Pandemonium (Delirium #2)
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15 reviews with 5 stars
22 reviews
Overall rating
4.5
Plot
4.5(22)
Characters
4.4(22)
Writing Style
4.6(22)
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Emotional! Pivotal! Heartbreaking! Love!
Overall rating
5.0
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Lauren Oliver has switched things up for us in Pandemonium: every other chapter is written in the present (Now) or in the past (Then), both told from Lena's point-of-view. As soon as I saw this, I was very excited to start reading it. I love when books have multiple narrators, and this kind of felt that way. There was no confusion, you always knew which Lena was talking and what was going on. Doing this, I felt that the story flew without any hesitations - and there were so many emotions: very powerful moments and decisions. Oliver's words have a way of imprinting themselves on your heart... I felt Lena's struggles, not only within herself but with the elements around her too. I ached so much for Alex. I missed him more than I ever thought was possible. Such raw emotions and writing is a rare thing to find in a second book to a series.
Then: We see Lena as she was when she was found in the Wilds. How she survived and the things that she had to learn. This Lena is scared and questioning whether or not she made the right decisions. She's also heartbroken and so lost without Alex. But her thoughts of him are what keep her going, sane and hopeful. Being in the Wilds is scary and tough. Lucky for Lena, she 'found' a good homestead with caring and experienced people that took her in - Raven, Blue, Tack...
Now: We see Lena in the present, a year after she has entered the Wilds. There's a mission that has to be completed and her role is very important and pivotal to the story. This is where we also meet Julian. And there are many other discoveries to be made - there are other people and worlds hiding and living within the system.
At this point, this book, it is so crucial to know everything about Lena... it helps to prepare you for that unpredictable ending! Yes, it is a grand cliff-hanger! But one that I didn't mind at all and loved!
Now, onto Requiem!!!
Then: We see Lena as she was when she was found in the Wilds. How she survived and the things that she had to learn. This Lena is scared and questioning whether or not she made the right decisions. She's also heartbroken and so lost without Alex. But her thoughts of him are what keep her going, sane and hopeful. Being in the Wilds is scary and tough. Lucky for Lena, she 'found' a good homestead with caring and experienced people that took her in - Raven, Blue, Tack...
Now: We see Lena in the present, a year after she has entered the Wilds. There's a mission that has to be completed and her role is very important and pivotal to the story. This is where we also meet Julian. And there are many other discoveries to be made - there are other people and worlds hiding and living within the system.
At this point, this book, it is so crucial to know everything about Lena... it helps to prepare you for that unpredictable ending! Yes, it is a grand cliff-hanger! But one that I didn't mind at all and loved!
Now, onto Requiem!!!
Much more action :) :)
(Updated: January 17, 2013)
Overall rating
4.7
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This is one of those books where, after you have turned the last page you either: 1. scream and cry because its over and the cliff hanger is so torturous 2. think (or yell, if you want) "oh. my. god. I need the next one!!!" or 3. punch a pillow (or a wall) because the cliff hanger made you want to punch something.
I did numbers two and three, except doing number three was pretty embarrassing because I was on a plane and I literally punched the seat in front of me and the guy sitting there wasn't very happy and my mum and dad were looking at me like "are you alright??!" ... :P
Even though I saw the end coming before I even opened the book... Well, if you've read the previous paragraph then you will know that that cliffhanger at the end still surprised me (can something surprise you if you saw it coming?) I guess it was more the circumstances that surprised me. Hmmm...
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DELIRIUM, PLEASE STOP HERE. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DELIRIUM YET, PLEASE START NOW.
Let me give you an insight on my thoughts before I read the book:
Thought number one: Alex better not be dead or "cured" because if he is I'll die.
Thought number two: Lena better not fall for another guy because if she does I'll shoot him and slap Lena (I won't kill her because that would make Alex sad)
Pandemonium is a much faster read than Delirium. Where Delirium was all about Lena slowly realising that love is not a bad thing, this is all about Lena on the run.
The love interest. There may be a few unintentional spoilers here, people. Brace yourselves people, because now Lauren introduces the all powerful, universally hated (I think) LOVE TRIANGLE!!!! Nononono. I HATE ****** (can't divulge any names here, people). How could Lena do that!!! Okay, fine I admit the guy whose name I won't mention is cute, and nice, and the chemistry between Lena and him is good, but still. Okay, maybe I get that since Alex is gone, Lena would want to move past that tragedy instead of brooding over it forever. But I can't believe she would do that. I HAAAATE LOVE TRIANGLES (in case you didn't get it).
It was great to explore more of Lena's world, because in Delirium all we really got to know was the city and Alex's house. We get to see the Wild, some other cities in the country, and meet new and interesting people. I do want to see what happened to Hana.
So in all, this was a really great read, with much more action and more of Lena's world introduced. If you liked Delirium, you'll love Pandemonium. :)
I did numbers two and three, except doing number three was pretty embarrassing because I was on a plane and I literally punched the seat in front of me and the guy sitting there wasn't very happy and my mum and dad were looking at me like "are you alright??!" ... :P
Even though I saw the end coming before I even opened the book... Well, if you've read the previous paragraph then you will know that that cliffhanger at the end still surprised me (can something surprise you if you saw it coming?) I guess it was more the circumstances that surprised me. Hmmm...
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DELIRIUM, PLEASE STOP HERE. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DELIRIUM YET, PLEASE START NOW.
Let me give you an insight on my thoughts before I read the book:
Thought number one: Alex better not be dead or "cured" because if he is I'll die.
Thought number two: Lena better not fall for another guy because if she does I'll shoot him and slap Lena (I won't kill her because that would make Alex sad)
Pandemonium is a much faster read than Delirium. Where Delirium was all about Lena slowly realising that love is not a bad thing, this is all about Lena on the run.
The love interest. There may be a few unintentional spoilers here, people. Brace yourselves people, because now Lauren introduces the all powerful, universally hated (I think) LOVE TRIANGLE!!!! Nononono. I HATE ****** (can't divulge any names here, people). How could Lena do that!!! Okay, fine I admit the guy whose name I won't mention is cute, and nice, and the chemistry between Lena and him is good, but still. Okay, maybe I get that since Alex is gone, Lena would want to move past that tragedy instead of brooding over it forever. But I can't believe she would do that. I HAAAATE LOVE TRIANGLES (in case you didn't get it).
It was great to explore more of Lena's world, because in Delirium all we really got to know was the city and Alex's house. We get to see the Wild, some other cities in the country, and meet new and interesting people. I do want to see what happened to Hana.
So in all, this was a really great read, with much more action and more of Lena's world introduced. If you liked Delirium, you'll love Pandemonium. :)
Good Points
- Faster than Pandemonium
- We get to see more of Lena's world
- We get to see more of Lena's world
Amazing Sequel!!!
Overall rating
5.0
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I added exclamation points because I can't even stress how much I love this book. This is one of only two instances in which I loved the sequel more than the first book.
I loved the fact that we get to explore the wilds in the book and see what life's like outside of the fence. Lena meets some interesting characters, and of course gets herself in a sticky situation. I fell in love with Julian,a boy who plays a bit part in Pandemonium.
The end was a major cliffhanger, even if I saw it coming. I can't wait till Requiem so that I can see what happens. Amazing novel!
I loved the fact that we get to explore the wilds in the book and see what life's like outside of the fence. Lena meets some interesting characters, and of course gets herself in a sticky situation. I fell in love with Julian,a boy who plays a bit part in Pandemonium.
The end was a major cliffhanger, even if I saw it coming. I can't wait till Requiem so that I can see what happens. Amazing novel!
