Review: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver (eProof) - It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods.

Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it.

On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous. From Goodreads.

I received this eProof for free from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the puposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger Warning: This book features animal cruelty, discussion of violent murder, discussion of bad experiences in foster care, implies - though doesn't outright show or say - child abuse.

Continue reading Review: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Review: Rooms by Lauren Oliver

Rooms by Lauren Oliver (reading copy) - Compulsive and powerful ghost story narrated by two spirits who inhabit the walls of an old house. It's a tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways.

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family - bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna - have arrived for their inheritance.

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself - in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide - with cataclysmic results. From Goodreads.

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Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver (proof) - An utterly gripping thriller from bestselling author Lauren Oliver.

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them-and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. From Goodreads

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Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Requiem by Lauren Oliver - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

It is the rule of the Wilds.

You must be bigger, and stronger, and tougher.

A coldness radiates through me, a solid wall that is growing, piece by piece, in my chest. He doesn't love me.

He never loved me.

It was all a lie.

'The old Lena is dead', I say, and then push past him. Each step is more difficult than the last; the heaviness fills me and turns my limbs to stone.

You must hurt, or be hurt.

Lena can build the walls, but what if there's no one left to take them down? The powerful, heartbreaking conclusion to one of the most eagerly awaited, talked-about series is here. From Amazon UK

Continue reading Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Weekly Gossip

Here is your bookish news from the past few weeks while I've been away.

LOOKIE! The cover for The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead has been released by Bookish!

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Review: Annabel by Lauren Oliver

Annabel by Lauren Oliver - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Lena's mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery - a ghost in Lena's past. Until now. Discover her secrets in Lauren Oliver's brilliant original digital story set in the world of international bestsellers Delirium and Pandemonium. Through chapters that alternate between her past and present, Annabel reveals the true story behind her failed cures, her marriage, the births of her children, her imprisonment, and, ultimately, her daring escape. From Amazon UK

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Review: The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver (ARC) - One day when Liza went to bed, Patrick was her chubby, stubby, sweet-grubbing, and pancake-loving younger brother, who irritated and amused her both, and the next morning, when she woke up, he was not.
In fact, he was quite, quite different.

When Liza's brother, Patrick, changes overnight, Liza knows exactly what has happened: the spindlers have got to him, and stolen his soul.
She knows, too, that she is the only one who can save him.

To rescue Patrick, Liza must go Below, armed with little more than her wits and a broom. There, she uncovers a vast world populated with talking rats, music-loving moles, greedy troglods, and overexcitable nids . . . as well as strange monsters and terrible dangers. But she will face her greatest challenge at the spindlers' nests, where she encounters the evil Queen and must pass a series of deadly tests - or else her soul, too, will remain Below forever. From Amazon UK

Continue reading Review: The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

Weekly Gossip

Here is your news from the past week.

First up, a cover reveal! The cover for The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead, the third book in the Bloodlines series has been released on MTV's Hollywood Crush.

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Review: Hana by Lauren Oliver

Hana by Lauren Oliver - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

In the world of Delirium, love is a disease. And like all eighteen-year-olds, Lena and Hana must take the cure. At the start of their last summer of freedom, they were the closest of friends. Until Hana made a decision that tore them apart . . . In Delirium, we heard from Lena. Now, Hana gets to tell her side of the story. And nothing is what we first thought. Hana is a powerful, moving and beautifully told original eBook short story, with a shocking twist that will leave you with your heart in your mouth. From Amazon UK

Continue reading Review: Hana by Lauren Oliver

Weekly Gossip

ere's your updates of the news over the past week.

Firstly, I have signing news! Michael Grant will be signing copies of BZRK, FEAR and, the whole of the GONE series at Foyles, Charing Cross Road (WC2H 0EB) on Saturday 17th March from 2-4pm.

The nearest tubes are Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square.



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Now onto the Rachel Vincent news! It seems there is something new every week!

