Pandemonium: A gripping YA dystopian sequel where a young rebel torn between two loves fights a regime that outlaws affection―and ignites revolution. (Delirium Trilogy, 2)

Read this and other reviews at [...] First - if you haven't read Delirium, stop what you're doing and go buy this book IMMEDIATELY. Oh, and stop reading this review. While it doesn't have spoilers per se, you need to read book 1, before you starting reading reviews for book 2. So quit getting ahead of yourself. And go read Delirium. Now. In terms of Pandemonium, there's really only word that comes to mind: BRILLIANT. This story was so different from Delirium, in the best ways possible, but it was no less amazing. I was still left completely floored. Even now a couple days later, I can't stop thinking about this book and it's basically killing me to not be able to read Requiem right now. The second I finished Delirium, I got on Amazon and downloaded Pandemonium. There was no chance I was going to be able to wait to see what happened. I NEEDED ANSWERS. This book is so much different because it's told in the "then" and the "now." The "now" is 6 months later after Lena has been in the Wilds and built a new life for herself entirely...in New York. When I first started reading, I thought I would really hate the "now" because I just wanted the old Lena back, and in fact, I just wanted Delirium back entirely. If you've read it...then you KNOW what I'm talking about. I just wanted to go back in time and fix it all. So at first, I felt like a petulant child stomping my feet, saying, "but I don't care what she's doing NOW, go back to THEN." I was sad, sometimes to the point of crying, at any mention of Alex, and I just didn't know how I could even come to like this story. But I did. So much. {{We all need mantras, I guess-stories we tell ourselves to keep us going.}} Without giving too much away, Lena was found in the Wilds - after her escape from Portland - by a girl named Raven. She goes back to their homestead and spends quite a bit of time recovering...from running over 60 miles before she almost died. She's not sure she even wants to be alive anymore. After the escape. After Alex. She just doesn't know how she'll go on. But Raven demands it of her. And in time, Lena gets stronger and learns to survive in the Wilds - and learns about joining the movement. In the "now" portions of the story, we see Lena integrated into life in New York City, as a "cured" - while really serving as almost a double agent against the DFA (Deliria Free America) - against the President of the organization, Thomas Fineman - and his son, the leader of the youth division Julian. During a DFA Rally, an attack takes place by Scavengers - uncureds who are just out of their freaking minds. This is where the story gets CRAZY. And I can't say anything about it. It must all be experienced firsthand, because it will blow you away. I will say, I REALLY did not want to like Julian. At all. But I couldn't help it. He grew on me. And even though it felt wrong and like I was cheating on my beloved Alex, I couldn't help but fall for Julian. Just a little. He's still not Alex. But he works for me, as Julian. {{It occurs to me, then, that people themselves are full of tunnels: winding, dark spaces and caverns; impossible to know all the places inside of them. Impossible even to imagine.}} There were so many unanswered questions at the end of Delirium - regarding Alex, Lena's mother, Lena's fate. All of it. There are plenty of questions answered during Pandemonium, but at the same time, there are just as many questions raised. Never did I feel like this was the typical filler book in the series, which is usually how second books can feel. There was just enough tension and bomb dropping, that just when I thought I could take a break, I would find myself 5 more chapters in, and completely enthralled. Lauren is such a magnificently skilled writer, in the sense that she knows how to dangle that carrot and make you complacently hop along, having NO idea you're about to have your world rocked. This could not be more true for even the last 7-8 pages of Pandemonium. OMG. Of course, this was a 5 star read for me. Again, the storyline was completely captivating and the characters were just as amazing as ever. I loved the introduction of all the supporting characters Lena met while living in the Wilds. Of course, meeting Julian and figuring out a part of his story. I literally CANNOT wait until March for Requiem to be released. While the title makes me incredibly nervous, I'm still looking forward to seeing how the series wraps up. Although, I will certainly be sad to see it end. I still have to read the couple novellas that are out as well, Hana and Annabel. I know that Raven is also being released on the same day as Requiem. I look forward to getting into these ladies' heads a bit more too. And just getting to experience more of this world. And Lauren's writing. If you haven't read these yet, PLEASE do yourself the greatest favor, and pick them up. Even if you don't like dystopian. Or young adult. I beg of you. You will be forever changed. {{In approved places, every story serves a purpose. But forbidden books are so much more. Some of them are webs; you can feel your way along their threads, but just barely into strange and dark corners. Some of them are balloons bobbing up through the sky: totally self-contained, and unreachable, but beautiful to watch. And some of them-the best ones-are doors.}}

