Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Hodder&Stoughton
Released: 1st March 2012
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads description:

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 fame.


My thoughts:


I received this a proof copy way back in December. I didn't read it until a few weeks ago. Why? I was scared. I was SO scared because of the ending of Delirium...I was terrified to see what Lauren Oliver was going to subject us to in the sequel. But I did read it, and I am SO glad I did.

The first chapter takes place in the 'Now' and so was confusing but intriguing as you find out something about what must happen at some point in Lena's future. The second chapter takes place 'then', in the immediate aftermath of the end of Delirium. The book then continues on like this, alternating the now and the then. On the one hand I enjoyed this, it kept the story fresh and exciting and probably saved it from being too long. On the other hand I sometimes found it annoying because just as I got into one part of the story it would shift back and I found that to be frustrating and it affected the pacing of the story. It also seemed like a bit of a lazy way to get from point A to point B without having to write all the middle bit. 

Lena was a fantastic character again and I enjoyed her growth in this.  She did have a level of strength in Pandemonium but it felt partly like a stubborn strength and partly like a forced because of circumstances strength. In this book you definitely feel Lena becoming tougher, more resilient, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. Not only that, but she does so willing, actively, and that's something I really admired about her character. What she went through in Delirium was horrific and naturally she's shaken and upset but she doesn't spend an endless amount of time wallowing about it. 


I enjoyed reading about the time spent in the Wilds, about all the other characters she met there who all had distinct personalities even though we didn't get to see that much of them. Raven was a character I especially liked. She was very tough and driven, very emotionally-distant and willing to do whatever it took to further her cause. Julian was an interesting one for me.  A well developed character but not one I especially took too. I was worried about him being in the book, but I didn't find him as threatening as I thought, however, like Vicki mentioned in her review, he is no Alex. 


The ending WAS a huuuuge cliffhanger, I read it and was like "OMMGGGG WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NOW??!?!" I  predicted a couple of the smaller twists so ultimately  the story  was not all that surprising. Despite this though, I did really, really enjoy it and it is a fast-paced  and well written read. I will absolutely be reading the 3rd instalment and I wish we could have it NOW. 
-------

Pandemonium is released today, 1st March in the UK.
Buy: Waterstones/Amazon/TBD


There's a totally awesome Facebook quiz to see if you're ruled by your head or your heart!! I got: Ruled by your heart...within reason haha. Try it out here 


Lauren Oliver also made a special little video for us UK fans...here it is:

In My Mailbox [29]

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

I only got one book this week, but it was a GOOD one:

For review:
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Huge thanks to the team at Hodder&Stoughton for this one! I love their continued enthusiasm and innovative marketing strategies for all their releases. 

That is the UK cover...what do we think? I LOVE it, except for that horrible quote on the front. I've already had, read and passed on a proof copy of this and I was planning to buy the finished copy anyway so THIS one will be GIVEN AWAY as part of my Blogoversary celebrations next week.

Yep, that's right, Tuesday is my Blogoversary!! I can't believe I've been blogging for nearly a year. I'm going to have a giveaway (UK and an international one, of course) but I'm also going to have a WEEK OF INDULGENCE. What's a week of indulgence I hear you ask? Well, I'm going to read WHATEVER I want. No review books, no 'I should be reading this' books. Just whatever I fancy. 

I've already decided I should read Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta...so maybe that will be up first?

Any of you guys fancy joining me in my week of indulgence? It'll be deliciously naughty. 

What did you all get in your mailboxes this week? Don't forget to leave me a link and let me know what you think of the UK cover for Pandemonium!

In My Mailbox [23]

In My Mailbox is a meme designed to showcase the very cool books we're all receiving and is hosted by The Story Siren!

So I haven't done an IMM in almost TWO months! I know! My camera cable has gone AWOL, completely and utterly...but I've resorted to using my BlackBerry.

I didn't want to feature EVERY book I've received in the past 2 months, so I've picked out some of my faves to showcase:

For Review:

Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Bought:

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (review here)

Saving June by Hannah Harrington (review here)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I actually got a copy of CP for review about 3 weeks ago, but I really wanted to pay for a copy so I donated mine to a friend and bought myself one! I also got SJ from NG but then loved it so much I had to own a physical copy! (It's also the first contemporary book I've bought for about 4 years!)

Stolen Away sounds SO good and I love this cover, and ofc I was ridiculously excited to receive Pandemonium.