I shared the UK cover for Before I Wake a few weeks back, but now Rachel Vincent has shared the back cover copy! Whoop! WARNING! If you have not read If I Die, DO NOT under any circumstances read the copy, it is MAJORLY spoilery. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Don't shout at me if you read.

Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent (released 6th July 2012) - I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.
The good news? He didn’t get it.
The bad news?
Turns out not even death will get you out of high school…

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent “recovering,” she’s back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won’t keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn’t just gambling with her own life… From Rachel's blog.

Continue reading Weekly Gossip

Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (ARC) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.
It kills you when you have it.
And when you don't.

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.

Pandemonium is a poignant, explosive, recklessly romantic and utterly heartbreaking novel. Like Delirium, the first in the compelling trilogy, it will take you to the very edge. That's all you need to know. We'll let Lena do the rest of the talking... From official blurb

Continue reading Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Cover Reveal: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Breaking News, people! The long awaited UK cover for Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver!

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (released 1st March 2012) - Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.
It kills you when you have it.
And when you don't.

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.

Pandemonium is a poignant, explosive, recklessly romantic and utterly heartbreaking novel. Like Delirium, the first in the compelling trilogy, it will take you to the very edge. That's all you need to know. We'll let Lena do the rest of the talking... From official blurb.

What do you think? I don't like it, myself. The colour is too close to orange, and I hate orange. And it just doesn't say much about the book, though I guess running is important to Lena in the book. I don't know, it just isn't my cup of tea. The words inside are brilliant though! How about you? Do you like it?

Continue reading Cover Reveal: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

News: Delirium Short Story, Hana by Lauren Oliver - Buy on Christmas Eve!

Some great news from Hodder and Stoughton!

We now have a special Christmas treat for all you Delirium fans: whilst you're eagerly awaiting its sequel, Pandemonium, out in March, you can read Lauren's amazing short story, Hana. It's told from the point of view of Lena's best friend (who, you might have guessed, has some secrets of her own…) There's a shocking twist to her tale that will leave you with your heart in your mouth. The short story is out exclusively in eBook this Christmas - it's available to buy for just 99p for a limited time only over the festive season. (I've attached the image here)

Now, we know you'll be desperate to order it immediately, but we have a favour to ask you. We'd love to give Lauren the best Christmas present ever: seeing Hana at number one in the eBook charts on Christmas Day.

Will you help us get it there by joining in on one big Christmas Eve push? If we all buy it on the 24th December, that will propel it up the charts into (hopefully!) the top spot.

Also, if you head over to the official announcement page you can also download lovely Hana-themed Christmas decorations!

Continue reading News: Delirium Short Story, Hana by Lauren Oliver - Buy on Christmas Eve!

Interview with Lauren Oliver

Joining us today for Death and Bereavement Week to talk about her debut novel, Before I Fall, is author Lauren Oliver.

The plot for Before I Fall is such an incredible idea. How did you come up with the idea for it?

To be honest, I was really mostly interested in writing a book about the possibilities of change. I wanted to explore a character’s evolution, from a mean and self-centered girl to someone with a real capacity for care and self-sacrifice.

What research did you have to do for this book?

Fortunately, none! That’s the great thing about fiction—you can just make it up! I grew up in a town similar to the one in which Before I Fall takes place, so I was really just inspired by my own memories and observations.

Before I Fall has such intricate plot threads. How did you keep track of the secrets, stories, histories of all the characters in the novel?

Outlining, outlining, outlining! I carefully mapped out the whole book before I began writing, because I knew that otherwise I’d become hopelessly ensnared in continuity problems.

Why did you decide to write a story about death for your debut?

To be honest, I didn’t initially set out to write a book about death; that part of the plot was kind of secondary, which surprises many people. I set out to write a book about Sam Kingston, a mean girl who changes, and I was trying to generate a convincing set of circumstances that would allow her to begin to see her choices from a different perspective. Paradoxically, it’s her death that she gives her clarity about her life.

