ŷ������

Around page 30(ish) there is a line in the book that I really could not get past and I nearly put the book down because of it. “His eyes are literally dancing with light, burning as though on fire.�� This is what I pictured:

I am positive that eyeballs (literally) doing a cha-cha with light bulbs is not is not what Oliver meant to portray. I am also pretty sure, given the context, that this statement was not intended as hyperbole. Now see here, I am normally not a grammar stickler, but this lapse in judgment, I think calls for a public flogging of either the author or the editor. Possibly both.

Have I mentioned before that I really hate writing negative reviews? It is so much easier to rant and rave about how wonderful a book is, than it is to point out all the problems I had with it. Just saying.

The original concept of this book was at first compelling and interesting. The idea that love is a disease that has, in the near future, been cured. The fact that love has been classified as "the most deadly of deadly things" and that the government is sanctioning and actually requiring all citizens to undergo a lobotomy at the age of 18. After which they will be assigned a mate. The original concept is a bit incredible, but I am actually ok with “incredible�� as long as it is portrayed in a believable way. And for the most part, it was. As the book progressed however, I kept finding undeniable parallels to Matched and Uglies.
I found Lena, our protagonist and narrator, mostly weak, annoying, and infuriating. For example, there is a point in the book where (view spoiler)[Lena is caught with her love Alex, and consequentially is tied up in her room by her family. She is counting down the hours until her forced “procedure�� and contemplating suicide. (hide spoiler)] At this point Lena actually compares herself to (paraphrased) ’the princesses in the fairytales �� waiting for her prince to rescue her��. Sorry, but, that about induced vomiting. -And I mean that in the best possible way.

The narrative voice is flowing, steady, and easy to follow. It was just interesting enough to keep you reading to find out what happens next.

Believe it or not I actually really liked the ending. If there is a single redeeming virtue in Delirium, this is it. I am not sure if I liked the ending because (view spoiler)[one of the annoying characters was brutally eliminated from the plot in a bloody and melodramatic fashion (I am joking) (hide spoiler)] or more likely, because it seemed somewhat fitting with the whole Romeo and Juliet theme that the author kept hinting at. It was also marginally unexpected, which is always a good thing.

I have put the next book on hold at the library, I am not sure if I will read it or not at this point.
I can see how some people would really like this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t possibly give it a higher rating than a 3.
If you are a fan of sappy teenage romance books you would probably enjoy Delirium.

EDIT: I want to add, because this review is getting so many “likes�� that if you want to read something that is very good by Oliver; please check out Liesl and Po. It is stellar.