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filipa_maia's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It took me over two years to finish this book.. and no, it not because I'm a slow reader. I hate to 'DNF' books. I can't do it because my brain needs closure: finish a book, write a review and put the book away.
The story is not bad: a world where love is a disease and there is a medical procedure to cure it. People who fall in love are sick. Easy as that. Now, there is a bunch of plot holes to this narrative - if the medical procedure cures you from love, we are talking about ALL THE LOVE romantic and non-romantic. Right? Am i missing something here? Maybe there is something here that I'm not getting. And then this book is unnecessarily big. It could be way shorter, and way more interesting, if we didn't spend so much time reading, with immense detail, every single thought she has. That's why I had to put it down the first time - I was so bored.
Of course that me, being me, I need to read the second book because this one ends in a cliffhanger. I just need to know.
The story is not bad: a world where love is a disease and there is a medical procedure to cure it. People who fall in love are sick. Easy as that. Now, there is a bunch of plot holes to this narrative - if the medical procedure cures you from love, we are talking about ALL THE LOVE romantic and non-romantic. Right? Am i missing something here? Maybe there is something here that I'm not getting. And then this book is unnecessarily big. It could be way shorter, and way more interesting, if we didn't spend so much time reading, with immense detail, every single thought she has. That's why I had to put it down the first time - I was so bored.
Of course that me, being me, I need to read the second book because this one ends in a cliffhanger. I just need to know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Torture, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Murder, and Torture
Minor: Animal death and Police brutality
kamrynkoble's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Middle school Kam bad taste. This was one of my favorites and it was SO fun to revisit it. It’s definitely one of the better YA dystopians. I found the audiobook narrator very annoying, but that’s no fault of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Animal death
saucy_bookdragon's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Delirium is a quintessential YA dystopia (derogatory).
It ticks off so much of what made the genre bad in the early 2010s that it at times reads like a parody. The world building is paper thin, falling apart with just one half brain cell of thought; the protagonist is a complete nobody bland piece of bread; and the love interest is just as bland and the romance lacks any chemistry.
With all that said, I didn’t actually begin really disliking this until I was done with the book. The prose was just okay and readable enough that I read most of it in one sitting, not so much entertained, more so I just had to finish for the book club where we specifically read bad books (this was my choice) (pretty sure all those bad books broke us so for the next few months we’re choosing good books again). I’m sure this book is just alright if you put literally zero thinking into it. Which honestly, that’s the core problem of these YA dystopias. They had some absolutely wild unrealistic dystopian premises and then ended up being shallower than a kitty pool with some truly shitastic world building.
Delirium’s premise really is laughable. It set the book up for failure from the beginning. “Love is a disease” is a bullshit premise, even for a fantasy, let’s be real. But then the book puts itself even further into the ground as it goes about failing to define what love actually is. It could’ve pulled itself together by perhaps drawing parallels to how interracial marriage was once illegal and/or how same-gender marriage was once illegal (two laws that are under threat in the US thanks to the asshats running the supreme court) (funnily, there is a terrifying line in this book that mentions how queer people are criminalized in this world and get The Cure which supposedly makes them no longer queer. This terrifying concept is never mentioned again). But nope, we’re going to stumble about and forget that there are real life situations where love is illegal and rebuild from the ground up! Let’s create another dystopia about cishet white people being oppressed in weird sci-fi ways and forget that there are marginalized people that are oppressed today!
Overall, great book pick on my part, me and the entire club hated it! Would recommend it if you want to read some bullshit!
It ticks off so much of what made the genre bad in the early 2010s that it at times reads like a parody. The world building is paper thin, falling apart with just one half brain cell of thought; the protagonist is a complete nobody bland piece of bread; and the love interest is just as bland and the romance lacks any chemistry.
With all that said, I didn’t actually begin really disliking this until I was done with the book. The prose was just okay and readable enough that I read most of it in one sitting, not so much entertained, more so I just had to finish for the book club where we specifically read bad books (this was my choice) (pretty sure all those bad books broke us so for the next few months we’re choosing good books again). I’m sure this book is just alright if you put literally zero thinking into it. Which honestly, that’s the core problem of these YA dystopias. They had some absolutely wild unrealistic dystopian premises and then ended up being shallower than a kitty pool with some truly shitastic world building.