Title: Pandemonium Author: Lauren Oliver Rating: 4 Stars My Review: First let me apologize for the voraciousness of my reads compared to the snails pace at which I review them. Yes, I read this the day after Delirium...but it's only just now that I am getting to review it. If you read my review for Delirium, you will find that most of my impressions still hold true for this sequel in the trilogy. To sum up...Oliver's prose is beautiful, poetic, and haunting. The story is good and the romance enjoyable. But at times I still long (personally) for more of the science in this nefarious world. As well as the political backstory. With that being said, let's get to my specific thoughts on this book. Title - ??? Not that it really matters but I really couldn't get Pandemonium out of it. Maybe? I don't know. Yes, the dystopian world is unraveling (as all good book 2 dystopian worlds must), but I'm not sure if it really fit. I can say that this is really a nit pick because it didn't affect my perception of the story. Julian - For someone who was never allowed to be around boys for the better part of her life, Lena is sure quick to develop strong attachments to them. :) So I won't give any spoilers except to say that Lena is thrown together with a boy whose father is basically the bad-guy-in-chief of this world. It is Julian's father that is pushing for everyone to be cured, even Julian, with full knowledge that the cure could kill his son. In other words, daddy is definitely a world-class ****. Lena's kind heart is moved by Julian's predicament and over time he goes through the same awakening that she went through with Alex. At first of course you are like, 'what are you doing?? Alex just died!' And you are crazy? But then you think about the fact that Alex was not from their world and never felt the same loss as part of the awakening process. In this way Julian and Lena have a lot more in common and you can understand why they would draw together. And to be fair to the human experience, Lena believes Alex to be dead and she's grieving. It's not unheard of to fall into another's arms as part of the response to that grief. In the end, I forgave her. Ending - Again, without any spoilers, I saw the very end coming a mile away. The whole story away actually. Did that kill the surprise? Yes. But is it a good ending regardless? Also yes. Oliver set you up for some SERIOUS Pandemonium in book three. Mom - In the end, I do feel that Lena's connection to her mother is the real pivotal piece of the story. Many reviewers focus on her romances with Alex and Julian, but for me her real heart is in finding out why her mother didn't come back for her. If she just didn't love her enough. Lena has experienced a lot of heartbreak and survived terrible ordeals, but she knows a mother's love when she sees it...in Raven, with her love for Blue. Raven isn't even Blue's real mother and she loves her fiercely and desperately. In fact Raven gave up everything in her own society (though her life did totally suck) in order to save Blue's life. I think that the theme of mothers and daughters is what I find most compelling and I look forward to that resolution in book three. Structure - As an author, I found the structure of this novel to be incredibly interesting and impressive. It is told all from Lena's perspective, but using two different 'Then' and 'Now' timelines. I doubted it at times and lost myself a WEE bit, but ultimately I think she pulled it off and I enjoyed the point when the two timelines finally streamed together like tributaries. It was an interesting and risky choice and showed me how much Oliver has honed her craft. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys dystopians that are very literary in feel. It's not going to have a lot of science or apocalyptic detail like some dystopians, but the character story is the true heart of this trilogy and that is excellent.

I’ll admit, as a HUGE fan of Lauren Oliver’s BEFORE I FALL, I was a bit disappointed when I read her second YA book, DELIRIUM. While I had difficulty getting through the vast majority of that book, the final chapter did provide a nice look at what its follow up, PANDEMONIUM, would potentially have to offer. Even still, due to the snooze-fest that was Delirium, I started Pandemonium with very, very low expectations – hold on to only the slightest of hopes that it would match the genius that was Before I Fall. Suffice to say, the book and its story rose above and beyond my wildest hopes. I LOVED every bit of Pandemonium. Her second venture into the world of amor delira nervosa once again places Lauren Oliver near the top of my list of favorite YA authors. Plot: 9 One could say that Pandemonium takes off right where Delirium left us, Lena is lost and alone in the Wilds. But then you move on to chapter two and realize that you have just jumped ahead from “then”, the time when Lena in the Wilds, to “now”, events occurring approximately 6 months in the future after Lena has spent some time in the Wilds. I fully appreciated these two time frames being told parallel to each other, from one chapter to the next, because it provided additional character growth and exposition, as well as a heightened sense of action, story development and the impact that the story has on the reader. In this installment we learn quite a bit about the people who live in the Wilds, how Lena handles the events that occurred at the end of Delirium, as well as what happens to her after. So much happens in this book, that to say more would just spoil what’s in store for you. Just know that by the end of this book, Lena will be a different character entirely and you will have learned quite a bit about the world in which she lives. Characters: 9 While I was actually somewhat bored by all the characters in Delirium, Lena and Alex included, I cannot say the same about the characters in this book. I now have grown to LOVE Lena thanks to Pandemonium, and I felt her anguish, confusion and pain every step of the way. I would say that, as far as character growth goes, Lena’s is one of the best examples of what you should see in fiction. Every event that she is put through alters her in some way, she makes choices and has to live with the consequences, and she knows there is no returning to who she was in Delirium. There are also a number of secondary characters introduced in this book and each of them has a story to tell. The exposition of these characters is superb, and again the use of the “then” and “now” accounts for a lot in how you feel about them. I loved them all, yes, every single one of them. Well, except for one group of people that we learn about, but the reasons for that is for you to find out yourself. Setting: 10 Yay! Lena is finally in the Wilds! And what a much more interesting place it is to see than the Valid cities. We learn about the poor living conditions that the Invalids are forced into, migrating from place to place, just to stay safe and unseen. We are taken on a trip in the Wilds during the winter, where I felt the bitter cold along