Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: 2/1/2011

Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: HarperTeen

Pages: 480
Flirt Factor: Playful
Overall: 5/5 Stars

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

  I don't really remember how I used to set up these reviews so I'm just going to babble.

Oh my freaking god this book is so good. It's a mix of an amazingly horrifying dystopian world and awesome characters and adventure and a great plot line and ugh literally this book has no flaws.

Because I can't put into words the awesomeness that oozes from this book's pages I will put in some quotes that, if you have read this book, will make you weep.

"I'd rather die my way than live yours."

The story follows 17 year old Lena, who lives in fear of the disease and cannot wait to have her procedure administered so that she may be cured. She can feel the disease in her blood, and for her it is unbearable. She is counting down the days until she can be cleansed and free from the worry of ever contracting the deliria.

Then she meets Alex. "As soon as I look up, his eyes click onto my face. The breath whooshes out of my body and everything freezes for a second, as though I am looking at him through my camera lens, zoomed in all the way, the world pausing for that tiny span of time between the opening and closing of the shutter."

Alex is a beautiful soul with an intriguing and heartbreaking story. Not only is he strong, confident, and brave, but he is gentle and tender. While this is a wonderful, tumultuous, and exciting love story, for me this book was about sacrifice - Ultimate sacrifice. Lena’s relationship with her mother and her mother’s story was poignant, at times heart wrenching, and enormously gripping.

"I love you. Remember. They cannot take it".

And the ending? A cliffhanger of epic proportions. It will definitely be a book to treasure and savor for quite some time. Delirium is easily one of my top five favorites. Literally the only books that this is topped by is like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and the sequel which I will review next week!

Until then,
“Love. It kills you both when you have it, and when you don’t.”

Loving being back! xoxo,
Shelbie