Pandemonium (Delirium #2) Review

Date Published: February 28, 2012

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Number of Pages: 375

Publisher: Harper Teen

First Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I was excited to start this book especially with the ending of “Delirium” but this book just didn’t have the same flare as the first book. It seemed longer yet the number of pages was 105 pages less than the first book. And it seemed that the connection I had with Lena In “Delirium” wasn’t there in this book I felt more distant from the world and the story became even more complex and detailed. So overall I was kind of disappointed with this book and I hope the next book in this story will redeem itself.

Plot:

The plot was really complicated and you had to read actively most of the time to understand what was happening in the book. So if you’re looking for a book to just relax and read this isn’t it. The concept is still intriguing, the idea of love being an illness is fun to continue reading and I really enjoyed the added information given to us in this book but I guess it’s slower pace really made it that more difficult to read. There was some action, but even the action it did have wasn’t that high of intensity and didn’t really make the book that much more enjoyable. One thing I did enjoy was the two stories being told as one. Each chapter switched back and forth from past to present and I found that it was crafted just right to create an intelligent and interesting story. And both of the stories were inter-related and I looked forward to switching back and forth between them…that did help move the pace along…to make me want to reach the end of the chapter and switch stories. But other than the new conflicts and ideas introduced into this world it wasn’t what I was expecting…I wanted more! I wanted that same feel to the book that I found in the first one. The conflict and characters were fun to follow along but in this book they were different…I guess all that they’re having to go through is changing them and therefore the story but still…sigh. Anyways though the world is more complex and ever growing it still has a lot of room to grow to impress me. And the ending of this book not a SHOCKER so saw that coming from the first page…kind of disappointing…And as for any sub-plots they were there and they did tie into the main conflict so there weren’t any problems with them…actually some of them were more interesting than the current conflict. So overall the plot was good just didn’t WOW me or pull me in like the first book.

Romance:

Ugh! I don’t even know where to even go with this aspect…there is romance and it was interesting but I didn’t really like it in the end. It didn’t feel right to me…kind of felt forced? Maybe forced isn’t the right word maybe awkward? I don’t know I just wasn’t as satisfied with it as I was with Lena and Alex…Alex gotta to love him. And the romance near the end just kind of pissed me off and I’m starting to wonder if the next book is even worth reading…I don’t want to ruin it for you so you’ll just have to read it and find out for yourself.

Characters:

I liked some of the new characters introduced into this book, some were really fun and strong to read about while others were just kind of there playing there part. And liked I mentioned earlier Lena was a little bit more distant in this book, you kind of connected with her but you didn’t get that strong connection like in “Delirium”. But they all seemed true to the book and necessary so I guess this was a good aspect to the book.

Transformation of the Character:

Lena started to transform some in this book but there is still a ways  to go before the transformation is complete. And some of the more minor characters were starting to change too but there weren’t any full transformations that I could see in this book. So if there were they had to have been subtle. So overall this didn’t really mess with the overall feel of the book.

Description:

The description was just as good in this book as it was in the first one. The author knew how to draw the reader into the landscape; to allow them to see the symbolism all around the characters. But I did feel there was too much at times…that it was slowing the pace of the book. But I did enjoy the way the world was described and have to say that it was one of the aspects of the book that I enjoyed reading. Some of the most memorable scenes were the description of the landscape itself…it had bits and pieces of the story too and you don’t find that in just any book. As for the dialogue I didn’t have any problems with it and there wasn’t too much. So overall this was a good aspect to the book.

Style:

This was in one POV and written in first person which allowed the reader to focus on one main story within this huge and complicated world. And the switching of tenses was really fun to read, I loved how this author chose to set up this book, merging the past and present every other chapter was a great choice for this story. And as far as the authors writing it was just as easy and at times fun to read. I found in this book she was more poetic, using metaphors and similes; pretty cool. So overall I did enjoy this aspect of the book.

Quote of the book:

“Love, the deadliest of all deadly things,

Love it kills you…

Both when you have it…

And when you don’t.”

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to YA and romance readers. This was a book that was beautifully crafted but had some rough edges to it. Would I recommend reading for fans of the series? Yes, you should know what has become of Lena and her world but just know it might not be what you’re expecting…just don’t go into this book with high expectations and I think you’ll be fine. And again where I found this book not as enjoyable you might; so always have an open mind.

My Rating: