view.

As Lena struggles to save the people she loves, everything comes to a head in this exciting finale to Lauren Oliver's epic trilogy. REQUIEM is a sophisticated, wide-ranging novel that explores the large issues of society, government, and resistance, and of course, there is romance.

Review

So many things left unresolved at the end but I think I kind of understand. Room for possibilities? For the most part, this book was fast-paced and action-packed. The Lena/Hana dual POV provided a nice look into the every day of two very different lives.

Hana is inside the calm cured city watching her future come together (fall apart?). However, it seems that her procedure didn't quite work right as she still questions her life. She still feels emotions. Most importantly, she still feels guilt. The guilt at ratting Lena and Alex out. Can't say I didn't see that coming but I really hoped it wouldn't. They were best friends. All the while Lena is out in the Wild fighting for freedom (to love). She struggles with Alex's reappearance.

 

Julian in this book didn't seem all that important to me. He was just the person Lena runs to when she's hurt or throwing a tantrum. Poor Julian. And poor Alex. I mean, after surviving the Crypt with the sole hope of seeing Lena again, what must he have felt when he saw her kissing another guy? I felt the most sympathetic towards him throughout the whole book. I also love the way he uses (the real) Solomon's story to explain his feelings for Lena. In my heart, I know Lauren Oliver means for them to be together. Yes, that's right, Lena and Alex forever!

The fights and deaths were shocking as they happen quite suddenly and frequently. I was definitely horrified at Lu's betrayal and Fred's psychotic behaviour. Both of these things I did not see coming. They definitely added suspense to the story. Also, Lena's reunion with her mother wasn't quite as impactful as I thought it was going to be. I wanted to see their relationship develop.

For me, this was a satisfactory ending even though there are still plenty more that could happen in this series. Things I'd loved to have a definitive answer to include what happens next with Hana, what will the world be like with the cured not in charge anymore and did Lena choose Alex or what?!?!? I wish there was a fourth book to tie up everything nicely. Maybe a sequel series? About Grace growing up after the events of Requiem? Here's to hoping!