The First Cure?

Delirium


Written by: Lauren Oliver

Released: February 1, 2011 by HarperTeen

Summary: 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.

I was so excited to be able to read this a little bit early from netGalley and I will be going out and purchasing my own copy as soon as I can. I loved this book that much.

Love is one of those emotions that I really can’t get enough of when I’m reading. I think it’s because it can take on so many facets and directions that it can never get old. Star-crossed lovers are way up there on the love stories, and this has the Romeo and Juliet vibe all over it. Plus, love in dystopian literature was just an added bonus that I couldn’t pass up.

I went into this with an open mind purely because after liking Before I Fall, and with all the hype surrounding this novel, I didn’t want to be disappointed. Happily, I wasn’t and I inhaled this book from page one. After all, it’s one of those rare books where the story hasn’t really been done before in this way. If I’m wrong, let me know. I would like to read that book...

Anyways, I didn’t really like Lena at first, but I think that’s mostly because she wasn’t quite was I thought she would be. I pictured her as a bit stronger, but as the story progressed I was able to see her morph into someone who was independent and finally thinking for herself. At the end, I was breathless and bewildered and completely left wanting the next in the trilogy because I needed to know what was going to happen to Lena next.

The love within these pages was the great kind that strikes like lightning and then smoulders until it’s a full-blown five alarm fire. I loved seeing Lena struggle with her feelings; her want and need for the ‘cure’ along with her eye-opening experiences. Her relationship with Alex and its juxtaposition to that of Romeo and Juliet added to the danger and excitement on each page. I was almost holding my breath for several scenes almost scared to find out what would happen next.

The ending of this book is the type that makes me want to hate a book. Meaning, it just ended. Now, I know that there are going to be two other books, but the wait is going to be excruciating since everything was left at loose ends. I need to know what happened and I would like to know ASAP. I suppose that I could resort to looking for fanfiction about this book, but hopefully it won’t come to that. If anything, I wouldn’t want to really spoil what will happen.

I loved this novel and it seems as though Lauren Oliver’s books just get better and better as they come out. This will be high up on my recommendations for anyone who wants a good love story or a good dystopian novel. Luckily, this is a fantastic mix of both. I’m giving it a 9/10 and I can’t wait to get my own hard copy.