YA Books: Beyond the Cover: Review of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

12:29 PM | Posted by Alexis Ladig

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Release Date: February 28th, 2012
Format: Hardcover First Edition
Source: Barnes and Noble
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages In This Edition: 375
Rating: 5/5

On the Cover:

Beyond the Cover:

Summary from Goodreads:

"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."

Review:

I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. It took me long enough (I didn't get a copy until two months after the release date.) AND I'M SO HAPPY I GOT ONE. This book was the follow-up to my favorite book possibly ever. Delirium was so amazing, I was actually kind of worried that there was no way a sequel could ever compare. I was wrong.

This book was un-put-down-able. It rushed ahead at a break neck pace so that I couldn't help but read it for hours and hours until I was done. I don't want to say too much about the plot since it is a sequel and I don't want to spoil it for the few who haven't managed to read the first book. All I will say is WOW. The beginning, middle, and end all managed to be equally amazing. The end was a shocker though. And a mega cliff-hanger. I can't wait for the last book to come out now!

As always, Oliver manages to develop her characters in a way that most authors can't. Lena is defiantly one of the top five characters that I've read. The way she grew throughout this book was astonishing. Because the story is told in alternating "then" and "now" chapters, the way the voice changes between the two perspectives until they meet in the middle is amazing. I wish I could write like that.

As a second book, the pacing was so fast. For me, the second book in a trilogy is usually the one that is the slowest. Now that the author has you glued to the characters, they must go through some long "journey" type thing before the final book where everything is wrapped up. But Pandemonium is just what the title states it is: pandemonium.

Again I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling, but this book doesn't disappoint. The end (as in the last page) leaves such a cliff-hanger! I want the last book like NOW. So if you've read Delirium and haven't managed to read Pandemonium yet, you must!

--Alexis

Currently Reading

2 comments:

Jade @ Chasing Empty Pavements said...: AH! I felt the same way! I LOVED this book! The cliff-hangers are almost unbearable though. I loathe waiting for the next one...; May 5, 2012 at 3:01 PM
Lucie said...: Hi,
I'm still waiting to receive my order...Can't wait to startthis sequel...
Nice review!
Lucie; June 4, 2012 at 12:49 AM