Reading For Fun

rinceya:

edwardspoonhands:

Apparently I should have gone higher than “more than 25” because this isn’t giving me the best resolution. Also…YOU GUYS READ A LOT OF DAMN BOOKS!

When I filled this out, I actually was surprised by the fact that it stopped at 25+.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I’ve been meaning to start the Delirium series for years now….. Here we go.

Summary from Goodreads.com:

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. 

And I’ve always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed.

Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love

 I’m sure for most people, the premise “falling in love is a disease and anyone who does will be persecuted” causes an eye roll at best.  I’ve always been skeptical of really “romantic” books.  I have nothing against romantic plotlines, but any book that is primarily centered around some kind of epic forbidden love usually just seems overdramatic to me.

Delirium sort of fit this stereotype, but broke it in other ways too.  For one, the world building and characters in this book are so well developed that the dramatics don’t seem so ridiculous.  In fact, Oliver makes sure that Lena, and even Hana, are relatable and easy for the reader to sympathize with.  

The protagonist, Lena, is also likable mostly because she differs a little bit from other YA dystopian heroines.  In most books, the heroine has always felt a bit different from the rest or has always felt the need to rebel.  Although Lena is a bit of an outcast, she is considered pretty average among her peers.  At the beginning of the book, she appears to be just as brainwashed as anyone else in the society.  Oliver used Lena’s naivety as the starting point of a really great journey of self discovery for her main character.  The author’s almost poetic writing style also gave the story a very “profound” feel, for lack of a better word.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the supporting characters.  The dynamics between Lena and her family, who are really her aunt, uncle, and cousins, was really interesting.  I think Oliver did a great job of using Lena’s family as an example of how the government controls the “deliria” and overall lives of its citizens.  

Hana is also a favorite of mine.  She is almost entirely the antithesis of Lena, but not in a bad way.  In many ways, I would argue that Hana is the image of what Lena aspires to be.  The girls’ friendship was also a component of the book that I enjoyed a lot.  I liked that the book touched on the fact that romantic love was not the only kind of affection that the procedure affected.  Another reason why Lena is torn about her procedure is because it will all but end her bond with Hana.

Now for the romance.  I have no problems with Lena’s romantic interest as a character, but I did feel that their relationship progressed a bit too quickly to be realistic.  However, Lena’s feelings for him are not the only factor that influences the main climax of the novel, which made it more okay with me.

The Delirium series is probably not one that I would have picked up on my own if I had not heard so much positivity about it.  In the end, I definitely liked the first book.  I will definitely attempt to finish the series at some point this year!

bookshelfporn:

‘tsundoku’ - the Japanese word for buying books & not reading them, leaving them to pile up. Who else is guilty of this?

Legend by Marie Lu

I was a bit apprehensive about reading the Legend series.  It seemed to fall so neatly into the dystopian craze overtaking young-adult fiction that I doubted it would have anything more to offer that I hadn’t read already.  In certain ways, my prediction turned out to be true.  However, there is a reason why these types of books are so popular right now; they’re suspenseful, exciting and overall good reads.

Summary from Goodreads.com:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

 What I enjoyed most about Legend was its dual narrative structure.  Experiencing the story from both June and Day’s points of view and learning how their lives would intersect was probably the most interesting part of the novel.  The amount of YA told from a girl’s perspective is overwhelming, so it’s always a nice change of pace to experience a story from a boy’s point of view.  

Like I said earlier, Legend isn’t remarkably different from any other dystopian book.  It’s about two star-crossed teens living under a totalitarian government who fight the corruption in their society. Despite this, the book is still quite thrilling, and short enough so that it doesn’t drag on.  I think the only reason it took me so long to get through this book is because of finals (which are over now, huzzah!)

Lu is definitely a talented writer and although this isn’t my favorite YA dystopian series, I will continue with the series.  Hopefully I will be able to finish Prodigy by the end of the summer (in addition to a dozen others I’m dying to read!)

Rating: ★★★1/2 (out of 5)

Read If You Like: Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Maze Runner by James Dashner

180° Opinion: The romance between the two protagonists seems very rushed and it’s hard to believe that these two would fall for each other so quickly under such dire circumstances.

penguinteen:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New York’s hottest club is…the Union Square Barnes & Noble on May 30th at 7 PM! Brought to you by Penguin Live, this event has EVERYTHING: Andrea Cremer, Sarah Dessen, Marie Lu, Richelle Mead, and Rick Yancey. It’s going to be the best time ever. We can’t wait!

(Source: imagination-and-paper)