Delirium by Lauren Oliver

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Series: Delirium trilogy #1
Copy obtained: e-galley from NetGalley
Publisher: HarperTeen (US) Hodder & Stoughton (UK)
Release date: Feb 1st (US) 3rd (UK)
Rating: 3.5/5

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good things. 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 Haloway has always looked forward to 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.

I liked Delirium within a couple of chapters. Its flowing narrative grabbed me, but Lena did not. It took me until around the two thirds mark before I really connected with her. It made it an easy book for me to put down and walk away from. But I did like it. I liked the world building, the writing and the pacing, all of which were really good. But Lena’s best friend, Hana, along with Alex and Lena’s younger cousin Grace, were all characters I found much easier to connect with. Getting to know them was a pleasure and where my greatest enjoyment of the book came from.

It was a little odd reading a book where I had such a disconnect from the main character, but like the rest of the book as much as I did this one. Normally, if I don’t connect with the MC, I can’t connect with the story. But in this case I could. It’s very well written with imagery that speaks loudly and description that doesn’t bog the story down. It’s flowing, soft, intense and I liked that. The ending in particular was very strong! I was very unhappy with one decision from Lena towards the that end though, and it’s something I hope gets covered more in book two. But aside from that, I enjoyed the story. I liked the romance, even if Lena was irritating me a little with some of her thinking in it. And there were some very good twists thrown in along the way.

This book actually reads like a standalone, rather than the first of a trilogy, right up until the final chapter. That ending is a real smack in the face, in a good way, mostly. But right up until then, it could have been a standalone. It's a heck of a cliff hanger! Before that, I could have lived with the unanswered questions, but now I'm left needing answers. I'm not desperate for book 2, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.