![]() ![]() Of course, given the strict monitoring and control of their world, it would be impossible for Cassia and Ky's relationship to follow a familiar path. Unfortunately, I did think that the love story that is the impetus for this change was a little lacking. Cassia's evolution from a happy, obedient citizen to one who questions, doubts, and-ultimately-rebels was believable and enthralling. I was captivated by Cassia's relationship with her family, especially her grandfather and brother Bram. The characters, too, are much more developed than those in Delirium. The slightly sinister officials, the strictly organized activities, even the machines used to dispose of waste-it all works together beautifully to ground the story and create a background in which the novel's plot makes sense. There are many similarities to Lois Lowry's The Giver, but Condie's world thrums with a nervous, subtly terrifying energy all its own. There's not a lot of background about how the Society came to be, but I expect more details to come later in the trilogy. The world-building is amazing and wholly convincing. Ally Condie's prose doesn't pack the same punch as Oliver's writing, but it has a lyrical, almost hypnotic flow that kept me turning the pages eagerly. Now, aware that her Society's decisions aren't as perfects as she always believed, Cassia is forced to examine the the world she lives in and the future she wants more closely.įirst off. But then she discovers that a glitch in the system also selected another Match for her: Ky Markham, a quiet, intense boy who remains on the fringe of her group of friends. Cassia has always trusted the Society, and when the screen at the Matching Banquet identifies her ideal mate as Xander Carrow-her best friend-she knows her future with him will be a happy one. They monitor your food intake, select your ideal job, and find your perfect Match. In the future, the Society officials calculate all the data to determine each citizen's perfect life. Though, due to the high-drama, cliffhanger ending (seriously, I gave serious thought to hurling my book at the wall in frustration!), I will probably give book two ( Pandemonium, ) a shot despite my disappointment in the trilogy's beginning. As a stand alone novel, it doesn't really work. Instead, Delirium read like a very well written-but exceptionally long-prequel. A fuller, more developed world would've grounded the story and created a more realistic feel. The details of Lena's world felt far too nebulous. My major complaint, though, is the world building. So I never fully bought into their relationship, which is key to the story and Lena's own development. Basically, all the good stuff-the meat of their relationship-gets montage treatment. You know those annoying montages in movies that are used to indicate the passage of time? Well, that is how much of the Lena/Alex relationship is conveyed. One moment she was nervous of him and what her feelings for him meant for her sanity. ![]() Also, the relationship with Alex seemed rushed to me. Lena's change of heart was much too sudden, and I found her character development lacking. It was a nice change to meet a dystopian heroine who isn't immediately strong and sure of herself but must develop those qualities across the course of the novel. She isn't rebellious and opinionated instead she is scared and vulnerable. Eat now." I also liked the early characterization of Lena. Take the following excerpt from Chapter Two: The sensory detail alone is enough to have me pick up everything and anything she cares to write. Oliver has a very special way with words and is able to create a scene like nobody's business. And for the first several chapters, I was certain that I was going to love everything about it. In fact, I was avid to read it from the moment I learned Oliver's second book (after the fabulous Before I Fall) was in the works. But then-just months before her procedure-Lena meets Alex, a free-spirited young man who challenges her to question her beliefs. Lena doesn't want to end up like her mother and can't wait to get the cure. Just before their eighteenth birthday, teens also undergo evaluations to determine their future careers and spouses. In the future, love is considered a disease and teenagers are given a government-mandated "cure" at the age of eighteen. ![]() ![]() Welcome to our first Book Battle! Sometimes book plots are SOOO similar that comparison is inevitable, so we thought we'd see how these two romantic dystopias hold up in a head-to-head fight. ![]()
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