with Lena. We also return to the world of the Valids, only this time in NYC. I appreciate all the information Lauren provided us about the world in this installment. By providing us with more background/world information, she moves the story forward quite a bit. Also, this novel is much darker than Delirium in both mood/tone and setting; the setting appropriately plays a big part in this. Pacing: 10 There is something to be said about a book that is, essentially, telling two stories in one, while at the very same time managing to keep the pacing of the overall story on track. Pandemonium accomplishes telling two stories: One is about Lena and her very first experiences in the Wilds. In this story you join her as she adapts to her strange, new world. And the other is about Lena and her experiences as a “new” Lena. In this story she is part of an Invalid mission inside New York City. One of these stories is told slowly while the other one races through time at breakneck speed. Some may be jarred by the jumping back and forward between “then” and “now”, but I found it rather enjoyable. In my opinion, and in contrast to Delirium, there is never a dull moment in Pandemonium. Style: 9 I don’t need to repeat what I just said above about pacing. I will only add that along with the two stories being told about “then” and “now”, these individual time periods are woven together and plotted in such a way that common themes are shared between the two at the same time in the book. This (IMO) makes the transition back and forth between the two time periods more seamless and allows the story to have greater impact on the reader. I really can’t go on about how ingenious it was for Lauren to tell her tale in such a way. I only took one point off for the occasional use of foul language in this book. Oh my. Lena! Watch your mouth! (Yay! Prudish mommy strikes again!) I am so grateful to Fire and Ice for allowing me to be part of their ARC Tour for Pandemonium. If it were not for their tour I may not have given Pandemonium a try. What a wonderful adventure I would have missed if I had passed this one up! Lauren Oliver, you are most definitely back on my A-list!

Seldom is there a book that I am so excited for I run out to purchase it the day it's released. And rarely does that book live up to my expectation. It is like that movie that people tell you over and over to see that gets built up in your head and then after you see it, total disappointment. It has happened to me before and it will happen again so I was worried about Pandemonium. Did I put too much stock into it? Would it be a "sophomore" slump sp to speak? With the amazingness of Delirium it had pretty big shoes to fill. Well, Pandemonium filled those shoes and more! It was absolutely everything I wanted it to be an more! It hit all the points I was hoping for, had the growth in the character of Lena that I was looking for and yet left me aching for more, more, more. It did EXACTLY what the second part of this sure to be amazing trilogy was supposed to do; it left me wanting the final piece of the story. Pandemonium starts off with Lena and where she is now. It has been months since she climbed the fence, months since she watched Alex get shot to save her and she is now part of the resistance. She is undercover in New York doing what she can to help save people from the procedure and to open their eyes like hers were. She has obviously been through a lot since we last saw her, and through a series of Then and Now chapters we get to see what Lena's life is like now and what it was like when she was in the Wilds. As readers we are taken on a journey of Lena learning how to fend forever herself and how to trust people she doesn't know all while burying the emotions of the past and trying to forget Alex, Hana and Grace. We learn how she got to where she is and what leaving everything behind has done to her. Because the thing is, Lena Holoway is not the same girl we knew in Delirium. She is this new person that has to deal with that age old saying..."it is better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all". Lena has loved. She loved with everything she could and then she lost it all and everything she knew in one split second. That love was taken from her and so was her right to choose and that changes a person. You see, there was no way for Lena to stay the same. Her eyes were opened by Alex and once that happened she couldn't go back. Lena had to accept how things are and learn to adapt. The thing is in order to do that she has to push down a tiny piece of herself. Really it was brilliantly done. The changes in Lena are so subtle, but noticeable. She is no longer the girl that isn't anything special. She isn't the girl that is hiding behind her pretty best friend. She is the girl that Alex brought to light, that he taught to fight for her right to choose. She is braver and stronger and aware. She stands taller and swears and thinks things through instead of being told what to do. Like it says in Pandemonium, she was reborn the day she went over the fence and there is no past. Honestly the whole book was just magical. Right down to the page turning, cliffhanger of an ending. I knew Oliver was going to do it, leave us hanging on for more. I just knew it and yet I was sad, happy, annoyed and anxious when I got to the final page. I wanted to throw the book and laugh all at the same time. Instead I just ended up smiling for a very very long time and I still can't get the book out of my head. It has only been a couple of days since I read it and I'm already dreaming of a re-read. And that right there is a true testament to the power of her words and a book that will end up being timeless. There is really a ton of things I can say about Pandemonium. I can go into a ton of details about what the Wilds were like for Lena, the people she encounters, the circumstances that are thrust upon her, and the connections she makes(whether romantic or not), but I just can't. It would give away too much and you would miss out on a remarkable story. Just do yourself a favor. I know you may or may not know me, but trust me on this...pick up both books, Delirium and Pandemonium if you haven't already. In my heart of hearts I don't think you will be disappointed.

