Review: Delirium

 

Title: Delirium (Delirium #1)

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: February 1st, 2011

Format: Paperback (Bought) 

THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Lauren Oliver is an amazingly poignant writer and I absolutely love her stories. Delirium is definitely not an exception of her her talent. So far, this book has been my favourite of hers.

Now that being said, here's a look at the book and what I liked. Delirium revolves around the life of Lena Haloway (Tiddle). The period is a dystopian type future, set in America. In this future, love (amor deliria nervosa) is a disease and America has found a cure. Every person 18 and older gets this cure and goes on a to live a happy, care-free life because they no longer can love anything. But because love is considered dangerous and horrible, this cure is great thing to the people.

Basically, they're lobotomized. Cool? Not so much. I'd much rather be sick with the disease, thank you very much.

However, Lena can't wait to be cured so she can prove everyone that she won't wend up like her dead mother...until she falls in love. I was hoping that this falling in love stuff wouldn't be cheesy, and it turns out that it wasn't. The whole thing was very tasteful and actually beautiful. The underlying plot to this story (actually, the trilogy) is also super interesting. I can't say what that is without spoiling it, but lets just say that love always wins. Winkwink.

Alex, the one who contaminated her with amor deliria nervosa? Totally awesome character. He felt like a real guy, not a fantasized one. Lena was also a great character. Though I didn't sympathize all that much, I agreed with her feelings and her actions for the most part. (Not so much the whole, 'All praise the cure!' thing.) She was also an enjoyable protagonist. I wasn't annoyed by her mistakes or angry for things she did do (go out on a raid night) or didn't do (not leave Portland earlier, or not burn down Aunt Carol's house).

The ending is a killer. My heart was pounding through out the whole thing. I refuse, absolutely refuse, to believe that what Lena thinks what happened to Alex actually happened. She never says for sure! There /could/ be a chance! I highly doubt it...but there could! My heart will break if its true...but I again, I can't give away what happens. You'll just have to read the book.

As a whole, the book was great! There's meat to the story and the characters, and it's all super interesting. I can't wait to get my hands on the next books!

I gave it FIVE out of FIVE sporks!