Requiem by Lauren Oliver

For Review: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 20 March 2013

From Goodreads: Battling against a society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the rebels. And Lena's emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic return of someone she thought was lost forever...

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Lena and her best friend Hana, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to an exhilarating end and showcases Lauren Oliver at the height of her writing powers - emotionally powerful and utterly enthralling.

Considering the end of Pandemonium I was desperate to read this! I had to know what was going to happen - what the implications were for Lena, and of course, I was invested in seeing if they would be able to make a difference.

One of the things I love about these books is Lauren Oliver's writing. I honestly believe she could make a shopping list sound beautiful - she definitely has a way of making you live and breathe what she is writing. I also love that the story isn't *just* about the romance - yes it played a major part for me - but there was also a lot of other characters I was interested in and I wanted to see them make a difference in the world they were forced to live in. Because of this, I did kind of like the ending. I like that it's not defined by who Lena 'chose' - it was more than that. But it does leave things somewhat unfinished. So yes, I would like more. I would be lying if I said I didn't - but I also feel I can fill in those blanks myself and decide how I want the story to continue - and I kind of like that. Still, if Lauren Oliver ever decided to write a fourth book I would so be there...

I can't wait to read whatever Lauren Oliver writes next! I have really enjoyed each book she has written and I am super excited to see where she takes us next.

Lauren Oliver in the UK!

In case you guys haven't heard - Lauren Oliver is coming to the UK in March for the publication of Requiem - the conclusion to her brilliant Delirium series - and she will be doing an event at Waterstones Piccadilly in London on Tuesday 19 March.

Full details are available at this link.

I don't know about you guys but I am super excited!!!! Hope to see you there:)

Lauren Oliver's Special Message For Her UK Fans

Also, to mark publication, the publishers have also created an interactive quiz based on the question ARE YOU RULED BY YOUR HEART OR YOUR HEAD?

Have a go for yourself (and you could win a finished copy of Pandemonium and Delirium): https://www.facebook.com/lovedelirium?sk=app_331560993546849

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

For Review: Hodder
Published: 1 March 2012

From Goodreads:
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 flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Honestly I could not wait to read this! The moment I had it in my hands I had to read it and I think I loved it even more than Delirium! There is just something so beautiful and captivating about Lauren Oliver's writing - it demands my attention from the beginning and doesn't let go until I've finished.

The story is split into alternating chapters of Then and Now. 'Then' picks up where Delirium left off and 'Now' takes place a few months later. While some may prefer a more chronological order to the story I loved having the story told this way. It added intensity and an air of mystery to the story - it felt like two stories running parallel to each other with you needing to understand how the two fit together - how the Lena in 'Then' becomes the Lena in 'Now'.

Lena really grows in this too. There is a big difference in the Lena we know from Delirium and the one we know at the end of Pandemonium. She takes the role Alex played in Delirium to some extent - trying to open Julian's eyes to what the cure really means. And what it will mean to live without it.

I loved all the new characters we meet too, especially Raven and Blue. Julian is someone I really, really liked, but at the same time I found myself unable to invest in a possible relationship between him and Lena. I'm still invested in Alex - and I believe Lena is too - despite being led to believe he didn't survive their escape at the end of Delirium.

There is so much going on in this - making it fast paced and intense. I completely and utterly loved it! And as for the ending? IT COMPLETELY BLEW MY MIND! Honestly, I need to read Requiem right now! I so need to know how this is all going to turn out!

Cover to Covet (22)

I LOVE book covers. Love, love love them. So I decided to make it a regular post - each post featuring a cover I love.




Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I'm sure many of you have already seen this but I had to post it as I LOVE this cover!  I really like the colour and how golden it is.  I also like how it fits the story but how it's different from other dystopian novel covers being released at the moment..  And I love the tag line.

Pandemonium is published 1 March 2012 (UK) but I can tell you now that it is AWESOME!  I'll have my review up nearer the publication date.

What do you think of the cover?  Love it?  Hate it? 

Book Trailer of the Month: July

Delirium by Lauren Oliver



I LOVE this trailer!  Plus you get to decide - do you take the cure? You should be able click the Yes or No at the end but I've included the options below in case that's easier. Such a fab idea! And I love the song that plays in the background.

Yes?



No?



You can check out my review for Delirium here.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

For Review: Hodder & Stoughton.  Published 3 February 2011
From Goodreads: 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.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver was one of my favourite reads of 2010.  It was one of those books that I had high expectations for and it still managed to exceed them.  Delirium was exactly the same!  I absolutely loved it!

Lauren Oliver has such a beautiful writing style.  She managed to have me completely invested in the characters and story.  I adored Lena, and it is through her that the story is told as a first person narrative, which works brilliantly.  To start with Lena is convinced that the cure will be her salvation and she counts the days - waiting for the time when she will be safe.  Her friend Hana seems less convinced and it is during one of their runs together that Lena meets Alex.  Slowly the two develop a friendship which blossoms into more - and as their relationship progresses so do the cracks in Lena's wholehearted belief that the cure will save her.  Instead everything she has believed in - everything she was told - slowly unravels until there is only one truth left...

The relationship between Alex and Lena was lovely!  I loved that he was the one to see her first and how honest he was with her.  It felt sweet and gentle as opposed to the really intense romances we often get in Young Adult Fiction.  I also enjoyed how her friendship with Hana went through many changes throughout the story, and I loved Gracie! 

I don't know how to sum up how much I loved this book!  I loved how it was written, and although the pace at the beginning of the story may be too slow for some readers, I found it gave the story a gentle intensity.  It felt as if I were there with Lena every time she discovered something new to shatter what she had always been told.  You could feel her fear underneath her wonder - was she sick? Would she die?  How could how she felt be wrong?  There was just something so sinister and creepy about the idea that people could believe so strongly that what they were being forced to do was the right thing!  That a world without love, without desire could ever be a better alternative.

The ending of this makes Pandemonium an absolute must read!  It completely blew me away!  If I could have read Pandemonium the minute I had finished Delirium I would!  I really, really loved it!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Review copy: Hodder & Stoughton General. Published 4 Mar 2010

From Goodreads: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

This is an amazing novel. It is everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s one of those books that pulled me in and didn’t let me go until the final page. I loved the premise - reliving the same day over and over again. Although it’s an idea I’m familiar with through TV and film, the way in which it is executed here made it feel original and fresh and like nothing I’ve read before.

At first I hated Sam – a typical ‘mean girl’ that seemed completely superficial and relied too much on other people for her moral compass. As we relive each day we completely peel back her layers. I loved the way we got to see glimpses of the real Sam each time she relived the day. This was fascinating to watch and is one of my favourite aspects of the story. I also loved that on each day there were things that changed but also things that stayed the same – it felt as if these changes and similarities provided clues to a larger puzzle. I spent the entire novel feeling as if I should know what was going on – as if it was just there if only I could grasp it – but I didn’t understand until Sam did and I loved that.

Lauren Oliver has such a great writing voice. It’s such a natural style it’s so easy to forget you are reading – I completely connected to the story and to Sam. There is also such honesty in the way she depicts her characters - they came across as completely believable and by the end of the novel I adored them all.

This is one of those books I know I will read time and time again. As soon as I’d finished it I felt as if I wanted to experience it all over again. It is a stunning debut and I beg you to try it. I loved everything about it.

A big thank you to Katie at Hodder for sending me a review copy:)

Book Trailer of the Month

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - I CANNOT WAIT to read this - I've had it preorder for ages! It's published 4 March 2010. You can also check out the author's website here