Delirium’s premise really is laughable. It set the book up for failure from the beginning. “Love is a disease” is a bullshit premise, even for a fantasy, let’s be real. But then the book puts itself even further into the ground as it goes about failing to define what love actually is. It could’ve pulled itself together by perhaps drawing parallels to how interracial marriage was once illegal and/or how same-gender marriage was once illegal (two laws that are under threat in the US thanks to the asshats running the supreme court) (funnily, there is a terrifying line in this book that mentions how queer people are criminalized in this world and get The Cure which supposedly makes them no longer queer. This terrifying concept is never mentioned again). But nope, we’re going to stumble about and forget that there are real life situations where love is illegal and rebuild from the ground up! Let’s create another dystopia about cishet white people being oppressed in weird sci-fi ways and forget that there are marginalized people that are oppressed today!
Overall, great book pick on my part, me and the entire club hated it! Would recommend it if you want to read some bullshit!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
crybabybea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In many ways, Delirium is an anti-authoritarian dystopia that makes the reader question blind obedience to a government built on propaganda that tells you which way to feel. There are also strong overtones of totalitarian “big brother”-esque surveillance which only seems to get more and more timely as America’s culture and society progresses. Delirium follows the typical young adult dystopia pattern of “main character lives in some sort of extreme totalitarian police state → main character has accidental run-in with rebels despite being brainwashed herself → main character becomes radicalized through violence or existential discovery → main character becomes a rebel or martyr”. Delirium is unique in its approach by wrapping the dark subject matter in a sweet coming-of-age love story. In other young adult dystopias, romance may be a feature but is often drowned out or portrayed as impossible due to the circumstances of their society. Delirium, though, portrays love in its rawest, most beautiful form, something that is inherent to human life and cannot be separated from it.
As a coming-of-age novel, Delirium is a love story in all of its forms - familial, platonic, romantic. Lena displays incredible emotion and genuine love for the people in her life. First, for her mother, who committed suicide after the death of her husband, Lena’s father. Her mother refused to be cured and fought through the cure each time, and though Lena couldn’t understand, she finds beauty in the intense love her mother felt. She is never embarrassed or ashamed of her mother, despite the people around her and the propaganda fed to her wanting to make her feel so. Lena remembers the beautiful parts of her mother’s love; dance parties in the living room, lullabies and singing forbidden songs, hugs and cuddles (also forbidden) when Lena was struggling or hurt. She also remembers the immense loss she felt when her mother was taken from her; the hole left by lost love and the traumatic memories of the funeral and rehoming. Lena also feels a sisterly, fierce and protective love for her younger sister Grace, who is ostracized by others for being mute and seen as odd.
Hana is also a source of light and love for Lena. Their friendship began in elementary school, when Hana was the first to talk to Lena about her mother’s death instead of whispering about her and treating her like a contagious disease. Hana showed loyalty to Lena even in the beginning, by standing up for Lena when people shamed her for her mother’s past. When Hana begins deviating from the norm, listening to forbidden music and going to unsupervised, dangerous parties, Lena shows Hana the same loyalty despite her reluctance. Although Lena and Hana, after years of blissful, playful youth, experience toxic moments and painful fights (particularly due to Lena’s inner struggle with obedience vs. love and loyalty), Lena and Hana undoubtedly show pure love and care for each other. Lena risks her life to warn Hana of the incoming raid, and Hana risks hers to help Lena and her love interest break the law and meet each other. Lena and Hana, despire their emotional rollercoaster, are genuine and true friends to each other until the end.
Lastly, and most obviously, Lena develops a romantic interest in Alex, which is strictly forbidden. In many ways, Alex represents radicalization for Lena. Alex introduces her to the beauty of love, the passion and fire and butterflies and comfortability. Their relationship starts off slow, due to obvious circumstances. Lena, through Alex, struggles with her understanding of the world she lives in and the lies she has been taught since childhood. Alex shows her the dark parts of himself, and she to him, and through this connection Lena discovers the dark parts of the world she’s lived in for so long.
When the love she has for the people in her life becomes dangerous, Lena has to grapple with the reality of the society she calls home. How could a world that keeps people from such a beautiful, raw emotion be safe or healthy? How could a country that kills and brutalizes its citizens for disobeying turn around and preach “saftey, health, and happiness”? Through the love for her mother, Hana, and Alex, and with it, the firsthand experience of brutal totalitarianism, Lena’s radicalization comes full circle and she becomes the person she was always terrified of becoming, but who she was truly meant to be.
Despite being a dystopian commentary on totalitarianism, authoritarianism, police states, and propaganda, Delirium is also an exploration of human emotion, a declaration that love — and empathy along with it — is an indisputable pillar of human life. Despite its pain, trials, and tribulations, love is one of the emotions that separates human from animal, and it can never be taken from us. Delirium is also a cheeky nod to the story of Romeo and Juliet, and the author uses reference to real-life poets and artists like Shakespeare and ee cummings to show that love has always been instinctual and integral to human life.
—
Delirium has been criticized for being too descriptive, but I personally found this aspect of the read very enjoyable. I’m someone who enjoys overly detailed descriptions of things, it helps me become immersed in the story and activate all of my senses to understand what the character is going through. I admire the creativity of authors who can describe mundane things in beautiful ways, even if it seems unnecessary or pretentious. I think Delirium is a perfect balance of fast-paced action and slow-paced, stop-and-smell-the-roses type description. I never felt that the prose got in the way of the storytelling, and I never felt that it became too overbearing. With that being said, if you are somebody who is annoyed by detailed descriptions, you may find yourself skimming through paragraphs more often than not.
I’ve also heard criticism about Delirium’s characters; Alex and Lena, in particular, being flat and boring. I do think this is true, but I think it can be conveniently explained away when considering the world of Delirium as a whole. People in this world are brought up like robots, destined to be matched and married and keep producing kids to continue the cycle. I personally thought Lena was an interesting character, despite not being all that complex. She is boring, and she is constantly looking forward to being cured and matched and fading into the background of the world. She is also a victim of extreme propaganda and brainwashing, and has been told all her life which way to go and what her future entails. I think Lena’s background is interesting, her history with her rebellious mother is integral to her character development. It’s obvious that Lena is never going to reject her mother and accept the world she lives in with open arms - but this is a young adult dystopia and things are often a lot more spelled-out than in other, more gritty dystopian novels. Alex, though, is quite flat and we never really end up knowing much about him, except that he is from the Wilds and likes poetry. In a lot of ways, Alex is a stand-in character that represents Lena’s final radicalization and defiance. He doesn’t have much of a personality, rather he is a stepping-stone for Lena, playing into the flipped Romeo and Juliet imagery.
Overall, Delirium is an enjoyable read with beautiful, immersive writing, and an exploration of the Romeo and Juliet archetype with a dystopian twist. It's a story of love and passion, and learning to fight for the things you believe in. The plot moves quickly enough to keep most readers entertained, and the premise of the dystopian world is interesting, if a bit unbelievable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Animal death, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
mindins's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent
rawrsoobin's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Animal death, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
lucys_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Medical trauma, War, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Grief
mino88's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
disabledmermaid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
While there are some parts that are completely implausible no matter how much I try to suspend disbelief (how could someone possibly entirely conceal a chunk of skin being torn from their leg from so many people?), I genuinely loved this book
The world this is set in is genuinely unsettling and tense. The concept is disturbing, and reading Lena’s journey as she slowly shakes herself free of the brainwashing was intense
The love story was convincingly written as a teenager falling in love for the first time, hard and quick and often reckless, with the added touch of fear and doubt due to the society Lena was raised in
I also loved how much Lena’s love for her best friend, her mother, and her cousin’s daughter contributed to her choices
The world this is set in is genuinely unsettling and tense. The concept is disturbing, and reading Lena’s journey as she slowly shakes herself free of the brainwashing was intense
The love story was convincingly written as a teenager falling in love for the first time, hard and quick and often reckless, with the added touch of fear and doubt due to the society Lena was raised in
I also loved how much Lena’s love for her best friend, her mother, and her cousin’s daughter contributed to her choices
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide
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