Your novel is an eye-opener and very thought provoking. Did you write Before I Fall with the intention of making people think about how they live their lives?

A central theme of the book is that it’s important to live life with as much deliberateness as possible. That’s definitely something I believe in very strongly.

Were there any books you found dealt well with this topic when you were a teen?

There are a ton of books that deal well with death, particularly ones aimed at young readers, although I happened upon many of them later in life. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson and If I Stay by Gayle Foreman are two that come to mind, for example. But I like both of these books because they’re actually about life, and I’d like to think that Before I Fall is, too.

Anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for having me! And please check out http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/ for more info/upcoming book releases.

Thank you, Lauren, for such a great interview! What do you think of Lauren's answers?

Be sure to check out Lauren's website, above, and her blog.

Continue reading Interview with Lauren Oliver

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - They say to live every day as if it's your last - but you never actually think it's going to be. You always think you'll have more time.

That's what I thought. But I was wrong.

The thing is, you don't get to know when it happens. You don't remember to tell your family that you love them or - in my case - remember to say goodbye to them at all.

What if, like me, you could live your last day over again? Could you make it perfect? If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have any regrets? Are there things you'd want to change? From the back cover

There's something that amazes me about books. I've read quite a lot over the years, and most of them have been really good books. I have a lot of them amongst my favourites. But every so often I come across a book, a jewel that is just so incredibly good, when I finish it's like time stops for a short while, and I just sit there in astonishment. Astonishment over how amazing the book was, and feeling incredibly lucky that I happened to pick that book up over another, that I was lucky enough to read it in my life time, that I have the memory of this read, this wonder, this astonishment forever. It's the one thing that makes me wonder if fate exists, as crazy as that sounds.

Before I Fall is one of these phenomenal books. There really aren't any words to describe how good it is, or how it made me feel. It's completely full of surprises, high moments, incredible lows, tragedy, laughter, craziness, utter bliss, paralysing fear, and deepest sorrow. It has absolutely everything, yet none of those words can even come close to the beauty of the moments I thought of as I wrote them. The plot, the writing, the characters, the small events, the big events... I'm just completely dumbfounded.

Sam Kingston dies at the end of what is a normal day. Except that's not the end. She wakes up again the morning of that day, again and again, having to relive it. Each day something different happens; she'll do, say, be somewhere different, which will lead to her seeing, hearing, knowing something different. As the days pass, she slowly begins to piece together how she dies, but learns about herself, about her friends, and about the life she leads. Will Sam break the circle, or will she continue to live the same day over and over? And if she does, what then?

How fully formed the characters in this novel are is fantastic. Seriously, there are so many different characters that play a part in this book at one point or another, but most are all part of the same popular clique, so it would be very easy for them all to blur into each other and for us to not see much difference, but they all have their own personalities, quirks, histories, secrets, stories. So many layers to if not all, then most of the characters, and you're always learning, always discovering - along with Sam.

Of all the characters in the book, I have to mention Lindsay, Elody, Ally and Kent. The three girls are Sam's best friends, the queen bees of the school and are so loyal, love each other deeply, but then can be the nastiest cows you could possibly imagine to anyone who looks at them the wrong way. It's so bewildering to read, because you want to hate them so much for what they do to people, because they are so absolutely disgusting, but the friendship and camaraderie between the four - they really are each other's best friends, and you can't help but smile over their antics. And Kent! Lovely, geeky, quirky Kent! I want one for myself. He is just the sweetest, most loveliest guy, and he makes me "aww" so much! And I can't say any more that I want to without spoiling the book.

You can't read this book without noticing things around you, and realising what you take for granted. I went out shortly after finishing it, and couldn't help but enjoy listening to the wind in the trees, and the rain on my face. Sam started paying more attention once she knew it was her last day replaying over and over, but we can never do that unless we start now. As the blurb says, you don't get to know when it will happen. It was brilliant to see how Sam reacted to finding out, and then how she chose to live each day, the decisions she would make that would change the outcomes of other things. It was really eye opening, and pretty much just brilliant.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It was unbelievable. I will relish reading this again at some point in the future. You cannot miss out on Before I Fall! I cannot urge you enough to pick up this book! You will not regret it.



