Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Group: YA, 14+
My Copy: ARC
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: 2/28/12—Tomorrow!
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Review by: Alicia
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*Contains Delirium spoilers*
Summary:
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.
Review:
Delirium was one of my favorite 2011 books, so I have been impatiently waiting to read Pandemonium. After Delirium’s killer cliffhanger ending, I have been dying to find out what would happen next. Especially since it seemed like Alex was dead and I absolutely loved Alex. I got Pandemonium last year, but I have been pushing it off because I was nervous about what would happen next to Lena. There was a summary that said that Lena might be falling in love with someone else and that made me even more nervous. Finally, I bit the bullet and started reading it and I’m glad I did.
Pandemonium is told from two alternating timelines. In the “Now” chapters, you learn about Lena’s part in the resistance, while in the “Then” chapters, you learn about how she learns to live without Alex while joining a group of rebels. It took me awhile to get used to the alternating chapters, but eventually I came to enjoy them.
One thing I absolutely loved about Pandemonium is that even though Lena has lost Alex, she doesn’t just sit around crying. Instead, she learns to cope with her grief and continues to live and fight for survival. Lena becomes a much stronger character and I found that I liked her even more. Many new characters are introduced, from the rebels that Lena lives with to Julian, the son of a man who wants nothing more than deliria gone. Another great thing about the book is that all of the characters are fleshed out and there are many layers to each character. Out of all of the new characters introduced, my favorite is Raven, who is like a mother and friend to Lena. She has a lot of secrets that she doesn’t tell Lena, but you can tell that she cares for her. Lena’s new love interest on the other hand, I wasn’t too big of a fan of. I liked him, but not as a love interest, which probably has to do with the fact that I only want her with Alex.
Like Delirium, Pandemonium ends in a killer cliffhanger that will leave you eagerly counting down the days until the next book comes out. The third and final book, Requiem, will be out in Spring 2013. Can it be time for it already!?
Cover Comments: Very pretty, but it doesn’t have to do with the book.
Overall: 4/5
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