Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver (ARC)

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #1
Pages: 440 (Hardcover)
Source: ARC from NetGalley
(Goodreads)

Publishing Date: February 2011
Published by: HarperTeen

Review:

If I were suddenly thrown into a world where people think that love is a ‘deadly’ disease that they must protect themselves from, like taking love vaccines, I would’ve raised my eyebrows and laughed at their faces for being completely and utterly ridiculous. That was exactly how I felt like doing when I was first introduced to Delirium. And until now, after reading the book, part of me still feels that way.

After Lena’s mother was killed by armor deliria nervosa, there was nothing more she wanted than to get the cure that would rid of the possibility of her contracting the deadly disease. Her mother was infected with the deadly disease, and when her dad died, she suffered so painfully it caused her death. So all her life, she’d been looking forward to the procedure. Several days before her procedure though, her life was turned completely upside down when the least of all her expectations happened and she fell in love with a boy named Alex.

“Love. The deadliest of all the deadly things.”

In some way, I believe those words – just not literally. But this book has taken that sentence to the next level in the literal sense. It’s ridiculous, which is why I felt a great deal of sympathy toward Alex and Lena. The whole time I was reading about them, I wanted to just pull them out of their world and put them in the real world just so they could live happily ever after. I also had this weird urge to ask whoever started the whole idea of ‘love can kill’ thing what the eff is wrong with him, if he’s on drugs, and if he’d really been dumped by his girl friend. Dude, I see your point, but really? I want to smack some sense into you. Point is: this book had a very strong impact on me. Oliver created a world that no matter how much unrealistic it seemed, she managed to make it seem realistic and believable. The world of Delirium and its characters had so much life in them... it was exceptional.

What I found more interesting about the world of Delirium is that they have complete reference books about the deliria. They even have a bible which says that the cure to deliria was God’s gift to everyone; that Mary Magdalene was the first to be saved from it. Some of the widely known books, quotes and poems about love were mentioned and some were even altered to express the point. It was really interesting and got me thinking: for a person who doesn’t live in their world like us, this may sound -again- ridiculous, but for them who lived in a world where every reference book says that everyone must be free of the deliria, they have no other option but to believe it. And if they don't believer it, what else would they believe in? And that, is not ridiculous at all.

The whole “us against the world” deal really depressed me. But I liked it nonetheless. You could just imagine how awful it must be for Alex and Lena – to suffer from the idiocy of the inventor of the cure; to dread every second of the remaining days before her cure; to feel hope that maybe they could do something about their situation; to feel uncertain, but want to hope anyways; to feel certain, only to fail. It was that and so many more. And the best thing is: you feel those emotions with them. It was awful, but it was also beautiful and I loved it!

Another thing I liked about this book is that the story was so well-paced. No part of the plot seemed rush, and no part seemed to drag either – like every part of the book was at the right place and on the right time. I also liked Lena’s character development. You get to see her transformation from being the Ms. Goody Two Shoes she was to the brave girl that she is now -and still have some room left for more character development for the succeeding books. And of course, Alex, one of the most adorable male characters in the world of YA. I’ve got nothing more to say about him except that he’s awesome, cool and cute. They complement each other so much without being completely opposites. I love their tandem. <3

I guess my one and only regret for reading Delirium so early is that I have to wait for two more years before getting to read the next book. *sad face* but even so, I totally recommend this to everyone especially those people who are suckers for romance. This book is the perfect treat for you!

Pre-order Delirium: Amazon

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About the Author:

Lauren Oliver comes from a family of writers and so has always (mistakenly) believed that spending hours in front of the computer every day, mulling over the difference between “chortling” and “chuckling,” is normal. She has always been an avid reader.

She attended the University of Chicago, where she continued to be as impractical as possible by majoring in philosophy and literature. After college, she attended the MFA program at NYU and worked briefly as the world’s worst editorial assistant, and only marginally better assistant editor, at a major publishing house in New York. Her major career contributions during this time were flouting the corporate dress code at every possible turn and repeatedly breaking the printer. Before I Fall is her first published novel.

She is deeply grateful for the chance to continue writing, as she has never been particularly good at anything else.

Visit the Author: Goodreads / Website / Blog

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver (ARC)