Published: 22nd July 2010
Publisher: Hodder
Buy on Amazon US
Lauren Oliver's Website

Continue reading Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is out in Paperback Today!

Today Delirium by Lauren Oliver is released in paperback!

They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I've always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years suffocated by a lie.

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure. From Amazon UK.

Delirium is an absolutely amazing book that not only has Oliver's beautiful writing, but a mind-blowing and thought-provoking plot! Check out my review here.

Continue reading Delirium by Lauren Oliver is out in Paperback Today!

Review: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (review copy) - A tale of one girl, two ghosts and the most powerful magic in the world.

'On the third night after the day her father died, Liesl saw the ghost.'

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice - until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone. That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable. Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey. From Amazon UK

I'm generally not a fan of children's novels. There are a few favourites from when I was young, like Roald Dahl, but otherwise, I tend to steer clear as they're just not something I tend to enjoy. But Liesl & Po is written by Lauren Oliver, and my adoration for the words she puts onto page knows no bounds, so there was no doubt I was going to read this book. And it was absolutely enchanting!

Liesl & Po has everything you would expect in a children's book, including a number of cruel and evil villians, who were just so despicable I actually loved them. There's heartache and hard lives, there's wonder and discovery, there's boundless love. It's just a real sweet story.

There's also something really, really special to this story; the ending. A happy ending when there is no happy ending to be found; because, when people are dead, what happy ending can there be? I won't spoil the ending for you, but it truely is magical. It's a rainbow during a storm ending. Even I, an adult, got something out of it. It's uplifting and hopeful.

That on it's own is really something quite wonderful, but there's more that makes this story such a deeply emotional read. At the beginning of the book is a letter from Oliver, a letter that tells of how Liesl & Po came into existance. It was born from Oliver's grief at the death of her best friend, and was her way of trying to make sense of things. I read the letter before I started the book, and now I've finished, I am in complete awe, for more than just Oliver's indescribably beautiful way with words, but with what she's actually putting out into the world; her way through her grief. It's all in the ending, and it makes the ending so much more ineffably beautiful. I never thought I would be so deeply moved by a children's book. There are simply no words for me to say just how wonderful this book is. I finished the book two days ago, yet have tears in my eyes as I write this. It's not a story I will soon forget.

Thanks to Hodder for sending me a review copy.



Published: 29th September 2011
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Buy on Amazon US
Lauren Oliver's Website

Continue reading Review: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Interview with Lauren Oliver

Guess what? You're all in for a treat! The lovely Lauren Oliver agreed to answer a few questions about her fantastic new novel, Delirium, realeased today (on the 1st in the US), and give us some insight into the novel! Excited? I know I am!

Delirium has such a brilliant premise. How did you come up with the idea of love as a disease? What was the initial spark of the idea, and how did it grow into what is now Delirium?

The idea for DELIRIUM came from an essay I read by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in which he wrote that all great books were about love or death. The next day I was thinking about that quote--particularly about how and in what form a modern love story could be told--while I was on the treadmill at the gym. I was simultaneously watching a news story about a flu outbreak that had everyone freaking out about the possibility of a pandemic, and I was kind of marvelling that people so easily go into panics about reports of these diseases, and at some point the two trains of thought--love, and disease--just sort of combined in my head.

Despite the fantastical element of reliving a day over and over, Before I Fall was pretty contemporary. Why did you decide to make the shift in genre, and was it a difficult transition to make?

I didn’t consciously decide to switch genres. I don’t think at all about genres when I write. I think simply of characters and questions. In the case of Before I Fall, it was: what set of circumstances would enable a mean girl, a selfish girl, to begin seeing the consequences of her actions? In the case of DELIRIUM, it was: what would happen if love were a disease? I have a middle-grade book coming out in the fall and I’m working on a fantasy now because the world and its characters spoke to me. So I just follow the material. I think it would be harder if I tried to replicate the same book again and again.

