Delirium Review (spoiler-free!)

Thursday, December 2, 2010


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 governments 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.

Taken from GoodReads.

Delirium follows the story of Lena, a teenage girl just months away from being cured of a heinous disease on her 18th birthday. The disease? It's love. Scientists have declared it to be the root of all physical ailments and now mandate that all people upon turning 18 must be cured. Lena has had a rocky past with a family history of sympathizers, pain, and great tragedy, but she trusts society and can't wait to be cured. She never thought that she would encounter something that she thought couldn't happen to her...she falls in love, and she has to decide if love is right or if she's on a path to true happiness.

I'm probably one of the few that didn't finish Before I Fall, simply because I couldn't get into it. That said, I found that I really adored Lauren Oliver's writing style, so I was excited to give Delirium a go. Once again, Lauren Oliver's writing is near-perfect, mastering a difficult tense – first person/present – with ease. She created both a world and an incredible character voice for Lena that makes it impossible for you not to be drawn into the world Lena lives in.

Dystopian is a hit right now, and the key is finding a fresh and original idea. Delirium presents a future society where love is outlawed, and a pseudo-labotomy is performed to keep citizens from suffering. Lena knows firsthand though that an absence of love can create a disconnect, and though she implicitly trusts the law, she has a nagging fear in the back of her mind. She's a completely tangible character with the desire to right her family's wrongs, but love intervenes and she must decide her own path. Complete with a cast of secondary characters including Alex and Hanna, Delirium is a stunning and realistic portrayal of a teenage girl's journey to find herself, despite the futuristic dystopian setting.

I'm not one to go by hype alone, but I'll keep singing Delirium's praises because it is a truly novel (no pun intended) idea with incredible writing and characters to back it. I give it a perfect 5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy dystopian and romance, as well as coming of age tales. This title releases on February 1, 2011.

I received this book free of charge from HarperCollins and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

24 comments:

  1. I'm in the middle of the book right now and like you said, it is really good! Sort of reminded me of the book The Giver and Unwind. Must finish reading this, soon!

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  2. I'm really looking forward to this one. I loved Before I Fall. I wonder if you'd like it better if you tried it again. It's one of those books that gets better as it goes on - as the main character becomes less angry and less "#itchy."

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  3. Beautiful review Melissa, and thanks for making it spoiler free, I can't wait to read it! I'm on a dystopian kick at the moment, so I have high hopes for this one. Love that Lena is realistic and relatable despite the setting!

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  4. I have an ARC of this to read and after reading your review, I seriously need to consider bumping it up on my list. The topic is so intriguing and like nothing I've read before. Excellent review!!

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  5. A perfect 5 ? NICE! Now I know I have to read this :)

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  6. You couldn't get into Before I Fall? :( It's one of my favorites this year.

    I'm so happy that you enjoyed Delirium though. I can't wait to have a physical copy of it. Fantastic review!

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  7. I'm so excited about this one! Can't wait until February. I'm glad you liked it even though you couldn't get into Before I Fall. Thanks for the review!

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  8. Great review, I so want to read this one, dystopian YA is just so fresh and good

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  9. I adored this book!! I actually really disliked 'Before I Fall,' but I wanted to give this one a shot because the premise sounded so interesting. I can't wait for the next two books! I'm going to post my review closer to the release date, I think. =)

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  10. Thanks for the review. It sounds amazing, I can't wait to read it :)

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  11. Hm... a 5/5?! I haven't read the first one, but now I'm curious enough to pick that one up to get to this one. I need to get into the dystopian genre.

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  12. I felt the same way about Before I Fall. I loved the writing style but I found it hard to get into the story.

    I'm reading this next and I can't wait to get started!

    Thanks for posting a great spoiler free review!!!

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  13. I'm dying to reed this book!! I just can't wait!

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  14. I've yet to read Before I Fall, but I've heard so much hype about both that and this one. Delirium has to be the book I'm most excited to read next year though, so I'm excited you enjoyed it as much as you did. This will probably be the first book I read on my NOOK come Christmas!

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  15. Melissa,

    First person/present is probably my least favorite writing style for books but I really admire those that can pull it off effortlessly. I have yet to read Before I Fall, but I have also heard high praise for it, and I'm surprised to learn it didn't work for you.

    Dystopian quickly became one of my favorite genres this year, so I will have to add this one to my TBR. It sounds great!

    P.S. Every time I see your no pun intended stuff it makes me laugh.

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  16. Now I'm even more excited for this book! :D

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  17. love this review. wow.

    so cant wait to read this. it seems like a long way away....


    x

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  18. I am in totally agreement with you about Delirium. While I did like Before I Fall, I loved Delirium, Oliver is a fantastic writer and Delirium proves this without a shadow of a doubt. Terrific review and if I hadn't already read this I would be heading out to buy this asap.

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  19. Love your review. I am currently reading this and I hope to finish it tonight :)

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  20. I really LOVED this novel, not sure why the writing effected me so much, I had a very hard time with her last book Before I Fall...I think I just got caught up in the Forbidden aspect of the story...:D

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  21. I’m so eager to read this one. Your review has me even more excited. Thanks Melissa!

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  22. I wasn't crazy about Before I Fall (it's the book I mention in the blog hop discussion) but I did admire Oliver's writing, and I'm looking forward to this one. Nice review!

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  23. This sounds amazing! I'm in such a dystopian state of mind lately. I just can't get enough!

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  24. I've read so many good reviews! This book is a must-buy! :)

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