Image Source: The Cozy Reader, ARC edition

Delirium by Lauren Oliver 448 pages, HarperCollins, (2011-02-01) $17.99 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

I received this ARC while attending BEA 2010.

My Grade

Plot: 5

Setting: 5

Writing: 5

Originality: 5

Characters: 5

Romance: 5

Overall: 30/30! Perfect!

Cover/Title Bonus: 4

Overall

A brutal society where love is disguised as a disease and is ultimately tragically and beautifully worth fighting for.

Summary (Goodreads)

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that one 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 Holway 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.

 

First Line

It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure.

Most Memorable Scene

During one of the raids an ass of an enforcer encounters a barking dog. Lena handles the situation as best as she could but it still hit a nerve with me as an animal lover.

Also, Lena and Alex visit the insane asylum, or prison, and that entire situation had me on the edge of my seat.

Plot

Love as a disease? I’ve always been a fan of dystopian societies and this book proved to me why that is. They all have something you’re not allowed or supposed to have but ultimately you find a way to want it and grasp it and if you’re lucky keep it.

Delirium portrays Lena as a young girl about to meet her life partner (I can’t remember if there’s a specific term used or not) and about to get her treatment against the delirium, love sickness.

Every aspect of the plot was meshed together perfectly. I love that there was more to it then just the love story.

Setting

Lena’s world is a pretty brutal place. A required treatment to inhibit the ability to fall in love or feel anything remotely like love or hate is one of the ultimate free will abilities humans have.

There’s a citizen curfew and required badges or identification cards. Periodically there are raids to search homes.

Writing

This was the first book by Lauren Oliver I’ve read. I did try to read Before I Fall but I just couldn’t make my way through it. This book is written awesomely. I love that it was written from Lena’s point of view. I love the detail that was given to her feelings and her surroundings.

Originality

Again, love as a disease? Pure originality.

Characters

Lena doesn’t plan to fall in love or even rethink her governments plans for controlling their citizens. I like it when characters surprise themselves; learn more about themselves.

Hana is Lena’s best friend. She isn’t too exposed as a character but we grasp her as the pretty, popular one.

My awful secret is that I like to run with Hana partly because it’s the single, sole, solitary shred of a thing that I can do better than she can, but I would never admit that out loud in a million years. – page 47 – ARC edition

Lena and Hana run quite a bit together. This is one of the most important events of the entire story. Hana is also quite the rowdy one.

Lena and Hana both meet Alex while exploring the back of one of the government buildings while on a late afternoon jog. He’s a guard. But oh so much more. Alex’s character is awesome.

Romance

Lena and Alex are amazing together. They cover so much territory in such a short amount of time. Ninety-five days of one amazing love. One could almost be happy about that. Except, you can’t because you want to hold on to that forever. But what are your options when treatment day comes?

Cover/Title Bonus

The ARC cover is a bit too meek for my tastes but it fits fine. The title is absolutely perfect.

The final cover does not appeal to me at all. I’d much prefer the ARC edition.

Ending

One of the most touching endings I’ve ever read. I was so torn to see it end. I read this May 30 – 31, 2010. This doesn’t even come out until February 1, 2011 and who knows when the next book will be out. I have so long to wait to see how this will continue.

Series

The next two book titles are already on Goodreads.

Pandemonium – publishing sometime in 2012

Requiem – publishing sometime in 2013

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves dystopias or rebellious teens. 🙂