Hey Now Books! Pandemonium (Delirium Series Book 2) Review
**Warning Minor Spoilers From The Previous Book In The Series***
In the previous installment of the Delirium Series, author Lauren Oliver sets up a world without the ability to love and in Pandemonium she shows us just how dark that world can be and who are the people to stop it. In this next title from the series Oliver takes us into the heart of the resistance who are a group of fighters that live in the outskirts of civilization and oppose the cure and all that it stands for. Through the eyes of our heroine Lena we navigate through the Wilds, infiltrate society and meet new friends a long the way.
When we previously left Lena she lost her guide and first love Alex, the sadness that consumes Lena after she loses Alex is heartbreaking, but she keeps on trucking. Eventually she bumps into a group of uncured folk who live in the wild and becomes fast friends with them and they all care for one another in much ways much like a family. Most notably she meets Ravin, a young woman a little bit older than Lena herself who is most definitely a survivor and good soldier. As much as I tried not to think about it this way she came off a bit like Katniss Everdeen would have had she been in this situation. Ravin is maternal and strong and that’s what makes her a great guide and foil for Lena.
Oliver does something fascinating here with her chapters, she the now and then. The moments where Lena is in the wilds first learning how to survive are the thens, and when Lena is already a full blown soldier in the war against the cure is the now. I found this a lot more fluid to read in a lot of ways because it showed us just how far Lena was really coming along. Olivers writing in general is strong compared to most YA writers. She weaves in motifs and uses prose to keep the writing enchanting and fun to read, it doesn’t come off like a young adult book at times and it’s what separates from the pack.
There is of course the typical love triangle scenario in the series which Oliver twists to her own liking but the triangle is not the central part of the series which is rare, I’m sure people have their preferences or their “Teams” as the kids are calling it these days, but you’re still more entranced with what’s happening outside of Lena’s world, the bigger picture. It’s why the Delirium Series is one of the best dystopian YA novels out there. It makes you think about politics, the little things you’d miss from your life.
It’s a good book to read on a nice summers day in the park. It’s shorter than Delirium in page length and if you’re an avid, fast reader it could probably be read in one sitting. Unlike Delirium, Pandemonium moves at a faster pace right from the get-go thanks to the “then” and “now” POV chapter flow.
Although I don’t rank my reviews I’d say this is a must read for anyone in to the dystopian novel craze and looking for some good writing.
