Panic by Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver is definitely an auto-read author for me, and has been ever since I first fell in love with her dystopian world where love is illegal (irony intended) in Delirium. However, it's been a couple years since she released a standalone YA novel, and so I was very very excited about the release of her latest book, Panic, which is the story of a small town where each summer high school seniors compete in a dangerous game called Panic for a large cash prize. This year the competition includes Heather and Dodge, who both have very different reasons for competing, and the novel alternates between both their perspectives.

I really love the premise of Panic, this small town with nothing to do and all the different reasons people might have for competing in such a dangerous game. I also liked how the game was run by a secret group of two students, although I didn't think it was that secret in the novel who they were. There was a lot of intensity and action in the novel, so it was fast-paced and kept my interest and I devoured it over two days. Oliver's writing is just amazing and it is so easy and lovely to read. However, it does require that the reader doesn't think too deeply about some things, which just don't seem that realistic (like the cops are just so incompetent and have somehow never managed to catch anyone or stop this game before).

In terms of the characters, I didn't have quite the connection with them I would have liked, especially with Dodge. I definitely enjoyed the Heather chapters more, at least partially because I just really disagreed with what Dodge was planning and I just couldn't sympathize with it. Overall, Panic was a good novel and I enjoyed reading it, but it doesn't fall into my Oliver-obsessed category the way her previous contemporary novel Before I Fall does. That said, I will definitely continue to reach for anything Oliver writes and I am excited to see what comes next.

Release Date: March 4th 2014 Pages: 408  Format: Egalley
Source: Edelweiss  Publisher: HarperTeen  Buy It: Book Depository

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).

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Honestly, I can't imagine a book with Lauren Oliver's name on the cover that I wouldn't pick up. She's just that amazing. So of course I had to read her latest novel, the middle grade fantasy tale, The Spindlers. Even though it's not a genre I read a lot of, I adored Oliver's first middle grade title, Liesl & Po and in fact even refer to it as one of my favourite books (because it is). In fact, I was so excited to read The Spindlers that I forced myself to hold onto it for about a month before I did– just because when I finished reading it I would be out of Oliver books to read until 2013. All that to say, I had high expectations.

And did The Spindlers meet my expectations?

Unfortunately, no.

That's not to say this story, about a young girl, Liza, who goes on an underground quest to find her brother's soul, which was stolen by the spindlers, wasn't a cute and fun read. But it wasn't blow-me-away-amazing either. It was okay. And with Oliver, I just expect more than that.

What The Spindlers is, is a great book for the intended audience, but it doesn't have the universal transcendence that Liesl & Po did. Some of my problems with the book included how slow the storytelling was, I put it down quite a few times during its 250 pages and I wasn't excited to go back. I wasn't riveted and pulled in a million directions and put back together. If anything, I was a bit confused. On her journey, Liza is accompanied by a rat of the same size she is. I was never sure if Liza shrunk when she went under her house, or if the rat grew. The setting itself wasn't that vivid, there was just a lot of mentions of dirt. Even the characters, which Oliver is usually so amazingly skilled at, just felt okay. I wasn't especially rooting for Liza, because I didn't feel like I really knew her.

The whole time I was reading The Spindlers, I couldn't help being reminded of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, which is a book I absolutely adore. But unlike Gaiman, Oliver's world isn't the creepy, her characters– even the bad ones– don't feel that scary. And even the plot doesn't feel original. There's a series of obstacles in the way of Liza finding her brother, but I never found myself breathless with anticipation on if she was going to succeed. I honestly didn't care that much, because everything was predictable and even the "big" twist didn't surprise me.

It's really hard to focus on the positive of The Spindlers because I was so incredibly disappointed by it. I love-love-love Lauren Oliver's writing, but this is a book that is cute. It's a book that's fun and charming, there's a talking rat I loved and some adults that don't understand their children. There are some unique and interesting creatures. Overall, The Spindlers is an okay middle-grade novel, and while I certainly haven't given up on Oliver, when it comes to her storytelling– okay is just so much less than what I expect.

