Delirium by Lauren Oliver

  So after I had voraciously read the entire Hunger Games trilogy in such a ridiculous amount of time, I ran to the store to pick up some more books. Yes, it's a sickness. My mom once bought me a canvas bag that had the following quote on the side: "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes" - Erasmus. My entire family thought this was a hilarious gift because it was spot on accurate. Anyway, I digress. So after perusing the very limited book selection at the local Wal-Mart (oh how I'd love a great bookstore in town) I finally decided on Delirium. I'd seen the book mentioned on several blogs and the reviews were pretty decent. The premise looked interesting enough, but the fact that it was yet another dystopian novel gave me pause. I mean, I had loved The Hunger Games and didn't want to be disappointed. I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I read this book in two days (and that is while working a full time job). 

     First of all, I'd like to say that the only similarities between this and The Hunger Games is that they are dystopian in nature and geared toward young adults. That is where the similarities end. The premise of the story is that love has been identified as a disease and you are cured of said disease on your 18th birthday. Our protagonist, Lena, is counting down the days to the procedure. She doesn't want to get infected with the disease that robbed her of her mother while she was just a young child. She follows the rules, reads the approved books, listens to the approved music, and prepares for her evaluation. This evaluation will rate her, determine if she goes to college or not, and give her a short list of prospective husbands. Lena's best friend Hana, isn't as eager to have the procedure done. She questions, she listens to things she shouldn't, and she breaks curfew. A chance encounter with a young man named Alex and an attempt to save Hana from being caught during one of her rebellious nights, uproot Lena's life and all that she has come to believe.Are the Invalids (people who have chosen not to have the cure) evil? Are the Wilds as barren as she has been lead to believe?  Delusion is the first book in a trilogy,  so it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. The good news is the second book is already out. I'm a little more than halfway through Pandemonium, and hope to review it before this weekend is complete.