Delirium (Delirium Series #1)
by Lauren Oliver
Published February 1st 2011
P. 441
Rating: 4/5
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
Ummm.... the first 100-200 pages of this book were almost boring, then I finally got sucked in.
This is my second dystopian novel (series), The Hunger Games are my only other example. The two worlds are very different, but I liked the differences. In Delirium it's subtle, the world is almost normal. It makes it easier to believe that so many people trust the government around them. They are clothed, fed, receive an education, find work... they're not lacking any necessities. They just lose their free will.
Everything is tested and decided for them. They are matched with a life partner and told how their lives will be, it's almost a safe feeling knowing that those major decisions are taken care of by someone else. Safe until you want to decide for yourself -- than it becomes dangerous.
I loved the premise of this book, how love or amor deliria nervosa, is considered a disease that needs to be cured. I loved how the author described it's symptoms, all true, but the medical twist really made it seem like a disorder... people in love are nutty.
Lena wanted to be cured. She wanted to follow the rules and be normal, be happy as it is defined by the government. But then Alex happened, she caught it -- amor deliria nervosa. Her entire view of happiness changes and she knows she can't go back. I liked the sparks between these two, it wasn't immediate... or over the top, I believed them. Very sweet.
The ending of this book is a complete cliff-hanger. Now I can't wait for Pandemonium... I have to know what happens. This has happened before, I think I love the book, but then the series takes a turn and I am left disappointed.... I hope it doesn't happen with these books.
Another thing I loved... the author starts each chapter with little readings. It reinforces the societal beliefs, they're very interesting. My favorite though was a poem. I absolutely loved it.
Mama, Mama, help me get home
I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own.
I found me a werewolf, a nasty old mutt
It showed me its teeth, and went straight for my gut.
Mama, Mama, help me get home.
I'm out in the woods, I am out on my own.
I was stopped by a vampire, a rotting old wreck
It showed me its teeth, and went straight for my neck.
Mama, Mama, put me to bed
I won't make it home, I'm already half-dead.
I met an Invalid, and fell for his art
He showed me his smile, and went straight for my heart.
~Delirium intro to Chapter 6
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.
Nope. Didn't like it. Which, looking at the series as a whole is really disappointing. I really liked the Hunger Games, tolerated Catching Fire, but with this finale... Mockingjay, not at all meeting my expectations I would never return to this series. The reason I enjoyed this series in the beginning was primarily Katniss. She was strong, a sruvivor, who took care of those she loved. There was something rash about her, almost overbearing at times, but I liked that about her. She kicked ass. Not in this book, she was a catatonic mess who followed ridiculous orders, but made no real decisions. In maybe three or four secnes the old Katniss emerges briefly, but not enough. I feel as though she gave up, a lot. In turn, I gave up on her. 
