Delirium by: Lauren Oliver

Delirium by: Lauren Oliver
Publication Date: February 1, 2011, Special Edition - August 1, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 441
Format: Hardcover 1st Edition
Series: Delirium #1
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

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 Holoway 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.

My Review:

Disclaimer: The cover above is the Special Edition cover, just because I love it so much. The one I own is the first edition, though.

I read Delirium shortly after the release date. I just decided it was so amazing that it deserved a review. It dragged me in, hook, line, and sinker! The writing style of Lauren Oliver is officially one of my all-time favorites.  She described the dystopian version of Portland, Maine, so majestically and really captured all of the drastically transformed elements of society that come with dystopia.

The setting of Portland in itself is something I really enjoyed in itself. Even though it was a fenced town and an overall dystopian environment, I loved all of the coves and beaches mentioned and visited in the book.

Lena is an incredibly strong character. Sure, she complies with all of the terms of the procedure and the laws at first and she had all of her life up until the events of the book, but still, she has the spirit of a fighter. I love female characters like that. 

As far as the genre goes, this was on of the heaviest dystopian books I've read, and I love the genre.  It was a lot more graphic in certian parts about the consequences of the law being broken. I think that when Lena realized the true nature of the government and their intentions, she was more eager to rebel, and then when she met Alex, it was the domino effect from there.

Alex and Lena's relationship gradually came into being, which I appreciated. I feel like, too many times in YA books that the relationships happen too fast, but this one was perfectly paced. 

The ending was a moderately large cliffhanger. I think, when I finished it, I literally slammed shut the book and scrambled to the computer to find the release date of the next book, foolishly hoping it would be the next day. This book comes highly recommended, just in case you are some uncivilized person who hasn't read this yet.

Official Rating:

Five Un-Birthday Cakes!

              Sara

Beautiful Chaos by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Chaos by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 518
Format: Hardcover
Series: Caster Chronicles #3
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.
Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

My Review:
    
     This book is by far, the best in the Caster Chronicles series so far. As soon as I read the first few pages, I settled into the world of Gatlin, South Carolina and loved every minute of it. As one of my favorite book series', these books never cease to amaze me.
    Every character in this book seemed to come into focus more in my mind this time around. Even the bad ones like Sarafine and Ridley. I saw things that had been previously covered up by time and darkness, which let me really understand their humanity.
   In certain parts, I felt like I could easily predict what was going to happen or who was going to do what, and then the book went and changed what I predicted. I loved this, because it added so much more surprise when Lena, Ethan, and the others deciphered the Shadowing Song and the climax happened. It was such and exciting and impossible realization, which is what I love about reading the works of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
    Every person in this story grew so much throughout the journey and hardships they all faced. I love it so much when characters are like that. With Ethan especially. This series, for sure, has the absolute best cast of characters. Ever.
    Things were so out of control and the Caster world was in a grave collision with the Mortal world, which made for quite the uproar among the church people (everybody) in Gatlin. This added a lot of excitement and suspense. I was always asking myself how much longer Gatlin could withstand the weight of a broken Order. Ethan seemed to take it all in stride, however. He seemed to be fairly calm about the whole situation until he witnessed Amma behaving suspiciously and Abraham making appearances. But what with everything he had going through previously, that didn't surprise me, really.
    So many things in this story went right and wrong, all leading up to one great and devastating ending, with the cliffhanger of the century slapped on top. This is the only thing that frustrated me. I think it is good to be frustrated sometimes during a book, though. It means that the author is getting to you and you have developed a genuine understanding of the people and setting.

   

Inheritance by: Christopher Paolini

Inheritance by: Christopher Paolini
Published: November 8th, 2011
Publisher: Random House
Page count: 880
Format: hardcover
Series: Inheritance cycle #4
Buy the book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

My Review:

       This last, long-awaited book in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle was the perfect conclusion to a classic series that will never be forgotten. Honestly, I couldn’t put the book down—from its complex and still-developing characters to its intense and gripping plot with plenty of gore to go around, it was an enticing story that had dozens of plot twists and tied up all the loose ends. The building suspense to the climax of the entire series was almost unbearable but definitely paid off, and I was completely blown away by the unpredictable yet unforgettable ending. I’ve been so pleased with the entire cycle, and I’m utterly astounded by Paolini’s characterization, plot, and vocabulary, all tied together in a well-planned, thick, and complex cycle. I’ve never read a series like it, and it would take a lot to top his stories. While this book would not come recommended to anyone who has not read the first 3 books—read those first, it’s worth it!—I positively beg you to try his books out. They are well worth your time.

Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins
Published: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Page Count: 391
Format: Hardcover
Series: Hunger Games #2

Summary from Amazon:

Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this rabidly anticipated sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions tantalizingly unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment.

My Review:

   I don't know what possessed me to procrastinate in reading this book! It had been sitting on my shelf for like a year. Perhaps I just didn't want the series to be over so fast. At least now I can get right into Mockingjay, because boy, that was some cliffhanger!
  Catching Fire started off a bit slow for me but at about the second or third chapter, it abrubtly caught me on and wouldn't let me go til the end. There is definitely a lot more mystery and wonder in this book than the first. The Capital just seems relentless and  won't let Katniss have the moment of peace she so rightly deserves. She thought that maybe the publicity would die down after the Victory Tour, but President Snow always has some evil plan up his sleeves, it seems.
  There wasn't much Gale in this book, possibly even less than the first, which kind of upset me at first but then I got so wrapped up in the action that Gale didn't even cross my mind much. Just by the ending, I could tell that he is going to be in Mockingjay a fair amount, which made me feel better.
  We meet a lot of the previous Hunger Games victors in this book and that was exciting for me. Some of them were on drugs or drinking like Haymitch and that made me further understand the toll that the Games take on the tributes. But a lot of them like Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason are still young and strong.
  Katniss makes the transition in this book from fighting her own survival as she did in the Games to fighting for everyone elses. She thinks that no one else should suffer from the repurcussions of both Peeta and her winning the previous year. I admire the way she thinks so selflessly like that. I wonder if she would have known what an effect her and Peeta's winning would be on Panem, if she would have let herself survive. I hope so. Because the ending was so plain and simple yet so dangerously hinting at the plot for the last book.