Delirium (Delirium, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Aug 11, 2011 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-release, mundie-moms-reviews, signed-books-arcs, 2012-100-book-challenge, books-i-own

Warning: while reading this book you may experience severe reactions to amor deliria nervosa, also known as falling in love, something that's "cured" aka banned in Delirium's society. Side effects may include sleepless nights while reading Delirium, the inability to concentrate on anything else but reading this book, nervousness over what's going to happen to Lena & Alex, having your heart ripped out, sighing, finding yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, kissing your book, running out to p Warning: while reading this book you may experience severe reactions to amor deliria nervosa, also known as falling in love, something that's "cured" aka banned in Delirium's society. Side effects may include sleepless nights while reading Delirium, the inability to concentrate on anything else but reading this book, nervousness over what's going to happen to Lena & Alex, having your heart ripped out, sighing, finding yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, kissing your book, running out to pre-order PANDEMONIUM, petting the new beautiful cover, telling all your friends to go pick up this book, and of course falling helplessly in love with the brilliant, and breathtakingly beautiful writing of Lauren Oliver.

Can you imagine living in a society where LOVE is a disease?! I seriously loved the way Lauren created a fascinating society that "cures" love. Yes it may seem hilarious, but when you read DELIRIUM it totally makes sense. Lauren's writing is just awesome! It's richly detailed, it's poetic, captivating and I love that she really makes me think. Lauren is truly a gifted writer and I swear she could write a story about the most outlandish thing and make it credible. Here's a taste of Lauren's beautiful prose, which is also one of my favorite quotes from DELIRIUM:

Sometimes I feel like if you just watch things, just sit still and let the world exist in front of you- sometimes I swear that just for a second time freezes and the world pauses in it's tilt. Just for a second. And if you somehow found a way to live in that second, then you would live forever. - pg 153

This is one of the many reasons why I adored Lena, the story's main protagonist. She's insightful and I admired the way she fights to believe in something she's grown up being taught vs something that's right in front of her face telling her otherwise. I love a character who has a quest for finding the truth, no matter how heartbreaking that truth can be and how much they'll have to sacrifice in order to get it. Alex is a character I immediately loved. He challenges everything that Lena has been taught. I love the way in which he makes her think and helps her open her eyes to the truth around her. I of course loved the way their relationship developed over the course of the book.

I'm surprised at how much I loved this book considering there isn't a lot of action, there's no paranormal characters and the characters aren't as in-depth as I usually like them. What a beautiful change of pace this book is for me! This is a book that completely snuck up on me and swept me off my feet with it's beautiful writing style, romantic story line, and it's well developed characters. Oh Lauren Oliver the things you did to my heart in this book..... Luckily my heart won't be ripped out for long as I'm off to drown my broken heart in PANDEMONIUM. Seriously, if you haven't already go PICK UP DELIRIUM! You'll enjoy every moment experiencing the side effects of amor deliria nervosa while reading Lena's story. ...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Melocotón rated it liked it

This book was a mixture of books that I have read, yet unique in its own way. When this book began it reminded me of the Book Uglies where Tally was so excited and wanted nothing more than to have her surgery and be pretty, yet she had kind of rebellious friend Shane that wanted to experience more aka Hana. Then it reminded me of Matched in its way that controlled the pairing situation with its people. I definitely enjoyed the romance way more in Delirium than in Matched. It also gave me reminde This book was a mixture of books that I have read, yet unique in its own way. When this book began it reminded me of the Book Uglies where Tally was so excited and wanted nothing more than to have her surgery and be pretty, yet she had kind of rebellious friend Shane that wanted to experience more aka Hana. Then it reminded me of Matched in its way that controlled the pairing situation with its people. I definitely enjoyed the romance way more in Delirium than in Matched. It also gave me reminders of Enclave, where they completely controlled everything and lied about the world they lived in just to maintain order. I guess it expected since all those books mentioned are in the dystopian genre, but nonetheless amazing.

I love the premise of the book which was love. I really enjoy books that make me question my own beliefs or even my logical reasoning. Example: Blood Promise: Richelle Mead, I really wanted to Rose to do the unthinkable in that book, something that is completely opposed to who she is and what she represents. I won’t what it is for those who haven’t read it, but for those who have you know what I mean. This book had me considering and if Love really is a disease. I love all the quotes and text above the chapters, it really tied the story nicely. As well as the symptoms of Amor Deliria Nervosa. The book so realistic in its own way.