I love all the texts from the world Lena lives in, such as The Safety, Health and Happiness Handbook (or The Book of Shhh), they make Delirium even more credible. How much work went into the texts, and did you write them in full for your own reference?

That was one of my favourite aspects of writing DELIRIUM. I definitely began working on these additional texts as a way of inserting myself more fully in the world of the book; ultimately I found that these texts could be inserted in the book as a world-building element, without cluttering the text with explanations and backstory.

In the text Genesis: A Complete History of the World and the Known Universe, the consensus of what Christian belief is based on is partially re-written from what is in the Bible today, to fit the ideas of the time. Are you trying to say something about human belief in general and perhaps how gullible we are, and the manipulation of those in power?

I’m not trying to say anything particular about religion or Christianity, certainly—in this world, scientific beliefs have also been twisted in service of the ideology of those in power. Any idea can become dangerous, except for the idea that people should think for themselves. But my intention was definitely to illustrate how easily a single idea or belief-system can be propagated by those in power, and accepted unquestioningly by the public. And I do think that is a very dangerous thing; history has proved it.

I feel Delirium is much more than a love story in a dystopian world. To me, Delirium also seems to make important points on how lack of love – namely familial love – can affect a person. Although Lena isn’t exactly neglected by her family, the lack of affection and tactility seems to really affect her at times. Was sending out a message about dysfunctional families an intentional undercurrent in Delirium?

I intended to explore love in all of its dimensions. I feel often in books, especially young adult books, romance is emphasized to the detriment of all of love’s other forms. But these are just as critical for a life of happiness and fulfilment, and people’s ideas of romantic love are based on their impressions of, say, parental love and the bonds between friends.

What research did you have to do for Delirium? Was there anything that surprised you?

I had to go to Portland, Maine, and eat a lot of lobster. It was terrible! I also researched various cultures/societies in which the relationships between men and women are strictly controlled, as well as places in which the government controls the media and the flow of information. What surprised me was simply the reminder of how vast our freedom is in the United States, and how easily we take it for granted—political, religious, and social freedom is simply not a reality in many parts of the world.

Both Delirium and Before I Fall have been optioned for movies. How excited are you to know your novels may both end up on the big screen?

Insanely, absurdly, ridiculously exciting. I am trying not to think too, too much about it, though, as there is still a long way to go before either movie actually makes it into theatres. (Although I confess I have given SOME thought to what kind of dress I would wear to the premiere!)

Delirium ends with such a killer cliff hanger! Can you tell us a teeny, tiny bit about what we can expect in Pandemonium?

Not even a chance! I will say, though, that Delirium takes place in two different settings, in two different time-frames, but Lena is still the main character in each.

You will be heading to the UK in March. What are you most looking forward to about coming to good ol’ Blighty?

Scones, scones, scones! I really love London. I’m super excited about seeing my editor and publicist, both of whom are all kinds of fabulous, and like every American I enjoy swooning over the British accent. I’m also EXTREMELY excited that during this visit I’ll get to meet some wonderfully supportive UK bloggers, many of whom I’ve been in touch with since before my first book’s release, including Carla of The Crooked Shelf and Jenny of Wondrous Reads.

Anything else you would like to add or tell us about?

Thank you for your questions! NOW GO BUY DELIRIUM! :P

Thank you for such brilliant answers, Lauren! Be sure to check out Lauren's website, and if you haven't yet, you can read my review of Delirium here.

Buy Delirium from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Finally, on a slightly related note, Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies is hosting Love Month this month, and today you can read a response to Delirium from me on her blog. I'd appreciate it if you could check it out. Thanks :) Michelle is also hosting a contest to win a copy of Delirium, so you might want to check that out as well.

Continue reading Interview with Lauren Oliver

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (review copy) - There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.

