Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061726826
ISBN-13: 978-0061726828
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
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 Haloway 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.
What I liked
The story concept was interesting and the world created fascinating. The whole premise is that love is a disease and scientists have cured it. By having the procedure done when you roughly turn 18 (it can be done earlier) you can live your life with out sadness, anger, happiness, any emotion at all it seems.
The story is character driven. It focuses on Lena and her struggles. She is terrified she is really like her mother who the procedure didn't work on, and struggles with her emotions leading up to the procedure. She wants to do what is best by her family and bring some honour back, but at the same time starts to question her society and the world she has been brought up in.
I enjoyed the second half of the book far more then the first. In all honesty I felt the first half of the book probably could have been cut in half, it didn't really add value to the book as a whole really.
What I didn't like
It was pretty slow paced for the first half. This was in part due to the nature of the book being a character driven more drama type book. Don't expect a Hunger Games or Pretties type book, this is not that kind of book. To be honest I nearly gave up after about 100 pages. I was on holidays though so persevered (as I didn't have anything else to read). It was just a big info dump about Lena and her life, with out really explaining why the world was the way it is. This was a problem when Lena really wasn't that interesting.
There was not much "history" about how the world Lena lives in came to be. Events are hinted at but no real detail is given as to why they wanted to cure love and then why and how they did it. Apparently this is the first book in a trilogy and it certainly felt that way. Maybe the history side will be revealed later.
This book felt to much like a first book in a trilogy. There were story threads not really finished off and information not given to the reader. This was annoying because by the end of this book I wasn't sure if I would read the rest but I will probably have to now so I can get some answers.
Summary
This was not a terrible book and perhaps my timing was not the best (reading it after a fast paced action book). Sometimes I find it hard to shift from writing styles and might have been more critical as a result. But I did like this book and for someone who likes this type of book they will probably enjoy it more then I did.
Extras
If you would like to read and extract of Chapter 1 of Delirium then head over to Lauren Oliver's web page.
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