Pandemonium (Delirium Trilogy, #2)

by Lauren Oliver

[clementine]

Lauren Oliver frustrates me. Not because her books are bad; quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that they're not as good as they could be. It's not even just that I feel like it's a waste of her obvious writing talent. It's that I KNOW she is capable of constructing a smart, unusually beautiful novel, because Before I Fall is exactly that.

Pandemonium was on track to be far, far better than Delirium, and Delirium wasn't even bad. It was a mixed bag, and I didn't adore it, but it was overall a solid book. Delirium seemed to take all the issues I had with Pandemonium and shove them out the window. Here was a book that focused on the society that wasn't described very richly in Delirium, that explored wider societal issues.

And then the ending happened.

That is why I can't possibly give Pandemonium five stars. That is why Lauren Oliver continues to frustrate me. The vast majority of Pandemonium was immensely interesting, with two intertwining storylines, rich description, and compelling, fully-realized characters. Lena continued to grow and develop, and I found her sympathetic and interesting - something that is rare in a lot of the YA dystopian I read. Raven was a fantastic character, because I never knew how to feel about her. She's tough and organized and true to herself, but I always got a strange feeling from her. Lauren Oliver is OBVIOUSLY a great writer - so the end disappointed me much, much more than it would have had she not proven time and time again that she is capable of so much more.

Pandemonium went full circle, back to the themes of Delirium. I mean, it's cool if you're into that, but I was so enjoying having a book that was NOT focused on the romance, and that gave a glimpse into a society without love. I will read the next book in the series, and I hope Oliver will prove me wrong. I really hope the love triangle situation she's set up won't be the focus of the next book, because that would be awfully disappointing.