Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #2
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Publisher: HarperCollins
My Rating:
Summary:
First Sentence: Alex and I are lying together on a blanket in the backyard of 37 Brooks.
Warning: This review contains spoilers of Delirium.
My Review:
I’ve been putting off reading Pandemonium a long time. Why? There are two main reasons. First, I struggled to get through the middle half of Delirium while thinking about giving up on it at least more than three times. I didn’t give up on finishing Delirium though, and got through it, although it cost me five full days to finish reading it. (On average, a book takes me a day and a half to read.) Second, I already know a majority of what happens in Pandemonium since my sister read it right after I read Delirium and accidentally (or maybe she did it on purpose) spoil important parts of Pandemonium for me. However, one of the books I resolve to read in 2013 was Pandemonium, so I finally picked up the copy I borrowed from the library for three months so far, sat down, and started reading it.
Pandemonium has a well thought-out plot and better pacing than Delirium. In Delirium, the pacing was so slow (it takes three pages to describe a short bike ride!) that I almost fell asleep reading it (which never happened until I met Delirium). However, unlike Delirium, Pandemonium has a better pacing that kept me invested in the book somewhat.
I don’t get why Lauren Oliver decided to write Pandemonium using flashbacks and what’s going on in the present (“then” and “now”). Usually, I love reading those kinds of books, but for Pandemonium, there wasn’t any point to it. At the end of some chapters, there were cliffhangers dealing with Lena’s life, but there wasn’t any point to it because of course Lena survives since this is the second book in the Delirium trilogy. If Lena dies, then there wouldn’t be three books in the Delirium trilogy at all, only two.
One thing I have a problem with in Delirium and Pandemonium‘s world-building is if Lena’s mother Annabel was so dangerous because she remembers love and the cure won’t work on her, why not just kill her instead of locking her up in solitary confinement and wasting money that the government so desperately need? The government easily kills Invalids in the wild who rather live with love than without love, which is basically the same thing with the people locked up in solitary confinements, so why not just get rid of them once and for all? Why leave them locked up with a huge risk of escaping?
(Skip this paragraph if you haven’t read Pandemonium yet.) Another thing that doesn’t make sense is after Lena escapes with the help of her mother from the Savage homestead, no one was looking for her. You would think everyone would be looking for her, especially since she was caught in an intimate position next to Julian Fineman, the main human icon of the DFA, but no, everyone happens to forget about her, even the media. What?
As for the dreaded love triangle, I’m on Team Nothing. I liked Alex when we first meet him in Delirium (how can you not with the stunt he pulled?), but didn’t get a strong feeling that Lena and his relationship was real. With Julian, I understand how Lena and him fell for each other, but I don’t really care about him. I’m curious to see how it ends though.
I will definitely read the sequel, Requiem, to see who Lena ends up choosing in this dreaded love triangle. I’m also interested in reading Hana, who is now cured, point of view. I want to see how the cured thinks, feels, and behaves. Luckily March 2013 isn’t that far away.
I loved Pandemonium more than Delirium. It was action packed but I agree with you, some of the things didn’t really make sense. Also I have to say I hated the cliffhanger at the end. Sooo frustrating!!!
Yeah, the plot holes in this one dulled the book a lot. :l
And that cliffhanger! That’s such a cheap way to make us want to read Requiem.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [53]
Team Julian! :D
Team I don’t know who to cheer for. :P
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [53]
I actually liked Delirium a lot more. Yes, Pandemonium has better pacing, but I think that the story was better said in Delirium, it literally felt like I was there.
AND I’M DYING TO READ REQUIEM!! Hate these cliffhangers >.>
Ella
I agree – Pandemonium is all about the action while Delirium is more about the writing and the amazing backstory.
I hope you’ll enjoy Requiem A LOT more than I did Ella!
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [53]
Pandemonium was actually my favorite book of the series. Delirium was too slow for me, and Requiem wasn’t as exciting as I feel it could have been. The series as a whole was about a 3.5 for me…
Yeah, I can see why Pandemonium is your favorite book out of the three books in the series. It had the most action and wasn’t slow at all.
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: How I Lost You – Janet Gurtler
Good review! After the first book in this series I started to get confused and lose interest. I felt like the author was starting to drop the ball here.
Yeah, I felt that Lauren Oliver was trying to improve her books by improving Pandemonium’s pacing and the amount of action in the book.
