Book Review: Delirium: 4.5 Stars

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Page Count: 393
RRP: £7.99
Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Romance
Year of Publication: 2011
ISBN: 978-1444790955
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delirium-Lauren-Oliver-ebook/dp/B004KZOXJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398972254&sr=8-1&keywords=delirium

*All above information is based on the copy of the book that I own and have read.

Extended Rating:         87/100
    Continuity:                 8/10
    Creativity:                  9/10
    Originality:                9/10
    Expression:              10/10
    Captivation:             10/10
    Readability:               8/10
    Relatable:                  9/10   
    Twists and Turns:     8/10
    Imagery:                    8/10
    External:                   8/10
   

BLURB

They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them.

Until Now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years suffocated by a lie.

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.

REVIEW

    Welcome to a world where the greatest desire held within the hearts of our society has been flipped on its head and turned against us. Expression is quashed, and basic human emotion is considered the greatest weakness. Embracing your best friend is discouraged. Crying when you fall is frowned upon. Everything you are allowed to enjoy is chosen for you. Regulated. And worst of all, everyone is grateful for it. Well, almost everyone.

    Lauren Oliver landed my must-read list when I received a phone call every day for a fortnight while my mother read through the entire Delirium trilogy. She usually works leisurely through a new book, reading a chapter or so a day. Trashing through all three in two weeks blew her mind as well as mine. So onward I dove into dystopian Portland, within which Lena resides.

    The first aspect of this book that caught me was how interesting a situation the society finds itself. It’s not unusual for a protagonist to be the ‘odd-one-out’, the one who sees things differently to the world around her, and in this way, in this world, I related to Lena. Oliver has woven the concerns of today’s society, both legitimate and exaggerated, into a scenario so painfully potential that it would be difficult for any reader with a mind of their own not to understand where Lena comes from. As she struggles with her opinions and realisations of a world bound by rules which state that love is the deadliest of diseases.

    Thoughtful and beautifully descriptive, the narrative wraps you in its caress and carries you through Lena’s captivating journey blinkered. I lost sight of the world around me, my only goal to discover the next turn, and before I knew it, the explosive finale left me breathless. Lena’s musings over how to feel about the system that rules her days, and those of the people around her, are frighteningly transposable to us, and caused great mental unrest for me throughout the time surrounding my reading of this book. It made it so easy for me to question my world’s systems, rules regulations, and the fragility of our belief system in those who run our world for us. In this sense, this book struck like a brooding thunderstorm, rolling over me and sending me careening. What is more, we are presented with more detail over how everything is ordered and how the system stands as the story runs; not overloaded all at once in the first chapters.

    For the world of young adult literature, this book is perfect. The age and feelings of our main character highlight so many of the infectious insecurities of a young adult waiting for their place in the world to be bestowed upon them, only to be wracked with doubt and fear upon its presentation.

    Another fantastic book that had me pulling the sequel off the shelf as I hit the last chapter, desperate for the story not to end. Highly recommended for those who usually read outside of this genre also. An all round pleasure to read, this thought-provoking, relatable and expressive story is one to be enjoyed across the generations.

* A Note of Reassurance *

 

Hi everyone!

 

I thought I'd just mention something...

This blog is quite new, and out of the four first reviews that I've published, three of them have the same Star Rating.

Don't worry, I don't just rate everything 4.5 Stars :)

As I'm just starting up, I'm catching up on reviewing some of the many books that I've read beforehand! Naturally, I've started with a handful of books that I have particularly enjoyed; hence the generally positive reviews up so far!

So reassurance for you there: the reviews will undoubtedly range the full Five Stars of the chart as the pages turn, but for now, I'm afraid you'll be getting mainly recommendations for some of my favourite books :)

Enjoy!

Brandon Loveless x

Book Review: The Vast Fields of Ordinary: 3.5 Stars

Title: The Vast Fields of Ordinary
Author: Nick Burd
Publisher: SPEAK
Page Count: 309
RRP: $8.99
Genre: LGBT Fiction
Year of Publication: 2009
ISBN: 978-0142418208
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vast-Fields-Ordinary-Nick-Burd/dp/014241820X

*All above information is based on the copy of the book that I own and have read.

Extended Rating:         69/100
    Continuity:                 7/10
    Creativity:                  6/10
    Originality:                7/10
    Expression:                7/10
    Captivation:               6/10
    Readability:               8/10
    Relatable:                  9/10   
    Twists and Turns:     5/10
    Imagery:                    6/10
    External:                    8/10
   

BLURB

It’s Dade’s last summer at home in a suburban wasteland, and things are pretty hopeless. He has a crappy job, a “boyfriend” who treats him like dirt, and his parents’ marriage is falling apart. So when he meets the mysterious Alex Kincaid, Dade feels as if he’s finally experiencing true happiness. But real love has consequences, and its power soon sets in motion a tragic chain of events that will change Dade’s life forever.

REVIEW

    A one-nighter this; I felt a little stunned, a tad vulnerable, and a wee bit emotionally wrung once the last page was turned.  However, that could simply be because it was the first LGBT novel that I’ve ever read, so it pushed a whole series of brand new reader-emotion buttons. I chose to read it a second time very shortly after the first run, but this time was left disappointed. Perhaps it was because this story wasn’t one I read in one sitting because I just couldn’t draw myself from a captivating story, but more because it was a quick, simple read. No challenge, little shock factor.

    Dade is a likeable, if not fairly pathetic character. One who, when you think back to how you sometimes felt as a teenager approaching the adult world, quickly becomes extremely relatable to. Especially if you can empathise with him as a young gay man, his constantly conflicted emotions, rash decisions, and emotional overflow are a mixture all too familiar.

    The narrative is easy, simple, and reflects lazy conversation whilst not lacking in the little details. Dade’s thought processes are always open to you as you follow him through his Summer, the content and style of which help to draw you into the mindset of him as a budding adult. It’s evident throughout that Burd’s own personal experiences have been liberally woven into his story, which he is aware of, as his character is told similarly in one passage by a helping friend.

    While we experience use of drugs in a way that all but endorses them, the forced casualness of their use is yet another recollection of latter teenage years for many young adults today. It promotes yet another cringe inducing remembrance of our own attempts at being cool before we knew it didn’t matter.

    On the downside, we find ourselves unfulfilled on the originality front, and nothing that emerges unexpected wrenched a gasp from me. Dade’s account is simply a standard few months in the life of a young lad, glad to leave school, looking forward to college, and making new friends.

    A heartfelt all-in-one of a story, I would recommend the read to anyone who will potentially relate strongly with Dade’s circumstances, or wish for a little insight if they know that they can’t. Otherwise, you run the risk of shaking your head as you read on, just glad to surpass the latest young and stupid action or comment reeled off by our Dade.