BOOK REVIEW - Delirium By Lauren Oliver

I just finished reading this book about an hour ago (I know, everyone has already read this), and I knew that I needed to put up a review ASAP. My thought vomit (is that even a term), needed to be put down on cyber paper. I really couldn't wait any longer.

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: 2011

Rating: ★★★1/2







"There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the ends of the Earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure" - Published by Hodder

Delirium is told by 17 year old Lena, and is set in a dystopian United States. The government has declared love a disease, more commonly known as 'amor deliria nervosa' or the 'delirium'. In order to 'protect' the US of this disease, they have created a cure, a surgical procedure involving the brain that everyone will undergo once they have turned 18, and will take away their ability to love. Resisting is punishable by death. Lena has always counted down the days until her procedure. She believes it will make her happy and safe. Until one day she does the unthinkable. She falls in love.

- - -

:O < Actually my face after I finished this novel.

At first when I heard about Delirium, I was very sceptical. I didn't really know how I would be able to connect to the book, and I also thought it would just be another plain predictable storyline. BOY WAS I WRONG.

After the first chapter of reading this book, I had instantly connected with the main character Lena. Not because we were extremely similar or anything like that, it was just that I understood exactly why she believed what she did; that the cure would be saving her from an extremely deadly disease. The writing of this book is really incredible, after that first chapter I knew how this could actually happen in real life. I understood exactly how the world came to that. When I was reading The Hunger Games, which is another dystopian world novel, I struggled to understand just why they were there. It wasn't a main issue or theme in the story, and was touched on very lightly. Don't get me wrong, they are some of my favourite novels, but it was something I feel the story lacked. But with Delirium, I really did just feel like another character living in the world. Lauren Oliver has literally written out a whole new world (cue the Aladdin music), and has done an amazing job of it.

One thing about these books that I also really love, and find very creative, is how at the start of each chapter it will have a verse, excerpt or quote from a book in the story. Example (taken from chapter 1):

"The most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well.
—Proverb 42, The Book of Shhh"

They all really help you to understand the mind set of people living in this world, and it also gives you more information about the rules and restrictions.


There is also the perfect amount of romance in this novel! But don't worry, even though love is the main theme of this book, it's not too much or too cheesy. Love in this novel is not the way we see love today, it is seen as a fatal disease that must be erased from the Earth. How they were describing it in the novel almost made me believe that it was a disease for a second, by describing the symptoms of  increased heart-rate and disorientation as signs of having the Deliria.

 

The end was also very unexpected, and had a huge twist... which I won't say anything about, my lips are sealed ;)

The only thing that kind of let me down in this book was that it was a little slow paced, not in any way boring, I just sometimes felt that the story took a little while to unfold. There were also some main characters that I felt weren't really developed properly, but also many that I felt were developed amazingly! This is only me being particular though, and they really weren't major
issues.

I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book, I'm looking at it on my bookshelf right now, but I promised myself I wouldn't start till tomorrow.. getting no sunlight for one whole day isn't the best.

I might go take a peek now.
No. I won't.
But you will definitely see a review of it soon.

I would absolutely recommend this book.
Three and a half stars.



Hope you all had a great mothers day!

Love,
Bee x