Delirium by Lauren Oliver
February 1, 2010 by HarperTeen
Hardcover, 440 Pages
Review Copy
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 governments 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.
Review
Love is what makes the world go round. It heals hearts, cures the sick and defeats the impossible. In Lena’s world, love is the disease that makes people rebel, be bitter, start wars and breeds foolish determination that result in total debauchery. In this society..there is a solution: love can be eliminated with a little thing called lobotomy-- and with a little piece of the brain removed people cant form their silly little attachments. If they cant love then they cant hate and if they cant hate then no war, no misdeeds, no crime, no divorce…no danger. The society has it down to the T, that is if they can catch the disease before 18. And what happens to a miserable one riddled with Amor Deliria? They get thrown into the Crypts where slavery and imprisonment take on new meaning- where hard work physically drains them and the love they cant escape eats away at them until theres nothing left.
Lena is fast approaching the date of her surgery. She’s picked a life-mate, a career and his no plans to go against the rules. She doesn’t want to be infected with disease, she wants normal, stoic, predictable. Lena wants to sit in her house, with her job and her snifflely picked mate not worrying about living life the way her mother did. She has a plan and that plan is not to be toyed with...but Lena wasn’t planning on a big metal wrench getting thrown at her head. She wasn’t expecting her heart to race, her body to sweat, her mind to melt and her stomach to flip when she fell in love with Alex. She didn’t realize societies disease brought with it exquisite pleasure, love bursting through her and fear that she never knew could exist. As Alex and Lena fall in love, they both know the outcome is going to be devastating.
Alex has some secrets about the outside world and wants to escape with Lena, but her mind is so rooted in the society’s laws its hard for her to disconnect from everything inside her. Even being in-love and risking getting caught doesn’t compare with trying to escape. As Lena gets closer to the date of her surgery, summer love and carefree days become to short and the nights begin to slip away, fear begins to creep in and the pain of having to lose Alex almost overwhelms her. Lena knows that a choice is going to have to be made and soon.....can she still settle for the mediocre, society run life? Can she live without Alex and take a chance on being sent into the Crypts or will her surgery be her death sentence?
Alex has some secrets about the outside world and wants to escape with Lena, but her mind is so rooted in the society’s laws its hard for her to disconnect from everything inside her. Even being in-love and risking getting caught doesn’t compare with trying to escape. As Lena gets closer to the date of her surgery, summer love and carefree days become to short and the nights begin to slip away, fear begins to creep in and the pain of having to lose Alex almost overwhelms her. Lena knows that a choice is going to have to be made and soon.....can she still settle for the mediocre, society run life? Can she live without Alex and take a chance on being sent into the Crypts or will her surgery be her death sentence?
Delirium offers a fantastic dystopian world that sets the background stage for a moving love story which seemed written with flawless effort. It was beautiful, haunting and powerful and I haven’t been this effected by a YA book in a very long time. I think perhaps a little “amor deliria” has hit me and her name is Lauren Oliver! I will be buying my own lovely hardback copy tomorrow....
Rating
Delirium is recommended to mature teens and contains: Violence, sensuality, language, underage drinking, teen party's, brainwashing, suspense and............Love!
5/5- YA Dystopian-Romance
Copy from ARC Tours
Beautiful review, Tina! I also reviewed this today, so we are twins :) I liked it, but I don't think I loved. However, I enjoyed it enough that I will be picking up the next book in the trilogy. Our girl Lena showed quite a bit of grit there at the end, didn't she? You never thought she had it at the beginning!
ReplyDelete-Linds, bibliophile brouhaha
Awesome review, Tina! I loved loved loved this book, and I'm so glad (for a change) that this is a part of a series. I loved the Lena actually had a spine :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review and I agree this girl had a spine and it was great story.
ReplyDeleteT!
ReplyDeleteI have yet to hear anything but high praise for Delirium, so why haven't I read it yet?
Glad you got hit by the amor deliria stick too! :D
Yay Tina so glad you loved this one as well! It was definitely haunting and powerful, and I completely adored it:) I can't wait for the next book now, but of course, we must wait. Boo:( Really nice review!
ReplyDeleteWonderful review Tina. This is definitely a powerful and emotional book :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I now need to read this book! It sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteA 5 you say? Read this I must!
ReplyDelete(Sorry I just had a Yoda moment at your expense)
*Eeep!*
ReplyDeleteI was JUST at the bookstore, and they didn't have this out on the shelves yet! I MUST go back!!! Awesome review! :D
I agree completely. I absolutely LOVED this book. :)
ReplyDelete