Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

  Title: Delirium

 Author: Lauren Oliver

 Series: Delirium #1

 Published: 1 February 2011

 Length: 441 pages

 Warnings: profanity, a little violence, kissing

 Other info: Oliver has also written Before I Fall. Pandemonium, book 2 in the Delirium series, is expected in 2012 and the third book, Requiem, is expected in 2013.

 Summary from goodreads: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once 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 government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway 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

 Review: Ok, the blurb sort of speaks for itself. It’s the future; scientists can remove love from the brain, making the world revolve nicely. Lena is 17, and three months away from her birthday, when she will be free from love and hurt and pain forever. And then she falls in love with Alex, which is illegal and can only end in disaster.  I like the dystopian world: it’s easy to imagine and has a thorough explanation behind it. The whole idea of being able to eradicate love is brilliant, original and interesting to see how it turns out.

There are full explanations for everything and a full set of different terms: amor deliria nervosa is love, sympathisers are those that believe in love and so on.

Like the excerpts from the safety health and happiness handbook- they give a fuller view of their world from a different perspective

At some points it’s just a forbidden love book, where it’s forbidden across classes, not species and Alex, the love interest, JUST HAPPENED to appear in time to save Lena from being caught in a raid

Slightly stereotypical romantic stuff, descriptions of kissing in a little too much detail for my liking. Those who like romance will enjoy this alot.

Unlike other forbidden romance novels, this does have an ending related to the reason why the love is forbidden. Alex and Lena soon hatch a plan to escape, invalidating Lena's identity and leaving her uncured. But this comes towards the end of the book, and so I’ll keep my opinions of their adventure to myself.

I didn’t really like Alex. I can sort of see why Lena liked him; he’s a complete rebel to society, and who doesn’t like breaking rules? But there wasn’t really any character development with him: he was the same person at the end of the book as he was when we met him. And he seemed like a Gary-Sue. Which I hate.

 Just have to say, I love the ending. I won’t spoil it, but it’s a tense cliff-hanger that makes me really want a sequel.

Overall:  I give it strength 3 teas because I loved the new world Oliver created, but the clichéd romance spoiled it.