NaNoWriMo
is still going strong and I was caught up with my word count for all of 5
hours. But I needed a break from my
story and have many reviews I need to get out of my head and down on paper to
share. More room for my book to take over
my mind and I’m pulling a 12 hr shift at work on 3 hrs of sleep. Haven’t had to do this in a few years so I’m
a bit rusty. Getting my thoughts on some
great books I read down for you and keeping me awake at work, a win/win.
As
I have been reading series through beginning to end, trying to catch up I’ve
decided to split my reviews into two sections.
The first part I’ll be discussing the first book in the series in detail
spoiler free, then I’ll add a warning before diving into the rest of the series
so those not caught up can still enjoy part of the review and have something to
come back to. The first book and series
is Delirium by Lauren Oliver. The first book is aptly named Delirium and the two other books in the
series are Pandemonium and Requiem.
There are also 3 short novella type stories Annabel, Hana, and Raven.
So
Delirium is a few years old, yes I’m
behind the crowd but I’m catching up. I
have had this series on my list for some time and I read it first mostly in
part when I found out that they had planned a TV series but it didn’t get
picked up. However, for a short time the
pilot episode was available on Hulu and I wanted to read the books, at least
the first one before I watched. So with
a deadline hanging over my head I started reading. For those of you unfamiliar with the plot of
the story here is a brief 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 until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
It’s
an interesting concept. Love is a
disease and thus is cured. Life should
be at peace. It brings up a lot of
questions and possibilities. For me I
debated if you cure love could one not cure greed or drive for power? Would the cure for those not work just as
well for peace? Also is peace worth the
overall cost? That seems to be the
debate in most stories, does one thing justify the ultimate outcome. For me the biggest interested while reading
was my internal struggle was the idea of happiness without love. Can you survive without love? We are creatures of heart. We love love.
We strive towards the feeling despite the cost many times, through the
risk of pain it could cause. Easy to see
why they think curing it would calm the world down, but would that not take
away what makes us essentially human.
See
an interested book idea! All this debate
and I was only in the first few chapters trying to decide my view on this new
world.
Our
main character, Lena, is firm in her belief in the cure. She has a past that demands perfection and
dedication to the rules for a good match.
Yes without love all marriages are arranged. Lena is at her exam being graded on how good
she is and how good of a match she will make when she sees a handsome guy. Yes guys are separated from girls, minus
family, until they are cured of course we wouldn’t want anyone falling in love
before they are cured. She sees him
again, sees his mark indicating he is cured and feels safe. He is okay to be around if he is safe.
She
starts unexpectedly down the rabbit hole.
Alex is more than he seems and despite her logical reasoning she finds
herself experiencing symptoms of the deliria.
Once you feel what is forbidden how do you go back from that? With the lines between right and wrong
blurred who can you trust and who will betray you?
Delirium was a pretty quick read for
me. I couldn’t put it down wanting to
know how it would end. Would Alex and
Lena manage to be together or would they be found out. How would they manage with her cure procedure
date looming closer and closer? Plus in
my head I was thinking of a million ways to take the system down. I was trying to decide if I bought the
concept. In part I do, but the larger
and more emotional part of my head and heart don’t. Not because of the writing by any means but
because I couldn’t imagine there not being a love of family and friends. Curing romantically love, sure, but the love
one feels for their family as they grow up together and friends as you bond,
not so much.
Now
before I go into the rest of the books in the series I want to discuss the
pilot episode that was on Hulu. I
watched it. I enjoyed it but if that was
the pilot I see why it didn’t get picked up.
It was basically the entire first book.
Where would it have went? There
are two more books sure but with a book an episode a small mini-series event
maybe. That being said I wish they would
go back and maybe make some adjustments, add a few things that were trimmed,
and make it into a movie. 75% of the
story is already there.
*****Now I’m moving into spoiler territory
so if you haven’t finished the series please click away now and come back when
you do.*****
Conflicted. That is me for the rest of the series. I enjoyed seeing more from the different POV’s
in the other books, particularly Hana. I
was mad and it only confirmed my suspicion of the betrayal when I saw her side
and seeing her indecision and pain I could see her side of things in a
way. I was able to forgive her. But the thing I missed most was Alex. I was 100% sure that he would come back but
as time wore on I got concerned. Then I
saw the semi-predictable plot line forming in my head. Forced to earn Julian’s trust Lena ends up
growing closer to him, finding him not the monster she thought.
As
I’ve stated before I’m okay with some love triangles. Ones where one part of the original love is
thought dead, one must move on, our characters are young after all. So if finding a way to move on and dead other
half isn’t dead well I can see there being conflict there. A mess of emotions. Alex has been through hell and doesn’t get
that at first and reacts badly and Lena is confused and indecisive. I have to say book two and three were a tad
bit over ripe with the love drama part.
It wasn’t overdone to the point I felt annoyed, and in a way I could
even see how focusing on the mini drama of your romance could be a coping
mechanism for dealing with the war being fought around you.
For
me it worked where book 1 was more from the cured side and book 2 is from both
the rebels who believe in the right to have love but also from the perspective
of someone who is cured; which we didn’t see in the other book. We see what changes it makes in the
person.
Now
for the biggest part of the confliction and a huge *SPOILER* the ending.
At first I was pissed off. It was
left hanging and I felt unresolved. I
felt like I wasted all that time reading to not get an ending. Then as my initial shock wore off I realized
how ingenious it was. There was so much
going on and she gave you the possibility of it going either way. You could as the reader essentially see it as
a happy ending for whichever version you liked.
Did you prefer Lena with Julian or with Alex? Did you want people to escape or to combine
and live as one and work through? It was
all there and all possible. I will say
that the horrible evil part where a certain person is seen possibly being dead
was NOT okay and as it was never confirmed I’m going with my happy ending. Overall I give the series 4 Stars.
Also
as a side note Lauren Oliver is super friendly and nice. I was good and did not rant about my feelings
on that one thing in line, because I didn’t want to hold it up, but I did
mention I was happy she left it open so I could make my own happy ending. She smiled at that, which confirms for me
that was the point.
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