Review: Delirium

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Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 448
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Library
Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.
Delirium. Umm... I don't know what to say. This was probably the most hyped up book I've ever read, and I was expecting a lot. Was it a good book? Definitely. Is it the best book I've ever read? Probably not. It is a book I'd recommend to everyone though.

Delirium was about Lena who lives in a society that believes love— also known as amor deliria nervosa— is a disease. And not just any disease. It's one of the worst diseases ever. But don't worry, there's a cure that can be recorded near the 18th birthday of someone. Lena can't wait for the cure. She lives ashamed of the fact that two members of her near family, her mother and her sister, were both infected. All that changes when Lena meets Alex.

Lena's a character I instantly related to. She's hard on the outside because she's had a hard past and she's scared. Lena wants to believe in the easier options and never tries to break the rules, telling herself over an over that the rules are for her own protection. I completely understand that about her. When she meets Alex, it isn't some "Oh, I love you!" at first sight thing where Lena instantly ignores everything she's ever known. Her relationship with Alex is a gradual process. They both aren't perfect characters. They both have their flaws, but they have undeniable chemistry as a couple.

The best thing (to me) about Delirium is the world Lauren Oliver has created. It's complex and real. While the ideas are twisted, there is a truth to them. It makes so much sense and it's a complete world that I can easily imagine. What helps me imagine this world is that before each chapter, there's a short passage ranging from a sentence to a few paragraphs that comes from something written in the world of Delirium. I loved reading the passages and recognizing things and seeing how they were changed.

The plot was paced really well, if not a bit slow in the beginning. It took time for Lena to reach her epiphanies and they were all real and shocking. I was rooting for her the whole time. This wasn't a very predictable story. While I had an idea of what the ending would be like, the process completely blew me away. There were so many scenes that I love, and Delirium is one of the only books I plan to reread someday. (I'm not a fan of rereads.) The end was absolutely shocking and I can't wait to see what happens next to Lena and Alex.

All in all, I really enjoyed Delirium while I was reading it and after I read it I appreciated the story even more. Lena and Alex are special characters that will stay with you forever. Even if this was over 400 pages, it didn't feel like it. 4,5 stars,

****&1/2 *