Review Detail

Pandemonium was an enjoyable, exciting, fast-paced book. I did find it a bit predictable - I wasn't nearly as surprised as Lena at the twists and turns of the plot - but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of it at all. And as much as I loved Alex in Delirium and I wasn't sure initially if I would be able to accept if Lena moved on, I found that I loved Julian just as much as Alex. I appreciated how the evolution of Lena and Julian's relationship mirrored that of Lena and Alex - but with Lena's role reversed.

Ultimately, I thought Pandemonium was a great set-up for the third book in the trilogy. I anticipate the conclusion to the Delirium Trilogy will contain lots of action, a likely love triangle (which is overdone in YA books, but in a world where the entire plot focuses around the benefits and drawbacks of falling in love, it probably can't be avoided), and Lena's deeper involvement with the resistance. It answered some questions set up in Delirium while asking several more. And it introduced us to some great new characters.

My frustrations with the book were minor. I missed the characters from Delirium (but I suspect some of them will pop up in the 3rd book). I couldn't understand how just a couple days lost in the woods resulted in Lena needing weeks to recuperate, considering how physically fit she was at the end of Delirium. And several of Lena's great plans just seemed far too simple (especially in the couple parts where she has to deal with key codes).

But overall, none of that was enough to take away from my enjoyment of the book. The storytelling was excellent, and I found myself completely immersed in the characters and world that Ms. Oliver created. I'm intrigued and excited to see how she wraps up Lena's story in book 3. Highly recommend!