The characters were really great. I loved that Lena had a bff in Hana and she was her confidant. I loved that Alex and Lena didn’t just fall head over heels in love after just one meeting; as well as Lena’s gradual acceptance in the reality of her world. The world building was really great; it wasn’t done in a way that seemed boring or lengthy. The book had it’s own way of building suspense while still being slow. I was left wondering what would come of Alex and Lena throughout the whole book; as well enjoy the tie back story of the mother.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to Pandemonium. Delirium ended in a nice cliffhanger kind of way that makes me ache for more.
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Aug 30, 2011 Danielle rated it really liked it

Review from http://www.mymercurialmusings.com

In Lena Holoway’s society love is, “the deadliest of all things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t” (Oliver 4). That is the undercurrent running throughout Lauren Oliver’s beautiful YA dystopian tale.

I was hooked into this story immediately. America has adopted a strict isolationist policy and cities have been cordoned off, existing as entities entirely separate from one another. Lena lives in (a fictionalized version) of Portland, Review from http://www.mymercurialmusings.com

In Lena Holoway’s society love is, “the deadliest of all things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t” (Oliver 4). That is the undercurrent running throughout Lauren Oliver’s beautiful YA dystopian tale.

I was hooked into this story immediately. America has adopted a strict isolationist policy and cities have been cordoned off, existing as entities entirely separate from one another. Lena lives in (a fictionalized version) of Portland, Maine and is ninety-five days away from having the procedure which will prevent her from ever being infected with amor deliria nervosa. She has been taught that the deliria is responsible for all many of evils in the world, including her own mother’s death. Before her procedure; however, she must deal with the tedium of finishing high school, getting her assigned college, her assigned major, and her assigned life partner. And so it goes, in a world free of love and free of choice, all is peaceful and calm.

Except that it’s not. Outside the borders of the city are the wilds. And rumors abound of the uncured and sympathizers who live in the wilds. People suspected of being sympathizers are executed or sent away to the mysterious Crypts—never to be heard of again.

Lena is content with her fate, even excited about it until she meets Alex. Then, her whole world turns upside down.

The thing I loved so much about this book is that it struck quite a personal chord with me. Lena is growing up in a society that is rigidly structured, that discourages creativity and curiosity, and that punishes free thought. A society that sees only black and white—ignoring shades of grey. Lena accepts the “truths” her society and her family have given her, because she has no reason not to. Why would she even think about the world outside the fence surrounding her town if she’s been told all along by the authorities—teachers, family members, government officials—that the people in the wilds are bad and dangerous? For a long time, I was Lena and as I read this book, there were many moments where her internal struggles were identical to struggles I faced as a young adult. What happens when you start seeing fault in the values you were brought up with? What do you do when you no longer share your family’s values? These are difficult topics to tackle for anyone, and readers will feel Lena’s struggle as she navigates her way through this dilemma.

Lauren Oliver fills her world with many great characters. Her world is full of characters who enhance the story and who feel very real. From Hana, Lena’s best friend and foil, to her young cousin Grace, each character is multi-dimensional and authentic. Grace especially, is a powerful character who I hope to see more of. And of course, I would be remiss, if I did not mention Alex.

Alex is an intriguing character. He pushes Lena to discover herself and he opens her world up to the possibility of love. As with many YA books, their romance is sudden (but hey, even Shakespeare was guilty of this) but I think it works here more than in other books. Alex represents possibility to Lena. What they have may not be love by our definition of the word, but in the confines of their world, it makes sense. Alex opens Lena’s eyes up to ideas she never thought possible and causes her to grow.

In all, this is a satisfying story. The narration is perfectly paced, picking up where it needs to instill in readers a sense of urgency and slowing to savor moments that deserve savoring. Oliver’s style keeps readers on their toes; you never know when an idyllic moment may turn ugly or when a stressful situation will be broken with comic relief. I devoured this book in one sitting, staying up to the wee hours of the morning to see what happened next.

Clearly, there isn’t much I didn’t love about this book. I think it’s a great addition to the YA dystopia genre and am looking forward to following this trilogy to its end.
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Feb 27, 2011 Lisa K rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, favorites

I loved everything about this book! I loved the way the story is set up. We get to see how the government has infiltrated everything and how everyone is simultaneously happy and terrified all the time. While reading I actually didn’t like this part at all, I was bored and wanted something interesting to happen. But then it did, and now, looking back, I can see that the set up made the plot so much better. Without that part the rest of the story would have come off as completely absurd no matter ...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Theresa rated it it was amazing

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Why oh why did I let it (and its sequel, Pandemonium) sit aside for so long?

Imagine a disease that spreads like cancer and that can infect you from kissing... a disease which can lead to changes in mood, actions, and behavior. A disease in which the infected can bring about chaos, disorder, and disobedience. In Delirium, LOVE is such a disease and the government is fighting to keep control of it by closing the United States's borders and "curing" all those who turn 18 years ...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Kristen rated it really liked it

I thought in the beginning that it was going to take forever to read. It was really slow in the beginning but then in the middle it brings things up to a faster pace and gets better and better as you read on. I thought it was similar to Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series. But I highly recommend it especially with Valentine's Day coming up! ...more

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