Requiem by Lauren Oliver

I am huge, unabashed Lauren Oliver fangirl, and the first book I read by her was Delirium so I was a little sad when the trilogy came to an end with Requiem. Both of the first two books in the series left on massive cliffhangovers, and when it turned out Alex was alive at the end of Pandemonium? Yeah. I was definitely shocked, and maybe disappointed. I really loved Alex, but I didn't want these books to turn into the typical love triangle situation. I still wasn't a huge fan of that element in this book and there were quite a few points when Lena was annoying to me. Alex was also pretty disappointing considering I loved him in Delirium.

One thing that makes Requiem different than the first two books is that it's actually told from two perspectives-- half from Lena's, and half from Hanna's. It's interesting because it lets the reader inside the mind of somebody who has had the procedure done, and reminds me of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld for that reason. Regardless of who is narrating, Oliver does an excellent job with the writing, which is always the strongest element of her books.

Unfortunately, I am just not as obsessed with Requiem as I felt about the other two books in the trilogy. This isn't bad, and it's definitely still a trilogy worth finishing, but I was a little disappointed. I am still trying to catch up on 2013 reviews, so this is nearly a year late, but in retrospect my feelings are a bit meh over this one. This is a trilogy I started off loving but the ending got a little bogged in love triangle stuff, and although the story was still lovely to read because of Oliver's amazing prose, it totally win me over like the first two books. Ah well. Can't win them all I guess?

Release Date: March 5th 2013 Pages: 391 Source: Personal  Buy It: Book Depository

Delirium Stories: Hana, Annabel and Raven by Lauren Oliver

I adore Lauren Oliver. Like, I had to use italics just to emphasize how great my love for her is. So of course I'm going to read every word she ever publishes (and more, if I could get my hands on them...). I actually read each of these three stories separately, but Delirium Stories: Hana, Annabel and Raven by Lauren Oliver is a collection, also available in paperback, that combines all three of shorts originally available as ebooks. They all take place in the Delirium universe, and each has a different main character, providing insight into the world, and flushing out the story further from the main three books in the trilogy.

Like always with these short stories, you don't need to read Delirium Stories to understand what goes on in the Delirium trilogy. What they share isn't necessary, or it would be a part of the actual books. But that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. Firstly, because, like I said, Oliver's writing is amazing. Secondly, I think each one adds a little more insight into the world, from different perspectives, and they help deepen the reader's understanding and knowledge of what happens in the books. So I do think they are worthwhile, if not strictly necessary.

In the first story, Hana, you get to see some of the events that actually take place in Delirium, but from the perspective of Lena's best friend, Hana. Like all of Oliver's books, this was well written with some beautiful imagery, especially involved flyers/papers flapping in the wind, that suck with me in particular. Descriptions like this:

"The wind kicks up, rustling all those flyers, the exhortations of safety. The flyers lift and sigh in unison, like a thousand people waving white handkerchiefs, a thousand people waving good-bye."

Hana's voice is so clear and real in this story, but the moment that leaves the biggest impact is definitely the ending-- such a wow moment.

The second short story is Annabel, and I thought this was pretty cool because Annabel is actually Lena's mother, and she is quite a mystery in the first two Delirium books. I really liked her story, even more than Hana. I found that her voice was a bit vulnerable but strong, in a way that reminded me a bit of Lena. Somehow, despite having all these different female narrators, Lauren Oliver still makes them distinct though and I never thought I was reading a different character than I was.

Annabel alternates between the past and the present in the same way that Pandemonium, but one thing remains constant-- you can't help rooting for Annabel. Her mother's love was just so strong, and she had just such a spirit, that you really just want things to work out for her. The relationship between her and her husband was heartbreaking.

Finally, Raven is the third and final story in Delirium Stories. Also for the record, I am writing these reviews about a year after reading these (except Raven, which I read in April 2013) and wow that is hard. I still need to review Requiem as well. Remind me to stop procrastinating on reviews for a year-- I think some from 2013 will remain unreviewed, but hopefully I can get on top things a bit better for 2014? Anyway, back to this review!

Like Hana, there was an interesting twist to Raven that I didn't expect, but reading her point of view was probably the least interesting of the three in terms of adding to the Delirium world. That said, she is a really strong individual and character, and like always Oliver kept my attention. Reading this before Requiem, and later knowing what happens in that book makes this story even more heartbreaking.

Overall, there's not a lot I can say about Delirium Stories because I waited way too long to review them. But based on what I remember, they were all enjoyable, well written, and heartbreaking in their own way. They aren't necessary, but they are lovely, and if you're a fan of the Delirium Trilogy I definitely recommend checking these out as well (they would make no sense at all if you're not a fan/not reading the books).

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Pandemonium, but does contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Delirium, a review of which can be found here. 

Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: February 28th 2012
Pages: 375
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Harper Collins
Also by this Author: Delirium (Delirium #1); Liesl & Po
Buy It: Book Depository

After falling in love, Lena and Alex flee their oppressive society where love is outlawed and everyone must receive "the cure"--an operation that makes them immune to the delirium of love--but Lena alone manages to find her way to a community of resistance fighters, and although she is bereft without the boy she loves, her struggles seem to be leading her toward a new love.

I'll start by getting this out of the way. There was only one thing I didn't like about Pandemonium: the fact that I have to buy a new copy of Delirium if I want my books to match.

Other than that, pure genius.

Because this is the third book I'd read by Lauren Oliver, I knew what to expect when it came to her writing. Perfect tiny details, beautiful images, easy flow, and a raw emotion that is incredibly powerful– Pandemonium delivered. But, if I'm perfectly honest, the book didn't captive me as much as its predecessor, Delirium. I didn't read it in the same rushed spurt. Still, by the time I got to the end, I was absolutely blown away by the way things turned out, and though I may have had my suspicions about the final reveal, that didn't stop it from absolutely tearing my heart out of my chest.

Like I said, pure genius.

Pandemonium transitions between two Lenas, "then" and "now" which alternate every chapter for a chunk of the book, telling the story of the last year, and then the "now" which picks up a year following the events of Delirium. The technique worked okay, as some of the most emotional portions were past events, but I think I would have preferred it in chronological order. My reason for that, is that Lena is grieving over Alex, but when as a reader I was regularly skipped ahead, it was more difficult to see the evolution of that grief. Still, like her middle grade novel Liesl & Po, Oliver captures the grief in a pure, heart-breaking and genuine way. 

As a middle book in a trilogy, I really appreciated how much of a complete story Pandemonium told on its own. There was also a lot of character growth when it came to Lena, and I think that, without Alex to fall back on, she really had to learn to stand on her own. As much as I loved her in Delirium, it was great seeing the character develop and her become less meek. Oliver made her feel like a real person that way. I still missed Alex though!

And actually, I lied. There were actually two things I disliked about Pandemonium. The second thing was that it ended, and now I have to wait another year to finally read the last novel in the trilogy, Requiem. With those final few intense pages of Pandemonium, Oliver has me incredibly anxious to find out how things end for Lena.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

"Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That’s what it is: an edge; a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two. Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side.

Before and after—and during, a moment no bigger or longer than an edge."

Delirium is the second book by young adult author Lauren Oliver, the story of a dystopian world where love is a disease and a cure has been developed. Lena Holoway lost her mother to love, after three attempts at treatment she was still suffering from the deliria and ended up killing herself as an escape. Lena lives with her aunt and two cousins who are also orphans because their parents were sympathizers- people who believed that love is a good thing. Counting down the days til her eighteenth birthday when she will finally be free to live a safe life, cured, everything changes when Lena meets Alex and only a couple months before her treatment falls in love.

Although I love dystopia trend permeating young adult literature, I am always a little skeptical when a book receives a lot of hype and so going into Delirium I was hesitant about having my expectations too high. I needn't have worried. Delirium is an excellent and original novel, captivating the reader immediately. Oliver uses her dystopian world to tell a powerful story about falling in love for the first time, and the emotions that Lena has are completely believable. Lena is a really interesting main character, as she repeatedly describes herself as being someone ordinary, ordinary brown hair and brown eyes, nothing remarkable or special about her. But when Lena falls in love, she forgets she is ordinary, the feelings she has make her feel beautiful. It was an extremely realistic portrayal of what falling in love is like, and I loved the edge of danger given to the story due to the fact that what Alex and Lena are doing- falling in love- is illegal.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about Delirium was the world that Oliver created. She begins each chapter of the novel with a quote from some of the government propaganda, and although some of the things are quite similar to contemporary times- Romeo and Juliet is still being taught in schools for example- the messages they give is quite different, as the Shakespeare play is seen as a cautionary tale for what can happen when you get infected. I also found it interesting, though logical, that things such as poetry and most forms of music no longer existed. Instead of the Bible, people have the Book of Shh, which includes such proverbs as "The most dangerous sicknesses are those which make us believe we are well.", referring of course, to deliria.

Delirium is an extremely exciting and captivating story, filled with unique and interesting characters including Lena's best friend, as well as her sister and cousins. I found it really easy to understand the world Oliver had created, and it was also totally believable how it could come into existence- as well as scary- making it a very successful dystopia. Oliver's writing was also excellent, and I am already excited to pick up her debut, Before I Fall, in the near future. Delirium is the first of a trilogy, and unfortunately like most such books it ends on a cliffhanger, and so the only complaint I have about the book is that I'll have to wait till 2012 to read the sequel, Pandemonium, and believe me, my expectations are certainly raised for that novel.

Release Date: February 1st, 2011
Pages: 441
Overall: 5/5
Source: Publisher
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