Book Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver
February 28th - HarperCollins
375 Pages - Book Twin: The Hunger Games

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.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

"Pandemonium is different. Told through the eyes of a changed Lena, Lauren narrates with her signature breathtaking prose that sucked me in, a plot that breaks my heart, and an ending that left me reeling."

Pandemonium is different.

 In a bad way? Dear Lord no! It's the complete opposite of bad. It's sharp, it's focused. The plot moves along at rapid pace. But it's different. Our main character, Lena, is changed. She's nothing like the zombie-like Lena we met in Delirum. She's tough, she's hard-edged, and she's not afraid anymore. I seriously loved this new Lena, because at the same time, Lauren would let snippets of the old Lena slip in the cracks. I still knew Lena, she was still there, parts of her still remained. And I love that.

 But there is still the Lauren Oliver in there I know and love. The writing style. Lauren is a God when it comes to her prose. It's deep, flawless, completely metaphorical and mind blowing. Simple things are blown up and up and up and put under the biggest microscope as Lauren uses the perfect words in the perfect moments. She knows when that one word fits in that sentence, but wouldn't fit anywhere else in the book. She knows when to drop in that metaphor that will completely blow your mind.

 The action and pace has definitely picked up in the second installment of the Delirium Trilogy. There really doesn't seem a dull moment in this sequel. Maybe that's that tiny, little, itsy-bitsy piece that was missing from the whole thing, that signature slow pace that really blew my mind. Sure, Pandemonium is supposed to be different. I felt that Lauren made a point to change this sequel. The title is harsher, the colors harsher, and the plot and structure of the novel are different, and harsher. Everything is shifted into hyper-focus in Pandemonium, and the words are sharper, glinting fragments, and I loved it.

 In a different way.

 And the ending...

 Pandemonium is a different kind of amazing. The second installment in this epic trilogy is harsher, slammed into focus, and told in a restrained, sharp prose that will leave you breathless. I expect if you loved Delirium you'll love Pandemonium, but for totally different reasons, and even some of the same.