Oh how I'd been pining to read this novel. I had to get through quite a few review books in order to read it, but finally, I could wait no longer! I was beyond nervous before I started reading it. Would it match up to the heart-pounding excitement I felt during Delirium? Would it be the same without Alex? There were so many questions, so many unknowns but ten pages in, I knew I was safe. I knew this book would be just as good as te first. I'm going to skip the summary as this book doesn't really make sense unless you've read the first and if you've read the first then you really don't need to know the premise for this book. Anywho. The Good: What's not to love about Oliver's breathtaking writing? Picking up Pandemonium was like going away to college and coming back home to sleep in your old comfortable bed with all your favorite trinkets and toys piled around you. Oliver's writing is like coming home. There are some stories you just connect with. You fall in love with them whether or not you realize it and every time you touch on that love, it's an easy, comfortable relationship. So I guess that was the first thing I really loved about this novel. To be more technical though, there were so MANY things I really loved about the sequel to Delirium. The novel is broken up into "Then" and "Now." I thought this was a really brilliant way to break up the chapters and Lena's story. It also made me royally agitated because just as I was really getting into one section, the next chapter would start and I'd be left wondering what came next. (Which is exactly why Oliver did it, but damn woman, I hate the suspense sometimes!) I know a lot of people said that this novel wasn't as good as Delirium, but I happen to think it was as good if not better. I LOVED Lena's character development throughout this story. She grew by leaps and bounds in this novel and I was seriously impressed with how attached I grew to her. I liked her in Delirium, but to be honest, I wasn't head over heels for her. She kind of drove me nuts with how passive and naive she was. But that girl is LONG gone in this novel. I enjoy novels with kick-ass girls, but I especially enjoy kick-ass girls who have a reason to kick-ass. It's this determination, this primal survivalism within her that makes her character grow so well in this novel. She preserves, she persists in her endeavors even when she thinks it's the end. She goes against the grain to stand for what she believes in. THAT is why she is such a kick-ass character. I actually really liked Julian too. I wasn't sure how I'd take the little romance thing between Lena and Julian, but he's different then Alex and I liked him with Lena a lot. I kind of associate the two relationships like this: Lena and Alex are symbolic of innocence, experimentation, first loves, intensity and passion. The "before." Lena and Julian represent the "after." Lena has been hardened, she's rough around the edges. She's both calm yet fiery. Things are more calcuated this time around but yet her draw to him is reminisicent that you can't control everything. That sometimes catching amor deliria is the best thing to happen. I loved the action in the novel and even though I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about Raven, I feel that she will become more important in the next novel. Now for the total SCREAM OUT LOUD ending... WOW. Lauren Oliver sure knows to end her books on cliff-hangers. Damn you Lauren Oliver. I don't want to wait another freaking year for the next book! The Bad: Nada! Not one thing I disliked about this novel! Of course this book earned its A+ rating!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! Like so many other reviewers, Delirium was one of my favorite novels of 2011 and I couldn't wait for 2012 when Pandemonium would come out. Delirium spends the whole novel getting the reader invested in Lena, her transformation, and her falling in love with Alex. The end had me dying for the next book so I could see what happened to Lena and Alex. Pandemonium opens with Lena escaping in the Wilds, leaving Alex behind, presuming him dead. She stumbles upon a group of the resistance and integrates into their society. Unlike many of the other reviewers, I like the "Then" segments. I thought that it was necessary to show the completion of Lena's transformation from "Zombie" to the hard, practical, strong member of the resistance she becomes. It is also the only time we really see her grieve for Alex. The "Now" segments follow Lena as she is sent on a mission to follow the prodigal son, Julian, of the Pro-Cure leader. This irked me because there is obviously something going on but Lena doesn't question it or push the matter. I found the fact that her resistance "mentors," Raven and Tack, are a part of a scheme that paid Scavengers to abduct Lena and Julian is ludicrous. I find it hard to believe that they would employ the aid of a faction that is so reviled and hated by the resistance. Plus, Raven and Tack left a great deal up to chance. I found it unbelievable that Lena was able to A) make her way to Julian through the crowds, B) keep track of him once she had found him, C) find him once he had been abducted, and D) manage to make it to him without becoming a casualty herself. I thought it was unnecessary that Raven and Tack kept her in the dark when she could have performed her task so much better with more knowledge. They didn't even have to reveal everything. It could have been "We heard a rumor that Julian would be abducted by the Scavengers at the rally - keep an eye on him" and we could have still had the OMG moment later on when we discover that the resistance paid the Scavengers. And it was irritating that Lena spent so