So I actually read this a while back, but didn't blog about it back then coz I was on a bit of a reading blitz. Now that the dust has settled I couldn't resist writing about this book - it's just so awesome.
The story is told from the perspective of Juliette, a girl who has a strange ability and has been kept locked away from the world as a result ... and is understandably a little messed up by that. Her voice reflects the mental state of someone who has been kept in an asylum for 264 days.
Can I just say that Tahereh Mafi is a genius to be able to bring this to Juliette's character in a natural and balanced way. It's not over the top so much so that it turns you off or confuses you (unlike some other book I didn't appreciate a.k.a. Catcher in the Rye). The ruminating and numbers are all so accurate, and I should know since I had a family member with these issues and Mafi nails it.
The development of Juliette and Adam's relationship keeps you on the edge of your favourite reading spot - so uncertain and sweet to start off with, but there is fire lurking and yes it is shatter-worthy. As for Warner, the deluded psycho running that ward of the evil Reestablishment, his sights are dead set on Juliette and things are getting way worse than uncomfortable.
I love how Mafi allows the story to evolve so effortlessly. And I absolutely love reading it through Juliette's slightly unhinged mind.
Action...romance...and where is it all heading? Well the final pages of this book deliver on the X-men comparison, setting the scene for an interesting second book...which is now very firmly on my to-read list!
For any YA / romance fan, and every dystopia fan, this book is an absolute must.
I knew it! I knew it! I just so badly knew it!!!
I really loved this book (i.e. sequel to Delirium), that the twists all fit nicely into place, the clever way in which it is written - Oliver is a master crafter of a story.
I must admit I did skim in some places - purely for selfish reasons (time poor). But I felt the romantic developments between the main characters happened as naturally as could be expected - I mean Alex has been dead for a year right? Lena is tough and endures a lot, and I liked how we got to see the "now" and the "then", because if we had to read it chronologically I think "then" would have been far too depressing and slow. I also like following Julian's intellectual journey through Lena's voice.
I like Raven and Tack, in fact Tack is my favourite dude in this book! She's all hard-mum on the surface, and he's all hard through and through...
It's a cleverly woven story of discovery revealing the cracks in this dystopian society where love is an illness. One of my favourite parts of the book is where Coin says (p273) "That is the mistake they make...they think that only certain people have a place....[or] belong. The rest is waste. But even waste must have a place. Otherwise it will clog and clot, and rot and fester."
It's not just a dramatic tale either, and is surprisingly action-packed.
I mean, just when you think you can breathe...whapang!).
My hopes for book 3 - that Lena's mum and Hana feature, in a good way, and that that Lena doesn't become alienated from love (hmmm read into that what you may but I can certainly see how it could happen given two things that happen in the latter part of this book, the last one being the final word of the book - go see if you absolutely have to know!).
When I was a kid, I would lay outside in the long grass on our huge back section and escape. Only the internal sound of my own breath floating in and out would remind me that I was actually still there near my house. The tall blades teeming with life surrounding my body cut me off from reality, and I would make up stories and imagine.
These days I don't have any time to lay around in the long grass anymore. Which sucks big time. I think if we could all lay down in some long grass for as long as we wanted to each day, the world would be a much happier place.
Instead, I read. I read to escape, to yearn, to feel, to have my heart broken, to travel, to grow, to fight, to love, to learn, to experience.
I don't read to critique, but inevitably I form an opinion. I didn't study English at university and my grammar is fairly average. So when I talk about a book I've read or am reading, it's not usually to tear it to shreds because the tense didn't match the setting or was inconsistent or whatever (see...average), but rather to talk about the journey, the experience, the characters, the story.
So that's what this site is all about. I read usually Young Adult, and mostly fantasy / sci fi / dystopia / paranormal and almost always books that have some romance. What can I say - I'm a sucker for a good romance.
So check out my upcoming reviews and I'd love to hear what you think.
Ciao
