Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, published 2012 by Hodder & Stoughton.
Read: October 2014
Genre: Young Adult/Sci-Fi/Dystopia/Romance/Adventure
Source: Purchased
#Pages: 329
Get It Now: Wordery
Goodreads Synopsis: The eagerly anticipated sequel to the international bestseller Delirium, one of the most addictive books of last year. Unflinching, heartbreaking and totally addictive, this novel will push your emotions to the limit.
Lena’s been to the very edge. She’s questioned love and the life-changing and agonising choices that come with it. She’s made her decision. But can she survive the consequences? Pandemonium is the explosive sequel to the critically acclaimed and best-selling Delirium.
The Review
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Delirium, and was excited to continue reading about Lena and her life in this dystopian society. I had a minor issue with the first book, in that I felt the pacing was quite slow, but this wasn’t a problem in book two at all. This story was heart-breaking, and incredibly well-written, and while there is the introduction of a love triangle, it is well-explained, logical and didn’t cause me to get annoyed, just upset on behalf of the fictional-in-love characters. I know, I am that sad.
This installment of the story has much more action, and an entirely different setting than we are used to seeing. It’s much more raw and offers realistic scenarios and viewpoints (I think, after all, I’ve never been on the run from a dystopian society!). The story is told from Lena’s viewpoint, but from two different time periods – “Then” and “Now”. I loved this, it shook things up a bit but flowed very well, I never felt confused throughout the story-telling, and if anything, I enjoyed jumping from past to future. It allowed the reader to see both what happened immediately after book one left off, and what is happening in Lena’s life now, but in a way that makes you anxious to read on to get to the chapters that continue the past or present story – does that make sense?
The “Then” and “Now” narration also gave us the chance to see just how much Lena has developed as a character, as she learns to stand on her own two feet, becoming much more independent in the Wilds. The pacing felt just right in this novel, and I loved getting a really detailed insight into how the “Invalids” lived, the mini-societal structures they had developed and their methods of survival. A whole host of new characters are introduced in this book, and I grew to love each and every one for entirely different reasons.
I loved that this book touched on some of the political undertones going on in the society, it was clearly a well-thought-out plot, and something that is often missing from dystopian reads. The introduction of Julian’s character and his back story was also an element I enjoyed. I can’t say too much without giving away some bigger spoilers, but I liked him and therefore felt conflicted at times over how much I loved Alex in Delirium.
Quotables
“The flip side of freedom is this: when you’re completely free, you’re also completely on your own.”
The Rating
4.5/5
The ending of this book blew me away and made me grasp for book three, Requiem, as if my life depended on it. I did enjoy it more than Delirium and I can’t wait to see where this story goes! I was majorly disappointed to discover that the Delirium TV show pilot I had been so eager to watch upon finishing book one is no longer available. Apparently, it was only released for 24 days back in July, or some such nonsense, and I’m suitably raging! If anyone knows where I can still see it, be a doll and hook a girl up??
Confessions of a Book Geek 