much of the novel passive, helpless, dirty, and/or passed out. We were treated to a few scenes, but I wanted to see more of the fighter she had become! It was entirely predictable that Lena would fall for Julian. "Oh my God, we're stuck in a room together and I hate you and everything you stand for but your whining and naivete are so attractive that I can't help myself." I didn't connect with Julian at all. I hated that I constantly felt sorry for him because of his father, his brother, his cancer, etc. As a reader, I don't want to pity the male love interest in a novel. I especially didn't connect with his and Lena's "love." She flipped from one extreme to the other so quickly and he just seemed like a horny teenage boy who got to touch a girl for the first time. (BTW, his peeping while she took a shower didn't seem sexy to me, it was creepy.) Everything between them felt forced and contrived. Maybe it was because I was so invested in Lena and Alex's relationship that this book just didn't do it for me. Now, I don't know about you, but from watching a lot of TV and reading a lot, I KNOW that when a character "dies" - unless you see the person die and then witness them being buried or burned - you can pretty much guarantee that there's a good chance you'll be seeing them again. That for me was predictable and I was not at all surprised when Alex showed up on the last page, interrupting a lovey-dovey moment between Julian and Lena. I am so tired of the teenage love-triangle in YA novels. Just because it worked in Hunger Games doesn't mean it's the best plot direction for this series. While I loved Delirium, and this series had the potential to become the next HG for me, this second book ruined it by forcing a triangle. I feel like this book would have been better without the love-triangle set up. However, with all that said, I *will* be reading the third book to find out what happens with Lena and Alex and to see if, hopefully, it can redeem the disappointment of this book. :(

WARNING: Spoilers for Delirium ahead. Pandemonium is the second book in Lauren Oliver's Delirium Trilogy. In the first book, Delirium, Lena lives in a future dystopian United States, where love has been designated a disease, and everyone is cured on their 18th birthday. Lena was eagerly anticipating her "cure" and her orderly, predictable life to follow, free from the "Deliria" that leads to mood swings, irrational behavior, violence, and death. That is, until she meets Alex, an "Invalid" from The Wilds - a boy who has never been cured and doesn't believe that love is something that needs a cure. Alex teaches Lena about love, and they plan to escape Portland to live in The Wilds together. But in the end, Alex sacrifices himself to allow Lena to escape. Pandemonium's narrative alternates between two separate time lines. The first picks up right where Delirium ends. It follows Lena in the days, weeks, and months after she has escaped Portland, losing Alex in the process. Predictably, she meets up with other Invalids living in The Wilds, and slowly assimilates to life with them. Away from the familiar comforts of the city. Away from fear of the Deliria. Away from Alex. The second takes place several months later. Lena is now an active part of the resistance, and is living undercover in New York City. Her cover is that she is part of a new political movement - the DFA or "Deliria-Free America." The movement's mission is for the cure to be administered to everyone in America before their 18th birthday. Lena's mission is to keep an eye on the DFA, especially its leaders: Thomas Fineman and his son, Julian. [Spoilers Ahead] But everything turns to chaos when Scavengers - a violent extremist group of uncureds - attack a DFA rally, and Lena and Julian are kidnapped and held hostage together. Their captivity forces them to question their preconceived notions about each other and about who their enemies really are. Pandemonium was an enjoyable, exciting, fast-paced book. I did find it a bit predictable - I wasn't nearly as surprised as Lena at the twists and turns of the plot - but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of it at all. And as much as I loved Alex in Delirium and I wasn't sure initially if I would be able to accept if Lena moved on, I found that I loved Julian just as much as Alex. I appreciated how the evolution of Lena and Julian's relationship mirrored that of Lena and Alex - but with Lena's role reversed. Ultimately, I thought Pandemonium was a great set-up for the third book in the trilogy. I anticipate the conclusion to the Delirium Trilogy will contain lots of action, a likely love triangle (which is overdone in YA books, but in a world where the entire plot focuses around the benefits and drawbacks of falling in love, it probably can't be avoided), and Lena's deeper involvement with the resistance. It answered some questions set up in Delirium while asking several more. And it introduced us to some great new characters. My frustrations with the book were minor. I missed the characters from Delirium (but I suspect some of them will pop up in the 3rd book). I couldn't understand how just a couple days lost in the woods resulted in Lena needing weeks to recuperate, considering how physically fit she was at the end of Delirium. And several of Lena's great plans just seemed far too simple (especially in the couple parts where she has to deal with key codes). But overall, none of that was enough to take away from my enjoyment of the book. The storytelling was excellent, and I found myself completely immersed in the characters and world that Ms. Oliver created. I'm intrigued and excited to see how she wraps up Lena's story in book 3. Highly recommend!