Pandemonium (A Room with Books review)
Overall rating
5.0
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I’m sure by now you’ve probably read quite a few reviews for Pandemonium that go something like this “I couldn’t possibly put my feelings for this book into words” or “What in the world just happened?!” And that pretty much sums it up. I’m not going to write my usual review for this one since I feel like basically anything I say would be a spoiler, but I will say that Lauren Oliver has written a solid sequel.
Everything about Pandemonium is a journey. There’s literal journeys and emotional journeys and every last one of them are spectacular. Almost everything feels entirely real, like it actually could’ve happened on its own without too much luck.
It did feel a little stagnant at some parts, but I know that it can’t always be about action and life-risking.
The Nutshell: Pandemonium is a fantastic sequel that is likely to satisfy (at least for the duration of the book) lovers of Delirium.
Everything about Pandemonium is a journey. There’s literal journeys and emotional journeys and every last one of them are spectacular. Almost everything feels entirely real, like it actually could’ve happened on its own without too much luck.
It did feel a little stagnant at some parts, but I know that it can’t always be about action and life-risking.
The Nutshell: Pandemonium is a fantastic sequel that is likely to satisfy (at least for the duration of the book) lovers of Delirium.
Dystopia + Love Issues + Awesome Writing = Great Book
Overall rating
4.7
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This was a great sequel to Delirium. I really enjoyed how the story flipped back and forth between 2 different times after the events of Delirium took place: "Now" and "Then". It kept the pace going and ensured something exciting was always happening.
I also liked how this book focused more on how Lena was living in the Wilds and helping in the Resistance and less on the romance. There was still plenty of romance, but it wasn't as prominent. This allowed the actual dystopian storyline to grow and take center stage, which was my favorite part of the book.
Lauren Oliver's writing blew me away again. Don't need to say any more other than that.
As for the romance, I like Julian. I think he and Lena had pretty good chemistry. It was interesting seeing their relationship play out because it was kind of a role-reversal for Lena. Before, she was the one all about the cure until Alex came along. Now she is the one convincing Julian that what society says isn't true.
I can't say I the end shocked me, but that doesn't make me any less anxious for the next book.
Overall: With the same brilliant writing and unique world, the author will blow you away with this superb sequel.
I also liked how this book focused more on how Lena was living in the Wilds and helping in the Resistance and less on the romance. There was still plenty of romance, but it wasn't as prominent. This allowed the actual dystopian storyline to grow and take center stage, which was my favorite part of the book.
Lauren Oliver's writing blew me away again. Don't need to say any more other than that.
As for the romance, I like Julian. I think he and Lena had pretty good chemistry. It was interesting seeing their relationship play out because it was kind of a role-reversal for Lena. Before, she was the one all about the cure until Alex came along. Now she is the one convincing Julian that what society says isn't true.
I can't say I the end shocked me, but that doesn't make me any less anxious for the next book.
Overall: With the same brilliant writing and unique world, the author will blow you away with this superb sequel.
Good Points
Great writing
Awesome dystopian world and story
Awesome dystopian world and story
Better than expected!
Overall rating
5.0
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I really enjoyed this book. It was completely different from the first. I liked how it was written, it allowed the reader to watch the character grow without any of the boring stuff. The END!!!!! Omg the end has left me dying for more! If you loved the first one, this is better and I'm sure the book after this will be even better. I can't wait to read it!
Good Points
A lot of story packed into one book.
The whole thing.
The whole thing.
B
Brittany
Top 100 Reviewer
I wince involuntarily. . . =)
(Updated: May 28, 2012)
Overall rating
5.0
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This is a book worth reading and re-reading. . . It has caught me completely with its charm. . . I salute Oliver for this tremendous book. . .
