Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Yo!

Today I present to you yet another review of a dystopian novel (honestly, I can't get enough of them these days!). When I read dystopian themed novels, I am able to actually imagine every good genre being mixed together to give us something extraordinary and never though up of. It's like reading a fantasy story, yet again it's sort of like reality. Then there's romance; then adventure; then action, and it all leads up to a jaw dropping ending. But of course there's always a sequel to make up for it and save us from hanging from a cliff.

So lets begin with this new review of 'Delirium'.....

                                   

Our protagonist is named Lena Haloway, whose last name also goes by the name 'Tiddle', which is her aunt's last name. In her society, there is a disease called 'Amor Deliria Nervosa' which is very dangerous if a person  contracted it. Okay, I know what you all who haven't read this book yet would say. 'What the heebie jeebies is Amor Deliria Nervosa!?'. Well there is only one way to answer that question for you...it means falling in love. YES, this society disapproves of love and during a few pages of the novel, you'll learn that the society believes that love is a dangerous disease that could make people go ballistic and kill people, including themselves. In chapter 10, it also states all the potential symptoms of Deliria including difficulty focusing and dry mouth which is just some of the symptoms of phase 1, then in phase 2, the symptoms get worse such as paranoia and rapid weight loss or weight gain. The last phase which is phase 4 has the most fatal symptoms such as emotional or physical paralysis and even death. There is a cure for this so called disease though, which takes a surgical procedure, and it so happens that Lena, who is also 18 in the novel, will be getting her procedure very soon.

Although Lena is super duper obedient to the regulations and laws and even appears to inhibit any kind of love she feels, that all ends when she meets this guy named Alex. When she first sees him, she doesn't know what to think. First of all, its already overwhelming, being that he is a male and Lena has never had a regular conversation with a male boy before, but it's also something about Alex that makes Lena feel different and even happy. Lena soon falls in love with Alex, and tries her best to hide her love for him from her friends and family members. The story then takes a dramatic turn and Lena's life changes forever.

This novel doesn't just focus on Lena's relationship with her new boyfriend Alex, but it focuses a lot on the family type of love other then the romantic type. Lena knows that she loves her family members and her best friend Hana, but being she lives in a society that disapproves of love, she begins to feel uneasy about her relationships with any of her family members. And although many of the people in her lives have talked about her mother, saying that she was a crazy person who didn't care about her life and her children's lives, Lena can't bring herself to hate her mom, and actually misses her dearly. In the novel, Lena learns that love isn't evil at all and it is what we need to be able to get through our lives and live our lives to the best extent.

I'd give this novel 9 stars, and I thought that it was a splendid read and I had no regrets what so ever for even picking the book up. Although the beginning and few chapters were sort of a lag to me, when she met Alex it seemed that her whole attitude and personality hopped on a meadow of flowers and the book seemed to light up. I enjoyed reading about her relationship with Hana and her conversations with her as well. I also loved reading about Lena's 2 younger cousins Grace and Jenny. Whenever Lena narrated about them, I had no other reaction than 'Awww!' or 'Oh my gosh, they are so cute!'. And although Lena seemed a little too obedient in the beginning, she showed us the badass in her, and her ability to explore all over Portland for whatever reason it may have been (like meeting Alex or making sure Hana was okay) without getting caught by the regulators.

My favorite character from this novel would have to be Hana. To me she seemed like the best BFF any girl could ever have. Not only was Lena able to describe how beautiful she was, but she also stuck with Lena even after all the harsh words Lena was confronting her with during the story. She didn't seem to take offense from all the secrets that Lena had been keeping from her, and honestly if that was me, I'd be pissed if my friends were keeping all those exciting secrets from me for that long, lol. I also like how Hana is just so free spirited and also open about it to Lena and how fun she can be when they're together.

When I was reading this novel, for the setting, I thought about regular neighborhoods like one that I live in, and also forests and dark woods when I thought about the wilds. I was able to depict the homestead where Alex once lived and all the trailers that encircled it.

                          

                           


Favorite Quote(s) from the novel:

“You can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes".”

“I guess that’s just part of loving people: You have to give things up. Sometimes you even have to give them up.” 

“Everyone is asleep. They've all been asleep for years. You seemed ... awake.' Alex is whispering now. He closes his eyes, opens them again.'I'm tired of sleeping.” 

“You, Lena Haloway,” she says, “are a legend.”

-LIA <3