Release Date: October 2nd 2012   Pages: 256  Format: ARC  Source: Publisher  
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada  Buy It: Book Depository | Amazon Canada Also By This Author: MG– Liesl & Po; YA– Before I Fall; Delirium (Delirium #1); Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
 
Release Date: March 2nd 2010
Pages: 470
Format: Hardcover
Source: Won
Publisher: Harper Collins
Also by this Author: Delirium; Liesl & Po; Pandemonium
Buy It: Book Depository

A terrible accident takes Samantha Kingston's life. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

This novel wasn't perfect, but it was incredible. This is the fourth book I've read by Lauren Oliver, and sadly it's the final one she's published (so far, at least). It's also her debut novel, which makes it even more impressive in retrospect.

At first glance, the idea of reliving the same day seven times seems like it would be very repetitive and dull. But by changing tiny actions, Sam alters the course of the day, and ultimately, her life. The way Oliver accomplishes this means that with each new day, the reader learns new, and crucial information about Sam. There was only one of the seven days– when she steals her mom's credit card and spends it with a new group of a gossipy friends– that had me less interested. The main reason for that was the introduction of a whole bunch more characters, that I didn't really have a chance to care about. My other minor peeve with the novel was Oliver's description of eyes, sky blue and grass green, that get re-used (for the same two characters, but still) too often for my own taste.

Otherwise, Before I Fall was an incredible and original novel. From the first scene, Sam isn't a likable main character, but she did grow on me throughout the novel, and while some of her friends (Lindsey) didn't, at least I came to understand them better. I love the way Oliver slips the reader into the mind of the bully, the popular girl, the one that as a reader, I've heard from a whole lot less than the recluse or outcast. Despite everything Sam does, and the growth she undergoes, there were still things I didn't like about her at the end, but that only makes her more human.

As in her other novels, Oliver's writing in Before I Fall is impeccable, with just the right amount of beautiful description, mixed with easy to read text, clear storylines and authentic characters. Even before I picked up this novel, Lauren Oliver was one of my very favourite writers, but this book just reminds me why. Her incredible skill as a writer, her amazing ability to get inside a character's head– and to share those emotions and conflicts on the page– continues to astound me. I keep using the word incredible in this review, because it's what keeps running through my head as I think back at this book, and what will certainly be its lasting impact.

Before I Fall has easily gained a place in the list of my favourite novels, comfortably at home with Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, the book that got me to start reading young adult fiction again. And I'm so glad I did, or I never would have discovered this amazing gem.

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.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

 

Lauren Oliver is an author of many talents, she began her career by publishing a contemporary YA novel (Before I Fall), followed up with the first novel in a dystopia trilogy (Delirium) and her most recent novel, Liesl & Po, is a middle-grade story that takes place in a world with similarities to our own only filled with all kinds of magic. Liesl is a young girl whose father has just died, leaving her in the care of a stepmother who locks Liesl in the attic where her only escape is to draw. Then one night Po, a ghost from the Other Side, appears and the two form an unexpected friendship. At the same time, Will, an equally lonely alchemist’s apprentice a botches an important delivery which will have important consequences for Liesl and Po, ultimately drawing the three of them together on a remarkable journey.

Liesl & Po is the magical kind of book that even if it is intended for a younger audience, is filled with a warmth that will enchant the reader regardless of age. This is the kind of timeless story, like Roald Dahl, which will be just as powerful in fifty years as it today. Also like Dahl, this is a story about children, in which the adults are rather one-dimensional villains but that works within the context of the book, as it is reminiscent of a traditional fairy tale.

Oliver’s writing is amazing, lyrical with poetry in just the right places, and complimented by beautiful black and white sketches done by Kei Acedera. It is Oliver’s amazing ability with words that makes Liesl & Po into such an incredibly whimsical story, one that flows smoothly and is filled with pure, young, emotion.

This is a novel that confronts the difficult issue of death and grief in a way that neither minimizes nor sensationalizes it, but rather takes an honest and simple look at one little girl and the astonishing journey she takes.

Ultimately, Lauren Oliver has completely won me over as a reader- she could write a restaurant menu or instructions for installing a television and I would rush to the store to buy it. As a writer, Oliver has a unique and powerful perspective, which she is able to share with astonishing clarity because of the eloquence of her writing, on full display in her timeless and magical novel, Liesl & Po.

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
Buy the Book