Kelly recently posted…Summer Lovin’ Readathon: Day 4 – Tears On My Pillow + Book Spine Poetry
I’m currently reading Delirium, and once I finish Delirium, I will grab this book immediately :D
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I take it as you’re enjoying Delirium? ;D
Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: This Song Will Save Your Life – Leila Sales
I loved the character development in this plot! Lena was so much less naive and so much more brave and logical. What I didn’t like about this book thought was it followed the cliche plot that you see so often in dystopias nowadays. The cliffhanger was unnecessary and I didn’t feel the need for that ‘character’ to reappear. (trying not to put any spoilers (:
Yeah, all dystopians are alike one way or another.
And I agree – the ending wasn’t needed.
Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Thornhill – Kathleen Peacock
I think this is the best book in the trilogy. I was on Team Julian. Anyway, I didn’t quite like Lauren Oliver’s writing style. She changed it in every book in the trilogy!
Like you said, the flashbacks didn’t make sense at all!
I could say the trilogy wasn’t that good
casey recently posted…I MOVED!
I’m stuck between Delirium and Pandemonium for the best book in the trilogy. :P
I was on Team Nobody, like I almost always am.
Yeah, the writing in Pandemonium was vastly different from the writing in Delirium. Delirium’s writing was more soft, more smooth, and more fragile while Pandemonium was all about the action.
Agreed.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [53]
I need to read it. I really loved Delirium, and I need to pick this one up because I’m so curious what’s going to happen next and all, ugh I can’t handle it. And now that I read this review I’m even more curious. xD
Sandra @Sandra’s World of Books recently posted…Arielle: Immortal Awakening – Lilian Roberts
Ha ha, I think you’ll like this one better than Delirium Sandra! There’s more action, new romance, and better pacing. (:
I’ll have to give you a warning though: Don’t read Requiem, the open ending of Requiem WILL disappoint you.
Kelly recently posted…Spooktacular Giveaway Hop
I remember reading this series back in the beginning of Spring. At first I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to read these books because I was afraid of falling for them as much as other fans had (I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true) so I ended up buying the first book and trying it out. With that cliff hanger I knew I was going to have to read the second and third soon. What I remember most about this second installment is that it was probably most frustrating out of all the books. Only because some things were slow or confusing in some way. Either way, I love this series :D
Ha ha, I don’t really get what you mean by “falling for them as much as other fans had.” :P
But yeah, I really liked Delirium and Pandemonium too. Some things WERE frustrating, especially with the love triangle-ish ending at the end of Pandemonium.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [57]
I really did enjoy Delirum but Pandemonium i just could not get into and it think that because a few things. Firstly The Then and Now, it just got on my nerves and just got really confused at points. Another thing I did not like the love triangle it just got on my nerves so much. just arrggg. I think maybe cause i love Alex so much it got on my nerves. I did like it was faster pasted then Delirum and i liked that alot.
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Yeah, I can see how the constant flashbacks can get confusing. And yeah, I can see why the love triangle in Pandemonium annoyed you. It annoyed me too.
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [57]
Love this trilogy. I love the character of lena plus julian being the addition as her love interest. I’m really torn between alex and julian coz both of them has those traits that are to die for.
Ha ha, I’m glad you enjoy the love triangle in the trilogy Jessamer. :P
And I’m Team Undecided/Nobody too. ;D
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [57]
I read Delirium but I keep getting stuck on the beginning of Pandemonium. It seems to start off kinda slow but I’m sticking with it!
Actually, Pandemonium has a much faster pace than Delirium does. o:
Maybe you just have to be in the mood for it? o:
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [57]
I’m not sure that I like the idea of using flashbacks to tell a story. It ruins the suspense!
Actually, it still works. Add a little flashback, go back to present day, continue on from flashback, back to present day, etc. That way you’ll have to read on to learn about EVERYTHING that had happened in the past. o:
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Wow, it’s been a while. I always meant to read Pandemonium but for whatever reason it keeps slipping out of my hands. I borrowed it a few months ago but never got around to reading it. I maybe read a few chapters? And I think I skipped to the last few pages? I’m really not sure. It’s been so long o.o
I remember liking Delirium alright. I was a bit on a Lauren Oliver high (I absolutely love Before I Fall) but it didn’t last long enough for me to be truly invested in the series. I do want to finish it tough. So maybe I’ll be skimming them
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