Delirium
by Lauren Oliver

    DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
    Category:  Science Fiction
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  2/1/11
    Publisher:  HarperCollins
    Reviewed by:  Andrea
    Rating:  5 Stars


    In the world that Lena has grown up in, love is a disease.  It's called "deliria," and when people turn eighteen,
    they undergo a procedure called the "cure."  This ensures that no one is infected by the disease.  

    Lena has grown up counting down the days until she can be safe and cured.  But the summer before her
    eighteenth birthday, the unthinkable happens - she falls in love!  Caught between knowing that following her
    head and the rules of her community by getting cured will ensure a safe future, and following her heart, Lena
    struggles with deciding what is right and what is wrong.
    Back when I read BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver, everyone was raving about it.  And while I liked it, I
    didn't think it was as great as everyone was claiming.  So when I read about DELIRIUM, I didn't get my hopes
    up.  But boy, was I surprised!  This book was so much better than BEFORE I FALL!

    Right off the bat, I was engrossed in the story.  A world without love?  I can't even imagine having to live and
    not being able to feel things.  I really can't fathom it.  I am a very emotional person, so the idea of being "cured"
    of the "disease" is astonishing to me!  But the way the community was described made it feel so real.  Very
    scary! ( I loved the quotes that were at the beginning of each chapter - they were from "real" books talking
    about the disease.)

    I quickly grew to love Lena.  She tried so hard to be good and follow the rules, yet she knew something was
    wrong and she followed her *gasp* heart.  And I loved Alex, too!  What a sweet guy!
    There are several surprises in this story.  I have to say that I personally didn't like the ending, but that doesn't
    stop it from being an amazing story.  The ending is good and it fits; it's just not what I thought was going to
    happen.  It's been awhile since I have felt that strongly about a book and thought about it so much afterwards.  
    So far, this is my favorite book of the year (both 2010 & 2011)!