So the more I read dystopian fiction, the more I find myself having to divide my reviews into two major sections. Whether or not I buy the society, and whether or not I liked the story. Most of the time those two line up, but with Delirium they didn't. I didn't buy the society of Delirium. Oh I can buy a society choosing to lobotomize itself in order to cut down on destructive emotions, after all, Uglies features a society that intentionally gives itself brain damage in order to be compliant. The difference with Uglies though is the trade off, the near perfect society, made me wonder if it would be worth the cost. To me, that's what a good dystopian novel does. It behaves like a Utopian society in every way until you realize the price. The hidden horror lurking just beneath the surface, and your dystopian protagonist has to decide, is it worth it? Do I become complicit in these horrible happenings to reap the reward of comfort, society, and equality? Is THIS what it takes to have it all? Now obviously, many famous dystopian novels don't go the Utopian route. 1984, Anthem, Brave New World, not a single one of those societies featured a place I'd want to live. And more and more, YA dystopian stories are modeling themselves after those stories. The Hunger Games, Matched, Divergent. Class struggles and poverty still exist. It makes me a little sad to see this theme becoming predominant in YA.We paid the awful price, and what to we have to show for it? Nothing. No one from the outside looking in would think they've landed in Utopia. Everything is so bad we don't even bother with the illusion of prosperity. The trend of dystopian novels in YA already reflected an uncertainty about our future, the shift to bleak dystopias indicate sheer hopelessness. Another thing that a dystopian novels has to do, to me, is make me buy into the dystopia. There has to be logic, no matter how twisted. I can see love becoming a horror story, but the actual procedure doesn't behave in consistent way. If you lobotomize the brain, it's not just love you get rid of. It's personality, hate, fear. You become a zombie. And the adults sometimes acted like that. Sometimes they were aggressive, and judgmental, and violent. Now no procedure on the brain is going to impact everyone the exact same way, so I was willing to accept the sheer number of people in the society that seemed to enjoy being violent. But not within the same person. So one of two things was happening in this society. Either the author wasn't consistent with the procedure (no one should have felt extremes, thus you shouldn't have enraged child abusers and over aggressive soldiers) Or the author didn't do a good enough job explaining that it is not in fact a lobotomy the characters are getting, just a diminished capacity for love. In which case, her descriptions were inconsistent, and the cure would not have "cured" an urge to exercise, a sexual preference on a base level, the urge to reproduce, ect. The people in this society stilled cared what others thought of them, still exhibited pride and judgement, they still got angry. It just wasn't consistent so I could not buy the society. That being said though, I still liked the books. The story was good, even if the society wasn't. The writing was beautiful! Poetic! Flowing. Honestly, it was fantastic writing. The descriptions!!! The nursery rhymes, the book of Shhh. While not believable to me, the world building that went into this was still amazing. I didn't really like any of the characters that much but I didn't like them because I wouldn't like them in person, if that makes sense? They were 3 dimensional, well developed, whole characters. I just happen to dislike most of their personalties. I never really bought into the romance, but for a book series about love, I have to applaud that Oliver never actually made the story ALL about love. The world, the characters, and everything EXIST. The love story doesn't drive the plot of the series, it could stand without it, the world didn't stop and revolve around the two characters. Yay for having an identity Lena outside of lovestruck teen! Good for you :) I did love the friendships formed in this series, and I love that those friendships didn't revolve around the romance either. The girls talked to each other about things OTHER than boys. As in they had a life. Identities outside of their crush's. I'm super impressed by that, and very happy to see it in a book that could have SO easily slipped way too far in the other direction without being called on it, because of the whole love is literally forbidden angle of this story. Like, in this context, and this context alone, disappearing into the romance would have been an act of rebellion and the romance could have actually been its own character and everything could have been all codependent and reliant on the love story, and for book 1, I was a bit worried it would do that but it didn't! I did feel that the ending of the series was rushed. I like that everything wasn't neatly tied up with a bow, but despite not resolving much, the ending just felt gleaned over. And Oliver can DO endings. I read "Before I Fall." Endings, are her fricken forte. I wouldn't be surprised to learn there's one more book for this series. There's enough there for one.

