Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title:  Delirium
Author:  Lauren Oliver
Series:  Delirium, #1
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Release Date:  Feurary 1, 2011
Pages:  441
Rating:  ★★★★★

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.

Delirium was a really hard book for me to rate, because I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.

I will start with what I did like. Even though I didn't care for Lena as the heroine right away by the end of the book she really grew on me and I ended up liking her as a character. I think she is one of those characters that ended up starting out weak, but ended up strong in the end.

I adored Alex from the moment he appeared. I find him cute and funny. I would love to have him as my boyfriend. I think he has this aura about him where I just want to know this guy. He is funny and smart and OMG. I wish I was Lena!

The romance between Lena and Alex was beautiful. I love how it evolved at the end. Where Lena was unsure and reluctant with him, because she has been told all her life the way it is suppose to be, that love is a disease and especially what happened with her mother, but in the end she falls for him and I have adored their connection. By the end of the book I have really come to love Lena and Alex.

"I love you. Remember. They cannot take it"  

Now the things I didn't like, I found that the concept of Love is a disease is so unrealistic to me. I just had a hard time believeing all of this. All of the people that are cured were robots to me, most of them anyway. And how is that anyway to live. It actually kind of in a way disgusted me. I basically had Alex's attitude of the whole thing. Who could live in that kind of world. If love didn't exsist what would be the point of living, it would be an empty world. I just found everything so unrealstic and I couldn't believe any of it, of this world.

I think they are called the retaliators were like the enforcers and hitting people with bats? Sicking mad dogs on them? If love is a disease you need to be trying to help them not beat them and they were enjoying beating these people too. Okay. I will just stop there. I feel this world is just too evil.

I felt like this book dragged on too long and was a little bit slow in some parts. Part of the time. I was like, getting really good, getting really slow, getting really good, getting really good. I think it was like this mostly every other chapter.

The ending hit me hard enough to wonder, should I read the sequel. Everyone probaly has talked about the ending and how torturous it is and people it is! It made me cry and my heart may have stopped for a minute and it is one hell of a cliffhanger ending. You wonder what the hell is going to happen, will they be okay? So many questions that need so many answers.

Most people who have reviewed this book loved it. I am in the minority. If you think you like the concept of love is a disease and where two beautifully written fall in love and try to fight the system, go for it! I am sure you will like it. For me it's basically personal taste that I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.