Good Points
Pandemoniun. .. is the sequel of Oliver's book Delirium. . . When Delirium left me in a cliff hanging ending as to Alex's death I was so desperate to get my hands on Pandemonium. . . and found Pandemonium. .. utterly brilliant. . . The way Lena pushes her thoughts from her old life to her new one in the wilds. . . I felt her pain. . . the agony in her heart. . . It was spectacular. . . I wince involuntarily. . . not every writer can do that to a reader. . . and that's what makes Oliver so special and the Delirium Trilogy. . . If Delirium left you in a cliff hanging situation. . . wait till you finish Pandemonium and feel yourself plunge into an abyss of curiosity of what comes next. . .
GM
Ge Marquez
Top 500 Reviewer
Cliff Hanging!
Overall rating
5.0
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Could do without the crazy cliff hangers
Good Points
Warning: Ready to shoot myself over this cliff hanger! So if this review is a little rambly (Yes making up my own word here) please don’t take it out on me. I’ve just finished reading so I’m still getting over the book =)
As you all know Pandemonium is the companion novel to the one and only Delirium. Which I hope you also all know that I liked it I’m just not a fan of these huge cliff hangers! So anyway the story is Love is illegal. If you fall in love your diagnosed with Deliria and basically if you get it they cure you but if they believe it’s gone to deep they lock you up. Lena the main character of course in the beginning is following the rules and is going about getting her cure but then she meets Alex whom she falls in love with and that is where I stop telling you about the story if you want to know more go read it!
Lena is a really cool character because at first she’s not a rebel at all. She’s scared of not following the rules and getting in trouble because of what happened to her mother. But she does over come her fears and fall in love which I’m glad about because everyone deserves to fall in love at least once because it truly is an amazing feeling.
Now let me say what happened in this book I was so not ready for. But it wasn’t totally hard to handle until the end which I can’t talk about because I can’t spoil it, but one of the things that I really liked about Pandemonium is all of the new characters. The big ones in particular are Raven she is the mother basically in the story she takes care of Lena when she’s sick and hurt and gives her a place to sleep and be when she needs it the most. Raven basically gives Lena a whole new family.
Next up we have Tack who we don’t see a whole lot of but after they break apart from the other half of the group he Is the one that stays with Raven & Lena. He’s sort of the hard headed guy who just wants to take care of his friends well family. We don’t find out much about his past but I feel like he must have had a lot of heart break for him to be like that. I think it would be really interesting to have a little side story about Raven & Tack just like Lauren did one for Hana because I feel like there’s something more to the two of their characters.
Lastly the character that I didn’t want to but I fell in love with is Julian. Now love is banned through out the whole book and the point is that Lena is falling in love anyways but this love is different because she’s falling in love with the other side all most and I’m not going to elaborate on that again because of spoilers but I think you get the point. Julian is this sweet guy whose had a really rough life and he just wants to be left alone he doesn’t want to risk his life with surgery anymore he doesn’t want to hate his dad anymore he just wants to be normal and I have to say I think Julian deserves it because even though he’s supposed to be on the other side he still understands Lena’s side.
Overall I give Pandemonium 4.5 out of 5 stars and the reasoning for that is because I can’t get over these crazy cliffhangers because it just brings the end of the story down for me. The only good thing about it is that I need to get my hands on the next book now!
As you all know Pandemonium is the companion novel to the one and only Delirium. Which I hope you also all know that I liked it I’m just not a fan of these huge cliff hangers! So anyway the story is Love is illegal. If you fall in love your diagnosed with Deliria and basically if you get it they cure you but if they believe it’s gone to deep they lock you up. Lena the main character of course in the beginning is following the rules and is going about getting her cure but then she meets Alex whom she falls in love with and that is where I stop telling you about the story if you want to know more go read it!
Lena is a really cool character because at first she’s not a rebel at all. She’s scared of not following the rules and getting in trouble because of what happened to her mother. But she does over come her fears and fall in love which I’m glad about because everyone deserves to fall in love at least once because it truly is an amazing feeling.