Loved this sequel so much. Must read

Fast ein Jahr lang musste ich auf den Nachfolger von Delirium warten und so habe ich Pandemonium natürlich sofort als es hier ankam angefangen zu lesen und in einem Rutsch beendet. Delirium hatte mich mit seinem bösen Ende nicht nur total sprachlos und neugierig zurück gelassen, sondern auch dafür gesorgt, dass ich durch Lauren Olivers tollen Schreibstil und die wunderbare Geschichte, besonders hohe Erwartungen an Pandemonium hatte. Und wären dem Lesen dachte ich immer wieder: 'Wow, Lauren Oliver toppt tatsächlich noch das erste Buch.' Durch und durch war ich begeistert, auch wenn es zeitweise Handlungen gab wo ich wirklich kurz davor war laut NEIN! aufzuschreien und absolut nicht wollte, das dies passierte, nahm meine Begeisterung trotzdem nicht ab. Und dann kam das Ende' Wem Delirium gefallen hat, der wird auch hier wieder ganz auf seine Kosten kommen und durch die zusätzliche Spannung wieder voll mitgerissen sein. Zwar braucht auch dieses Buch wieder ein paar Seiten um in Gang zu kommen, doch damit war eigentlich zu rechnen, da sich Lena nun in einer völlig neuen Lage befindet und selbst erst mit der neuen Situation klar kommen muss. Es gibt viel für sie zu entdecken, neue Leute kennen zu lernen und sich an die neuen Umstände zu gewöhnen. So empfand ich dann auch wie schon im ersten Buch diesen Part alles andere als langweilig und war stattdessen gespannt auf die neuen Charaktere und die neue Umgebung. Außerdem konzentriert sich Lauren Oliver dabei nur auf die wirklich wichtigen Dinge, so dass man nicht durch die Geschichte stolpert, sondern ziemlich schnell von einem Ereignis zum nächsten rennt. Hinzu kommt, dass Lauren Oliver unheimlich gut die aktuelle Gefühlslage von Lena vermittelt. Die ganzen Erlebnisse sind mit einer negativen Stimmung durchsetzt und lassen einen ziemlich einfach nachempfinden, wie Lena und die anderen mit ihrer schwierigen Lage zurechtkommen, wie diese sich fühlen müssen. Lange dauert es auch nicht, dass die Ereignisse ganz stark anziehen und plötzlich richtig spannend werden. Besonderer Nervenkitzel kam für mich zusätzlich dadurch auf, dass es Kapitel mit der Bezeichnung 'then' und 'now' gibt und man so gespannt darauf wartet, dass die Ereignisse im 'then' auf die im 'now' zulaufen. Ständig fragt man sich wie es zu den zukünftigen Ereignissen kommt und wieso und gleichzeitig spielen sich im Jetzt solche packenden und nervenauftreibenden Handlungen ab, das man gar nicht richtig weiß, über was man sich jetzt den Kopf zerbrechen soll, so überrumpelt wird man von den vielen kleinen Handlungssträngen und den damit verbundenen Emotionen, die über einen herfallen. Liegt in Delirium die Konzentration noch sehr auf Lena und ihren sich entwickelnden Gefühlen gegenüber einem Jungen, so wechselt diese hier mehr auch zu den anderen Leuten. Zwar begleitet man weiter Lena auf ihrem holprigen, gefährlichen Weg, doch nun kommt auch sehr stark der Überlebenskampf auf. Lena und auch den anderen fällt nicht mehr alles so leicht, sie befinden sich in einer ständigen Gefahr, ein Leben am Limit und so ist dieses Buch durchsetzt von aktionsgeladenen Szenen, die den Puls zum Rasen bringen. Und gerade ich, die oft etwas vergesslich ist, hatte kein Problem damit, nach fast einem Jahr, die Erlebnisse aus Delirium wieder ganz schnell im Kopf zu haben. Ständige Erinnerungen und Rückblicke von Lena frischen nochmal das Gedächtnis an das erste Buch auf. Nach und nach öffnet sie sich anderen Personen, so dass man die wichtigen Dinge nochmal schnell durch sie erzählt bekommt und einem so nichts Wichtiges entgeht und man keine Befürchtungen zu haben braucht, dass man Andeutungen auf Vergangenes nicht versteht. Und dann traf allerdings etwas ein, mit dem ich vor dem Beginn des Buches erstens nicht gerechnet hätte und das ich zweitens ganz sicher auch nicht gewollt hätte. Erst war ich mir während dem Lesen immer sicher, dass es wegen bestimmter Gegebenheiten nie eintreffen würde und