This little gem was
another gift from Hodder & Stoughton. I’d heard about it before; there are
a lot of reviews comparing it to the Hunger Games and Twilight series. I can
say with little doubt that Delirium is much, much better than Twilight! As for
the Hunger Games books, I haven’t read them – I keep meaning to, but to be
honest I think I’d rather keep girl crushing on Jennifer Lawrence on screen…
Back to the point,
dystopian fiction isn’t usually my first port of call; I’m always a bit cynical
of it for some reason. But Lauren Oliver actually had me enthralled early on –
I finished this within a few days, and that’s with 25 hours of uni a week! Delirium is about Lena Haloway of
Portland, Oregon who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where love is a disease –
those with it are shunned and teenagers undergo a procedure to prevent ‘catching’
it. Oliver constructs this clinical and harsh world with brilliant precision
and description, juxtaposed with the rebellious personalities of Lena and Alex.
If I have to pick out
a criticism it’s only that at times it was slightly too lovey and mushy for me!
I don’t generally go in for all that though so generally I doubt readers would
find it too over the top. Other than that, you’ve got an original storyline,
believable and warm characters and a series of exciting events. Without giving
away the end, Oliver ends the book on the most tense cliffhanger that I
just can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series!
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