Now let me say what happened in this book I was so not ready for. But it wasn’t totally hard to handle until the end which I can’t talk about because I can’t spoil it, but one of the things that I really liked about Pandemonium is all of the new characters. The big ones in particular are Raven she is the mother basically in the story she takes care of Lena when she’s sick and hurt and gives her a place to sleep and be when she needs it the most. Raven basically gives Lena a whole new family.
Next up we have Tack who we don’t see a whole lot of but after they break apart from the other half of the group he Is the one that stays with Raven & Lena. He’s sort of the hard headed guy who just wants to take care of his friends well family. We don’t find out much about his past but I feel like he must have had a lot of heart break for him to be like that. I think it would be really interesting to have a little side story about Raven & Tack just like Lauren did one for Hana because I feel like there’s something more to the two of their characters.
Lastly the character that I didn’t want to but I fell in love with is Julian. Now love is banned through out the whole book and the point is that Lena is falling in love anyways but this love is different because she’s falling in love with the other side all most and I’m not going to elaborate on that again because of spoilers but I think you get the point. Julian is this sweet guy whose had a really rough life and he just wants to be left alone he doesn’t want to risk his life with surgery anymore he doesn’t want to hate his dad anymore he just wants to be normal and I have to say I think Julian deserves it because even though he’s supposed to be on the other side he still understands Lena’s side.
Overall I give Pandemonium 4.5 out of 5 stars and the reasoning for that is because I can’t get over these crazy cliffhangers because it just brings the end of the story down for me. The only good thing about it is that I need to get my hands on the next book now!
A Great Sequel
Overall rating
5.0
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Phew. Lauren Oliver really had her work cut out for her in this follow-up to, Delirium. Not only do we see Lana's character grow immensely and really come into her own, but we also see the introduction of an almost entirely new cast of characters.
There are so many things that I would love to go into about Alex, Julian, and Lana's mom...but that would be giving away just too many potential spoilers; and it would totally ruin the experience for anyone about to read the book.
The book is written in Lana's present reality, but it also flashes back to scenes from her past. Take your time reading this book as it follows Lana from "Now" (as a member of the Resistance in NY) to "Then" (as she rediscovers who she really is in the Wilds). Lauren Oliver packed a lot of punch in this book and, at times, you can almost feel the emotion rolling off of the pages like a thick fog. You will feel the weight pressed against your chest at times during this book because poor Lana is put to so many tests, both emotionally and physically.
Let me just say that by the end of the book I was (literally) sitting on the edge of my bed, wide-eyed, and by the last words, I was cursing out loud (and, I will admit I wanted to smack Lauren Oliver - sorry Lauren, I love you!, but that was my first reaction) because the book was over and I cannot believe that Lauren Oliver expects us to sit and wait until February, 2013 for Requiem to come out so we can find out what happens next!!!!!
There are so many things that I would love to go into about Alex, Julian, and Lana's mom...but that would be giving away just too many potential spoilers; and it would totally ruin the experience for anyone about to read the book.
The book is written in Lana's present reality, but it also flashes back to scenes from her past. Take your time reading this book as it follows Lana from "Now" (as a member of the Resistance in NY) to "Then" (as she rediscovers who she really is in the Wilds). Lauren Oliver packed a lot of punch in this book and, at times, you can almost feel the emotion rolling off of the pages like a thick fog. You will feel the weight pressed against your chest at times during this book because poor Lana is put to so many tests, both emotionally and physically.
Let me just say that by the end of the book I was (literally) sitting on the edge of my bed, wide-eyed, and by the last words, I was cursing out loud (and, I will admit I wanted to smack Lauren Oliver - sorry Lauren, I love you!, but that was my first reaction) because the book was over and I cannot believe that Lauren Oliver expects us to sit and wait until February, 2013 for Requiem to come out so we can find out what happens next!!!!!
Good Points
Very rarely do we see a sequel that is better than the first book, this book is one of those precious gems.
KL
K. Lea Hudson
Top 500 Reviewer
Exciting, fast-paced, enjoyable read
Overall rating
4.7
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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!
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!
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