Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 375
Source: Around the World Tours
Challenge: 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge, Sophomore Reading Challenge, Outdo Yourself
Rating: 5/5
Goodreads Synopsis
I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.
My Thoughts
The first chapter or so of Pandemonium was difficult for me
to get through. It seemed to go round and round and said a lot of the same
things. I am sure it was meant to seem a tad chaotic because it is written in
the thoughts and emotions of Lena as she is was wounded and scared. I get that.
But it was so hard to get through!
With that said, I absolutely LOVED this book!!! Five stars
until the very end!
Delirium was one of my first dystopian reads, and reading
Pandemonium was at the absolute top of my list of reads for 2012. I totally
gobbled the words of this book at such at fast rate that it made my head spin.
It was very much unexpected the way Pandemonium turned to be. I thought maybe
it would be about Lena learning to live in the Wilds. Or maybe finding her mom.
I am not totally sure what I did expect, but it turned out to be a fantastic
read.
Lena herself grew in leaps and bounds and was almost like a
whole new character. She was determined and seemed to decide that she will no
longer let her old life weigh her down anymore. The journey of her letting go
of Alex was heartbreaking to read. Not to mention heartbreaking for me! Hello?!
It took me almost the entire book to get over the boy with the autumn leave hair.
I totally cried at the end of Delirium and refused to let go of Alex! It was
definitely a huge jump for Lena (not to mention this girl!).
The new characters introduced in this book were very
dimensional, rounded, and well written; even the ones with the small parts.
Julian. Oh. Julian. How you captivate me so… Lena, I mean
how you captivate Lena so! Julian was an adorable character. He was innocent,
good looking, attentive, and a tab bit rebellious. I like rebellious. His type
of rebellion started out in a small and quiet way, and slowly grew into
something like love. Yes, I said that dirty word: LOVE! Curiosity literally got
the best of this boy.
When Lena and Julian spent their days as captives together,
you could see their relationship blossom right before your eyes. It was a
confused, but kind and adorable relationship. I found myself just waiting for
them to figure out that they should be together, and wondering “Why are they
just not together yet?!”
In the end, we, the readers, are totally thrown for a loop.
I mean jaw dropping, spine tingling, OMG sort of ending. An absolute cliff
hanger that fans of Delirium will be dying to learn more about.
Pandemonium was sweet and adventurous with plenty of delirium nervousa to keep the reader
swooning. An absolutely brilliant and beautiful read.
Favorite Character: Julian
Least Favorite: Raven; although she did redeem herself
somewhat by the end of the book.
Quotes: pg.21 “’You might as well get used to it now,’ she
says, with quiet intensity. ‘Everything you were, the life you had, the people
you knew… dust.’ She shakes her and says, a little more firmly, ‘There is no
before. There is only now and what comes next.’”