war dadurch kurz etwas geschockt und wollte es nicht ganz glauben. Dann aber fand ich mich irgendwann damit ab, jedoch mit dem Hintergedanken, dass das Buch dadurch eine andere Richtung einschlagen würde als ich vermutet hatte. Und dann kam die letzte, böse Seite. Diesmal ein nicht ganz so schlimmer Cliffhanger wie in Delirium, dafür aber ein Ende, das mir den Spaß und die Freude am ganzen Buch mit nur einer Seite wieder genommen hat und mich befürchten lässt, dass mich das dritte Buch enttäuschen wird. Wenn ich jetzt auf das Buch zurück Blicke, schwebt für mich über allem eine dunkle schwarze Wolke und ich muss mir selbst immer wieder in Erinnerung rufen, wie toll das Buch doch eigentlich war. !SPOILER! ______________________________________________ Im Laufe der Handlung tritt ein neuer Kerl auf die Bildfläche. Da Lena aber immer wieder in Gedanken bei Alex ist und ihm das ganze Buch durch hinterher trauert' war ich überzeugt davon' dass sich zwischen den beiden nichts entwickeln würde. Tat es dann aber doch. Schnell hatte ich mich damit aber auch abgefunden' fand Lenas Gefühle ihm gegenüber auch voll und ganz nachvollziehbar und hatte damit Alex irgendwann abgeschrieben. Bis er dann auf der letzten Seite wieder auftaucht... ______________________________________________ !SPOILER ENDE! Beim Lesen von Pandemonium konnte ich erleichtert feststellen, dass es sich hierbei keinesfalls um einen erzwungenen, langweiligen und unnötigen Mittelteil handelt. Dieses Buch ist von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite ein Muss, jede seiner Seiten wert und verdient seine Existenz voll und ganz. Pandemonium hält in allen Punkten mit Delirium mit und setzte diesem sogar noch eins oben drauf, in dem es nochmal weit spannender zugeht. Und auch wenn mich eine gewisse Entwicklung des Buches befürchten lässt, dass Lauren Oliver nicht mehr bei ihrer einzigartigen Art bleiben wird und die Handlung auf etwas zulaufen lassen wird, was mir so gar nicht gefallen wird, bin ich trotzdem wieder extrem gespannt auf den dritten und letzten Teil und das nicht nur wegen dem Ende des Buches, mit dem man dieses Mal eigentlich noch gut leben kann, sondern weil Lauren Oliver mich wieder so sehr begeistern konnte.

Ayant bcp aimé le premier tome, je me suis laissée embarquer dans ce deuxième : je n'ai pas été déçue, l'histoire est très prenante!

As a sequel it is unusual to surpass a first in a series novel, but for me this did. I liked Delirium, I loved this. Again I don't usually like books which use the alternating chapters of now and then, but here it really worked and I literally galloped through the story as both time lines were equally thrilling. I guess that's the key here, this is a real thriller as well as being YA fantasy/romance novel. The lead character Lena has really grown, we see her morphing from being a fairly confused girl into a young woman with a purpose, and someone who knows what she believes in. The novel opens with Lena living in New York attending a school there, however it is soon explained that she is part of an undercover group of uncured people who are now forming a resistance. In the next chapter we are taken back to the moment Lena crossed the border fence and where she had presumed her boyfriend Alex had died. Both story lines are as exciting: following Lena desperately fighting to survive with her fellow resistors as they travel from northern New York state to the south to find warmer climes for the winter and in the alternate timeline where Lena is kidnapped a long with a antideliria advocate and it is their relationship that fascinates here. This is such a brilliant book, and as an older person I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I think this is for any age group and anyone who appreciates their freedom of speech and thought, which ultimately this is about.

YAのディストピア系のお話って２巻目はなんかちょっと中だるみで面白くないな・・と感じる事が多いんですが、deliriumのラブストーリーっぽい感じから雰囲気がガラッと変わった展開になるし、物語が進むテンポが良く、スピード感もあってとても面白かったです。