Review: Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

I am pretty sure this review will not do the book any justice but I will try. Because really, Lauren Oliver is just one of the most brilliant writers I have ever read of.

If Delirium made you catch amor deliria nervosa, the prepare yourself to be completely infected in Pandemonium.

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver
Pages: 375
Release Date: February 28th 2012
Published by: Hodder & Stoughton
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Most of what's in Pandemonium has surprised me in a lot of ways. Delirium was intense but Pandemonium just blew me away.

What I'm really glad for in this book is how Lena has finally broke free. Free of the society that has caged her in ways she only realizes now. Lena was broken and tormented, faced death repeatedly and the pain, the hurt, the anger, the cold bitter truths she found has given birth to a new Lena. Strong, determined to fight for what she wants, for what she loves, for what she believes in. Delirium had me convinced that Lena was just another girl who wanted to experienced the forbidden, but Pandemonium had just made me admire Lena in ways I can't properly express. Some might not agree with the choices she had made but the tragedy and the suffering she had experienced in the Wilds, being treated as an Invalid, those are the things that forged the Lena that survived. It kept her alive. It made her desperate, it made her afraid, but most of all it made her strong. And who can blame her for that?

Julian was one of the biggest surprise that made me take a step back while reading the book. I was as weary and suspicious as Lena with his character at first, but the hardships they experienced has transformed this wounded, dying boy into a character to watch out for. Julian has been exposed to a lot more things that just makes him think of deliria and what it can do to people who is infected with it but I think deep down, like everyone else, he wants to know what it feels like. From being the rich, poster boy for a movement that seems to make everything much worse, Julian is slowly forming his own distinct personality and I am looking forward to seeing how his character evolves.

What made me sad though, as always, is the love triangle. Can anyone honestly convince me that no one gets hurt in the last book? I guess in love there will always be someone who has to lose for someone to win. One who has to let go for one to take what is his. I'm pretty sure this book will crush my heart into little pieces when that time comes. Lena's constant comparison of Alex to Julian and vice versa makes me feel a little bit of a heartache. I do believe that in a world where love is treated as a deadly disease that should be eradicated, you shouldn't let go of it when Love presents itself. Maybe that's what Lena was trying to get across when she gave herself a chance. No one said it was easy for her when she crossed over. She loved and lost, and like everyone else, she deserves another chance at it.

Once again, Lauren Oliver takes us into a provocative reading journey with this awe inspiring sequel. It makes one think of just how much love repairs and heals and how much it destroys. Do we really need to get rid of love? Can we really live without it? The secrets Delirium presented are starting to unravel one by one, and I can only imagine what Requiem has in store for all the avid readers of this series! Drown in exhilarating emotions, be shocked with countless surprises and twists, meet new people which you will all learn to love and hate, discover more of what happens in a world without love, and just be in awe of how much powerful a story teller Lauren Oliver is with this book. 

Lauren Oliver infected the readers with Amor Deliria Nervosa in Delirium, and upon reading Pandemonium, no one will wish to be cured. I fell in love with this book hard, and I don't think I want to recover. Lauren Oliver's stunningly beautiful prose about a world voided of love and the consequences of lacking such an emotion continues to enthrall the readers!

My rating:

Content (plot, story flow, character):

This sequel delivers, and if you love Delirium, Pandemonium will just make you love the series even more!

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:

Wonderful!

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.