Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: YA - Dystopian

"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.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite." ~See it on Goodreads

------------------------------------------------

So I finally got my hands on Pandemonium! I was going nuts waiting for it ever since I read Delirium which I loved! And I’m glad to say this one did not disappoint.

This book switches between “Then” (which is right after Lena makes it into the Wilds and how she adjusts to that life, ect.) and “Now”(which is the present time where Lena is active in the Resistance). I know some people don’t really like the whole switching back and forth thing and found it confusing, but it didn’t bother me and I liked getting to see everything that happened in when she first came to the Wilds and at the same time not missing any of the action from current events.

I really liked that we got to see Lena grow and change even more in this book, she’s brave, strong, and more confident in herself and what she can do. There are several new characters in this book, one of the more significant ones being Julian. At first I just wasn’t all that sure about him but as the story went on he started to grow on me. His beliefs and actions in the beginning were similar to Lena’s beliefs and actions in the first book before she met Alex. Julian does start to change as the story goes on and his eyes are opened to the way things really are and you see how he grows from that knowledge. 

Pandemonium is a lot more action packed than Delirium was, which I loved. I think it added a new element to the story, and I liked the fact that Lena kicked some butt haha. It kept me glued to the pages just as much (if not more) as Delirium did. 

One thing I’m on the fence about is the whole Lena Julian thing, while I do like him, I’m not sure if I like him with Lena. But I may be biased because I loved Alex so much in the first book. But I guess we’ll see how it all pans out in Requiem.

And I have to say the cliffhanger at the end was horrible! This was basically my reaction 

So obviously I will be anxiously waiting for Requiem to come out!!

4.5 Stars!

Review: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

Title: Liesl and Po
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Fantasy - Middle Grade - Paranormal

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places. ~See it on Goodreads

-----------------------------------------------

I absolutely loved Liesl and Po, I just had to get that out there haha. I love Lauren Oliver’s work and was so ineffably excited to finally get to read it. 

I do mostly read YA and Adult books, but every now and then I’ll venture back into the middle grade section and come across a new gem and of course Liesl and Po was no exception. This book presents a gentle and poignant depiction of love and loss and it also incorporates a wonderfully magical essence into it. For a middle grade book I think the topic of death/dying was handled in a really great way, it can be a hard thing to cover for younger readers but this was done perfectly. I also thought the writing itself was extremely well done, it never once felt too mature, boring, or cheesy which can sometimes be the case in middle grade books and I’m so glad that wasn’t the case for this book.

Another thing I loved about the book were the drawings that are sprinkled throughout, they’re just simple pencil drawings but I think they add a bit of charm and whimsy to the book.

I adored Po he was most definitely my favorite character, he was very thoughtful and interesting. I do wish I could have learned a bit more about him though. I liked Will a lot too, he is such a sweet and courageous boy. I liked Liesl, although a few times she got a tiny bit bratty with Po and Will, but for the most part she was likable and smart, and she had a bit of spunk to her.

I kind of wish this book had been a bit longer because I loved the world and characters so much. But even though it was a little short, I immensely enjoyed this book. If you’re a fan of middle grade, or just looking for a magical, charming adventure with a lovely message and great characters, Liesl and Po is definitely recommended.

4 Stars!

“And this, really, is the story-within-the-story, because if you do not believe that hearts can bloom suddenly bigger, and that love can open like a flower out of even the hardest places, then I am afraid that for you the world will be long and brown and barren, and you will have trouble finding the light. But if you do believe, then you already know all about magic.” ~Liesl and Po

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium 

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA - Dystopian 


"Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love." ~Goodreads

----------------------------------------------

I’d had Delirium on my shelf for the longest time and finally got around to reading it, and man am I glad I did!

In the world that Ms. Oliver created everyone believes that “Love” or “Amor Deliria Nervosa” as they call it is a disease, and scientists have found a cure for it. Everyone gets this cure at the age of 18 (in most cases) boys and girls are also kept as separated as possible until they are able to be cured so that there isn’t any risk of them falling in love. The government is extremely controlling and ultimately you’re future is up to them. This story had such a realness to it which made it seem like this could actually be something that happened to our world in the future. Which if you think about it, it’s actually pretty creepy.

The whole story was full of rich and beautiful details and I was immersed in it completely. I loved the characters, Lena is an awesome heroine and I was really able to identify and connect with her. She wasn’t perfect and she experiences real emotions which made her real, and you get to see her grow as the story progresses. And Alex, sigh.. I have to admit I fell in love with his character, he’s brave but he has secrets but once I got to know more about his character it was a done deal lol. I also liked Hana, Lena’s best friend. She’s got some spunk to her and likes to challenge the rules.

As for the romance in the book, it was gorgeous and touching. I adore Lena and Alex as a couple; they’re such a good fit together. I was really glad that it wasn’t an intsa-romance; the author took her time and wrote it so that it built up at a good pace, definitely perfection.

Overall I was totally captivated by this story, I can easily see where the hype for this book came from and why everyone raved about it in reviews, it was brilliant. And to put it simply, I loved this book! Can’t wait to get my hands on more of Ms. Oliver’s work!

4.5 Stars!

“And now I know why they invented words for love, why they had to: It's the only thing that can come close to describing what I feel in that moment, the baffling mixture of pain and pleasure and fear and joy, all running sharply through me at once.” 

~Delirium