Now, everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway 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 then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable. From Amazon UK

After reading and falling in love with Before I Fall* last year, I was extremely excited to read Delirium - except for one thing; dystopian novels and I don't really get on. There are the odd dystopias I come across that work, but more often than not, I don't enjoy them. I spend too long being angry and annoyed at the world the people live in, and although that's the whole point, I don't like feeling like that for a whole book. But Delirium is by Lauren Oliver. Lauren Oliver! There was no way I couldn't at leat give it a go, and so I warily opened it's pages, and became infected; I fell in love.

For the first few chapters, I was a little worried I wouldn't like it because it was typically dystopian. I was quite shocked. From the blurb, I just thought taking the cure was an option you could take, but you find out pretty soon it's compulsory. In the world our main character Lena lives in, no-one is allowed to love, it's illegal and punishable, in the worst case scenario, by death. Once you reach 18, you take the cure. Students about to graduate are Evaluated so they can find a match for them, and once they have graduated from college, they marry the person they chose from the small selection they were given. Free from love. People are not allowed to speak the word "love", they're not allowed to overly show affection - that means no hugs for friends, or children when they have fallen over. Oh yes, this is not just romantic love that is cured, but all love - familal love and love for friends included. Students are segregated from members of the opposite sex and have to be home before curfew, so there is no intermingling outside of school hours. And when you've had the cure, you're detached, and cold almost. Think Sheldon or Leonard's Mum in The Big Bang Theory, without being extremely intelligent or arrogant - everyone over the age of 18 is like that! It's the type of world I hate and makes me extremely angry.

But then Alex arrived, and the whole tone of the story changed. Lena's world is turned upside down when she starts doubting everything she's believed, everything she knows, and falls in love. And my heart lifted. I can't even begin to tell you just how beautiful this story is. It's probably the most powerful teen romance I have ever read simply because they fall in love against a background which has an extreme lack of love. In most other books, love is normal; it might not be happening for the main character at the beginning, but they live in a world where people have boyfriends and girlfriends, they're allowed to show effection, there is nothing life-threatening about love. But there is in Lena's world, so her falling in love is scary, dangerous, and wrong, but just so right, and beautiful and amazing. This is one forbidden love story (quite literally) that shines a hundred times brighter than all the rest, and it's just gorgeous! I really can't do this book any justice when it comes to the love in it, there just aren't words. It's just... wow, and totally blew me away.

What I also loved about this book was how genius it is. The idea that love could be a disease is quite a logical one when you look at the "symptoms" of falling in love; difficulty focussing, reduced mental awareness, periods of euphoria, changes in appetite, loss of other interests, and so on (p133). All things that people actually experience in real life when they fall in love. To take something like the effects of love, and build a whole story on that... it's just brilliant! I am in awe of Oliver's imagination!

I am also in awe of Oliver's way with words. The language in this book is just beautiful! Oliver is the queen of metaphors, and the language is almost poetic. It really is just beautiful.

"Love, the deadliest of all deadly things: it kills you both when you have it and when you don't.
But that isn't it, exactly.
The condemner and the condemned. The executioner; the blade; the last-minute reprieve; the gasping breath and the rolling sky above you and the thank you, thank you, thank you, God.
Love: it will kill you and save you, both." (p352)

Isn't that just wonderful?

The ending is just cruel yet phenomenal! I can't even begin to describe it, but I finished the book wanting to pick the second book up straight away! I need Pandemonium, the sequel, now! However, it isn't released until next year. I have to wait a whole year in this agony of not knowing what happens! I love it, though! I really cannot wait. I cannot recommend this book enough, you need to read it. It might just be top of my list of favourite books.

*Review coming in July as part of Death and Bereavement Month.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy.

Published: 3rd February 2011 in the UK, 1st February in the US
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pre-order from Amazon UK
Pre-order from Amazon US
Lauren Oliver's Website

Other reviews:
Writing from the Tub
The Crooked Shelf
Fluttering Butterflies

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