Title: Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperTeen, 375 Pages (February 28th, 2012)
From: the Publisher
Format: ARC

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 5 Stars - Pandemonium, the eagerly awaited second book in author Lauren Oliver’s Delirium trilogy is as fast paced as the first book and has another ending that’ll leave you yet again breathless!

This title starts off just about where we were left at the end of Delirium - Lena running through the woods, trying to find safety and people to help her survive on the other side of the wall. Being from a society that believes “Love” is a disease, all are forced to be cured. When Lena met Alex her whole life and all she knew began to change until the day they ran, the day they both made a choice to leave and live their lives on the other side of the wall. To live free and be able to love in the wilds as “invalids”.

At first this book was a tad confusing, with alternating chapters written in a current timeline and then in the past, a time when Lena first starts out in the wilds. Since I love getting more of a back story and I love alternating chapters such as this, it quickly became easy to follow the two timelines. The journey back and forth became something I really looked forward to.

We get a chance to see the old Lena that we met in Delirium and then we also have a chance to see her change and evolve as she’s forced to face things without Alex… things she never thought she’d have to deal with on her own. Her struggles in the wilds and her thoughts from “then” showed us just how much Lena really didn’t know. And in the current time just how drastically she had changed. However, the Lena that we’ve come to love from Delirium is still there. She’s just grown stronger and adapted to her new life and surroundings.

Some of the new characters in this title were harsh, some because of the circumstances they were born into, others due to their own personal choices and reasons why they fled over the wall. Yet they all helped change Lena into who she is now and I’d hope that they’d in turn change too with the help from Lena.

At the end of the story, I kind of wanted to scream at them all for the things that happened, but not to worry, I won’t get into it because I don’t want to give something away from the ending of the book.

With the “Now” part of the story set in New York and Lena being the part of the resistance that, she’s tasked with watching the son of the man who’s founded the DFA – Deliria-Free-America. They are looking to change things with how and when people get cured as to try to stop the spread of the “disease” sooner rather than later. The world at large are worried about the invalids living in the wilds even more so and want to put a stop to things before it really gets out of hand; to try to save their world from those out in the wilds. Lena’s job is simple. Attend a huge rally and watch Julian, when they are both kidnapped and held hostage.

Now it’s during this time that you really see the changes in Lena as a character. The story picks up even faster than it already is and you feel like you’ve blinked and you’ve found yourself at the end of the book. You reread that last page 10 times or more to make sure what you’re seeing written on the page is really what happened. You gasp out loud and wonder just how it’s possible for Oliver to do it again. To have held you utterly and completely entranced by another amazingly well written book with equally amazing characters. And finally you wonder how on earth you’ll be able to wait until the final book in the trilogy is released to know what happens next. And yes, all these things and thoughts went through my mind and still do. Seriously, how on earth are we supposed to wait for the third book? This is torture!!

All in all, these are two books… the first two books in an utterly captivating trilogy that shouldn’t be passed by. Characters will find a way into your heart and head and will stick around for awhile. And trust me, you won’t mind at all. If you haven’t read these books, head out today and pick up Delirium and Pandemonium, because once you finish Delirium, you’ll be kicking yourself if you didn’t grab the second book too. They are JUST that good! Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.