I want to thank Bloomsbury, Hodder and Walker Books, but also Macmillan who have sent me many cool books recently that I didn't picture. Thank you all! You continually make this girl very happy. 

That's all for now guys, please leave me links in the comments so I can see what you all got! I expect to see lots of Clockwork Prince this week ;)

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Published: 29th September 2011
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton


Goodreads description:


Featuring necklaces made of wishes; an underground shop dealing in teeth; magical tattoos; a wishbone on a cord, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a thrilling story about Karou and her secret life as an apprentice to a wishmonger. Karou manages to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she is a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to an inhuman creature who deals in wishes and is the closest thing she has to family. Her life is surrounded by mysteries she is desperate to unveil.


My thoughts:

I really don’t know where to start with this book; it truly is perfection. The setting of Prague was a great choice; it definitely added something to the atmosphere of the book, as well as being really original.

I loved how it started off fairly normally; girl on her way to school, problems with her ex-boyfriend, and then it developed some supernatural aspects, moved into urban fantasy and then BAM! Fully-fledged fantasy epic. It was amazing; you were eased into this novel exceedingly well meaning nothing felt too outrageous or extreme, it all just felt right. This also makes it a perfect read for someone looking to get into fantasy who hasn’t really read any previously. I loved how this book really makes you question good and evil, who exactly was in the right here? Who were truly the ‘angels’ and the ‘devils’ of the piece?

Karou was a fantastic heroine, she was brave and courageous but not stupidly so, or riddled with bravado. She was kept in the dark about so much, but really stepped up to the mark when she needed too. Her exchanges with all the characters felt really genuine, especially with her best friend. Their friendship was just so realistic and funny-they were quirky but in a way that didn’t feel like it was the author imposing her own personality on the characters, it felt like that’s how they were.  I felt all the characters were really well developed and they all felt so real and individual.

I really loved all the little things Laini Taylor added in, a lot of work clearly went into the worldbuilding in this novel. I loved the concept of wishes, how they varied in size, what they were powered by and how they were used. I loved the teeth mystery as well. Sometimes when things are kept secret in a book, but constantly hinted at, for so long the reveal can be anti-climatic but not in this case. I thought it was really clever, and I didn’t figure it out which I loved!

The writing style was beautiful, gripping and very individual. I loved the narrative voice, the descriptions and the choices of metaphors; they were all powerful and very creative.

As I mentioned above the plot was exceptional. This has to be one of my favourite fantasy reads ever. You need to read this book right now. I mean, right now. Drop everything except a copy of this novel. My only regret is that I read it so early I have even longer to wait for the sequel.

A well deserved 5/5

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver 
Published: 4th August 2011 (UK paperback)
Publisher: Lauren Oliver


Goodreads description:


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 governments 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


My thoughts:


Another present tense book, I am adoring this trend right now. It makes everything so much more intimate. The writing in this book is just lovely; reminiscent of Maggie Stiefvater's almost poetical style. I really love it when I read a book that I enjoy for the writing style as much as the story. 


The plot was an intriguing one; is love something dangerous? It reminded me of the film equilibrium, especially the idea of those who protest against the government and rebel in secret and the character whose opinions get completely changed around. There was also a hint of the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld in there as well and I think the combination of these 2 ideas worked really well together to produce an interesting and believable dystopian society. 


I liked Lena as a main character, she was a great mix of fragility and inherent bravery and endearing confusion. I thought her development throughout the novel was really natural and realistic; I liked how she didn't suddenly change her mind one minute for no good reason.  I wasn't overly fond of her best friend Hanna, she seemed like one type of person but kinda ended up being another and I felt like her motivations were sometimes really superficial and selfish. Alex was a fantastic love interest in terms of what he brought to the plot, but I felt his character was a little flatter than the others in the story. I adored Grace, she was by far the strongest character in the whole book for me despite the small role she plays. 


The pace of the novel is fairly slow and lazy which I think worked well as the majority of the plot takes place over a summer (their last summer) and I think it added to the element of denial Lena has about her cure, and yet at the same time draws attention to how soon and how drastically her life will change. However for me, it was a little difficult to get into the story because of this. The ending was just fantastic, totally heartstopping and not really what I expected. I always moan that YA can sometimes be too nice and happy but with this I was just screaming for a happy ending.


This is a fantastic and thought-provoking dystopian which has obviously been really well thought out and I am desperate for the sequel. I give it 4/5 If you waited this long to read it (like I did) you wont regret picking it up. I definitely recommend if you're a fan of Wither or the Uglies series.