Hello bookaholics!
Today I'm going to talk to you about the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver, the first book is Delirium, the second one is Pandemonium and the final one is Requiem. Delirium is set in a dystopian world where love is considered as a disease that people get "cured" of at the age of 18. I made a review for the first book that explains the world building and gets a bit into the details without spoiling. You can check it HERE, read the whole series then comeback to read this review because I will spoil you. I rated the whole series four out of five stars.
That's all I can say without spoiling you. If you haven't read the series yet go away, read it, then comeback. This post isn't going anywhere.
------------------------------
SPOILER SECTION
------------------------------
Okay, let's talk about the first book. More specifically the ending. Have you seen it coming? I didn't expect Alex to "die", and even when Lean said that she watched him fall covered in blood I KNEW he wasn't dead. Rule #1 in books folks, if the author doesn't literally say that he's dead, he probably isn't dead. During the whole second book I was waiting for him to pop in again, but he didn't until the very end. When Raven said that someone escaped the crypts I knew it was Alex. But we'll get to that later.
Pandemonium is my favorite book in the trilogy. I liked how the writing was divided between now and then and how the end of each chapter is a cliffhanger. I also loved how Lena was coping with Alex's "death", how she divided herself to an old Lena and a new Lena, the new one built on the ruins of the old one. “But you can build a future out of anything. A scrap, a flicker. The desire to go forward, slowly, one foot at a time. You can build an airy city out of ruins.” It reminded me of how in the first book Lena always felt like she was two people, one that followed the rules and one that said "grey" on the day of her evaluation. Lena was always split in half, always shifting, always changing and that's one of the things that I loved most about her. We got to see her transform from the Lena who couldn't even think about breaking the rules to the Lena that kills to survive.
Another major character development we got to see in the second book is Julian's. He was this boy who believed in the cure so much, who was willing to give his life in order to support it, then he joined the Resistance. I loved how we got to see him and Lena fall in love, which we didn't exactly get to see when she was with Alex, who we practically knew nothing about. He was this boy "with auburn hair, burning, a crown of leaves" who was the first boy who spoke to Lena and whom Lena fell in love with after he kissed her. I couldn't but compare them to Juliette and Adam from "Shatter me" series (Check my review about it HERE) where Juliette fell in love with Adam because he was the first boy who spoke to her, like, ever.
Let's try to compare Lena's relationship with both of Alex and Julian. So Alex was her first love. He told her her mother was alive. He sacrificed his life trying to get her safely to the Wilds. Julian on the other hand talked to her. She felt more comfortable around him more than she did with Alex and he was so sweet and gentle and understanding. Then when Alex came back he was ANGRY because Lena has moved on and fell in love again. Come on dude, she thought you were dead. Everyone did. But nooooo; he kept being mean to her and trying to make her jealous.
Anyway.
I loved how Lena was reunited with her mom. It wasn't too dramatic or cliché. They took their time to catch up, they understood that the Resistance is more important than them being together like a normal mother and daughter.
Speaking of reuniting, let's talk about Hana in the third book. First of all, the point of views. I loved reading from Hana's POV. I was always curious about how a cured person's mind worked. And even though Hana wasn't completely cured, it kind of counts. I haven't read the short story that Lauren Oliver wrote about Hana, so I had no idea that she was the one who told on Alex and Lena. Hana said that she felt guilty a lot of times, and I assumed she felt guilty about helping them escape. But then comes this part:
But the guilt goes even deeper than that. It, too, is dust: Layers and layers of it have accumulated.
Because if it weren’t for me, Lena and Alex would never have been caught at all.
I told on them.
I was jealous.
God forgive me, for I have sinned.
I sat in my room, mouth hanging open, staring at the words. I needed to stop reading and walk or something.
Then comes the part where Lena and Hana meet again and I was expecting Hana to run to Lena and hug her. Instead they sat in the car, not talking. Then Hana and Lena were alone in the kitchen, and I expected Hana to tell her that she wasn't totally cured and that she still feels and that she remember Lena and misses her. Instead they fight then talk then separate. I'm reading the book screaming in my head SHE'S YOUR BEST FRIEND HUG HER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. Naturally fictional characters do not obey my mental shouts.
The last chapter from Hana's point of view ends with her running from her house, leaving it behind to burn with her husband (whom I hated from that first scene in the car with Hana). Hana is running towards the unknown future and the chapter ends. I'm screaming what is to become of her? Does she join the resistance? Does she find Lena? Does she run to the Wilds? We will never know.
Back to Lena, when she leaves Hana's house and finds Grace. Grace was hiding,terrified, while the house was going down in flames, her Aunt has left her behind and fled and I was so angry. I don't think I could've handled it if Gracie died. But then Lena rescued her and went back to the wall. Of course then she found Alex and she picked him over Julian then she went to the wall with Grace to tear it down along with thousands of other people and the book ends.
Just like that.
I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Well first of all after Alex and Lena kiss and decide to get back together, how could that happen? They spend a WHOLE BOOK avoiding each other, growing apart and falling in love with other people then BAM! back together again. I could let that go, I mean they were each other's first love so whatever. But what about Julian? The poor kid has nobody. He was so patient. He wasn't mad when Lena wouldn't talk to him because Alex was back. He was always there for her. It's not fair for him! At the end of the book I was hoping that he died so that Lena wouldn't have to breakup with him (yes, I was that desperate) but then she sees him at the wall and avoids him.
Also, what happened to her mom? Will she stay? Will she leave?
Who was in charge? Did the Resistance win?
What about the other towns? Taking down the Portland wall doesn't necessarily mean that the Resistance has won and that it's all rainbows and butterflies.
And again, what happened with Hana?
I feel like the ending was a bit (a lot) rushed, though it's clear that it's not what it all resolved into that Lauren Oliver wanted the reader's attention directed to, it's the message behind it. Taking down the walls. The last part of the book reads:
Take down the walls.
That is, after all, the whole point. You do not know what will happen if you take down the walls; you cannot see through to the other side, don’t know whether it will bring freedom or ruin, resolution or chaos. It might be paradise or destruction.
Take down the walls.
Otherwise you must live closely, in fear, building barricades against the unknown, saying prayers against the darkness, speaking verse of terror and tightness.
Otherwise you may never know hell; but you will not find heaven, either. You will not know fresh air and flying.
All of you, wherever you are: in your spiny cities, or your one-bump towns. Find it, the hard stuff, the links of metal and chink, the fragments of stone filling your stomach. And pull, and pull, and pull.
I will make a pact with you: I will do it if you will do it, always and forever.
Take down the walls.
The message is clear. But I wanted more. I expected more from the last book. It could've been a bit longer and Lauren could've answered all the questions that I'm certain everyone who read Delirium is asking. My final rating of the books id the following:
Delirium: 4 stars
Pandemonium: 5 stars
Requiem: 4 stars
Oh, and I LOVED Lauren Oliver's writing style.
What did you think about the series? Let me know in the comments bellow and please let me know what series should I read next. Summer is long and I have nothing but reading to do.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram HERE where I upload pictures of the books I'm reading (along with other pictures) and on goodreads HERE.
Check out my review of Before I Fall, another book by Lauren Oliver HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment