Monday, May 14, 2012

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium
Lauren Oliver
February 28th, 2012
375 pages (hardcover)
HarperTeen
Source - Purchased
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.
After surviving the events of Delirium, Lena is thrust into the Wilds. Alternating between her beginnings in the Wilds and her current ventures as a part of the Resistance, it's easy to see that Lena has been shattered, pieced together again, and rebuilt into a young woman that is slowly finding her strength and her purpose in a very hectic society. But nothing is easy, nothing is what it seems, and not everyone can be trusted in Lena's world.

If you thought Delirium ripped your heart out and stomped on it by the time you reached the breathtaking conclusion, just wait until you read Pandemonium. The pacing starts with an excited rush, and that tension never quite dissipates. Instead, the tension lingers, building and receding until the exhilarating conclusion finally arrives. My eyes were locked onto that final page, and I was silently cursing the fact that I don't have the third novel, Requiem. Pandemonium is chaotic and compelling. You'll never want to tear your eyes away once you begin reading.

Highlights: Pandemonium pulled me in and twisted my emotions around as I followed Lena through her dangerous journey. Lena's world is more fully discovered and developed. Alternating chapters (Now and Then) provided a full view of Lena - Seeing her in both ways was fascinating: from a broken and fragile girl to a strong, determined young woman. All in all, a strong sequel.

Lowlights: Too short of story (especially for Lauren Oliver), so sometimes things felt like they were happening too fast. I was able to figure out all of the surprises before they happened1. I wasn't fond of the romantic relationship Lena begins to build - I somewhat grew to like him, but not enough to believe in their relationship.

Rating:  

1 Very few books surprise me. But, most "surprises" (like the ending) still made an emotional impact on me.


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Images + Summary from Goodreads

16 comments:

  1. I was a bit disappointed in "Delirium" and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I read "Matched" first. I've heard great things about "Pandemonium" so I'll definitely read it soon.

    p.s. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  2. Yay! Glad you loved this one too Lea! I didn't want to end up liking the new love interest, but he grew on me until the last page, and then my heart fell right from my chest and splattered at my feet. Lauren Oliver definitely knows how to rip your heart out:)

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  3. Glad you loved this one Lea :) !! I was a bit disappointed in Pandemonium but I overall really liked it !! I can't wait to read Requiem because the ending of Pandemonium was great !!

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  4. I know, right?? I felt like Lauren Oliver was constantly just ripping my heart out, stomping on it, then throwing it back in only to repeat the cycle all over again! I'm starting to get to the point where few books surprise me too (probably because we've seen it all haha!), but that never stops conclusions like this one for stealing are breath away. You have to say you wanted to cry like I did! <3

    Amazing review, Lea! Requiem is so far away :')

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  5. So much moved so fast--even though this was what my students would call a long book, it wasn't long enough!

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  6. I fell like the only one right now who has not started this series. But I always see great rating for it and I do have the first book so I will someday.

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  7. I loved Delirium, but haven't gotten around to Pandemonium yet. I'm glad you liked it even though you could predict all the surprises and plot twists in the book. Great review!

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  8. I wish I had Pandemonium in my hands so I could read it to see exactly what you're describing. Gah!!! Excellent review btw :)

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  9. I still have to read delirium! It's just sitting there on my shelf...

    The second book sounds good!

    Krazyyme @ Young Readers

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  10. Yay! I can't wait to read this one. Delirium was such a fun read!

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  11. i would really like to read this series! thanks for the great review

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  12. I'm so glad to hear that you liked this one. I like Delirium a lot, but haven't been able to read Pandemonium yet. I'm curious about Lena's romantic relationship, though; I hate not liking the love interest.

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  13. I absolutely LOVED Pandemonium! I'm so glad you did, too. It was much more exciting than Delirium. But you're right, we NEED MORE! Ugh. Lauren Oliver and her stinking cliffhangers. Blargh.
    - Lauren

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  14. Agreed - this was a strong sequel and I'm surprised because I really wasn't expecting it to be. I don't know, I think I was just nervous that it would be way too different from Delirium - and it was - but I thought that was actually a good thing in this case!

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  15. Okay soo I really don't wanna read this just because I to be honest I didn't like Delirium until Alex came and now that he's dead I have no desire to read Pandemomium.

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