Again, I'd heard mixed reviews on ∫Delirium, so I was extremely keen to check it out and give my viewpoint. I don't really know what I was expecting, other than something a little too 'lovey dovey' for my likings - I was proven very wrong.
There was once a time when love was prominent around the human species and now it is considered a contagious disease that goes by the name of'amor deliria nervosa'. In the world, it is wrong to feel affection towards another human being and at the age of 18 everyone gets a 'cure' to make sure they never contract the deadly disease of love. Lena is more than content to live by the rules and looks forward to the operation where upon she will be safe - until she meets Alex.
This book really reminded me of a deeper version of the Uglies series, just in the way it's about a girl who is more than happy with society until something happens and she wants to rebel. Nothing wrong with the comparison whatsoever as both books are equally as good as the other - Delirium just seems to have a lot more of a deeper meaning, however, it cuts to the core with a lot more force. There are a lot of subtly deep messages lying in this book to do with love and being yourself that relate to the world we live in now, they have been cleverly crafted into this book in a way that makes them seem like lessons to be learned as well as creating the wonderful story.
The writing was a little too wordy for my likings, everything was described a little too much. Great description is one thing, but describing something for no reason at all is another. I found myself being swamped in metaphors and similes that weren't entirely necessary and I think the book would have been a lot shorter had they been cut down a lot. Other than that I found the writing to be enthralling and a lot of the time I was unable to put this book down as it was easy to read, well paced with a rich storyline - It was a bit predictable with the twists and turns but with a 'forbidden romance' kind of book it's generally always predictable.
I related to Lena in every way possible, she's pretty much me - from personality right down to the looks (give an inch in height) - I guess this is why I could sympathise with her so much. I believe there was the right amount of progression of her falling in love as there could be in a book with regards to her personality as well. Being insecure, doubting herself, doubting Alex, being worried about the system; these are all the great ways that Lauren Oliver built up to the idea of Lena even liking Alex, let alone the big 'L' word. Alex was every other male lead thinking about it, there was nothing special about him, he did pretty much the same as any other lead who likes a girl does in a book so there's not really much to say on his part, and due to this, it made their romance slightly stereotypical.
The storyline was brilliant in the way it made you think. I was constantly imagining myself in that environment and feeling a sympathy towards Lena in the way that I don't think I could live in a society like that. I was comparing it to life now and how things would change if it were like that in the present day. The actual content of the book was good, even if it just ticked all the boxes of a general story and everything seemed to happen at the right time without longing anything out too much.
Overall I loved this book but the writing and the overly long unnecessary descriptions put a slight downer on it. This has definitely, however, left me thinking a lot about the world we live in and that we shouldn't just take what we have for granted. This book highlights an aspect of what life is about in my opinion and I know I wouldn't want to give that up.
★★★★