Reading Teen

Audiobook:Pretty much I'm on the fence about the reader of this book. There was nothing about her voice or reading that irritated me, but at the same time I didn't particularly like her either. Nothing really stood out to me as good or bad, so my advice is this: if you're in the mood for an audio, I really liked Pandemonium as a book, so you could definitely listen to this one, but if you're not crazy about audiobooks, I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to listen to this one.-KitReview:I actually read Delirium a year and a half ago (summer 2010), so I feel like I've been waiting FOREVER for Pandemonium. So, as you can imagine, as soon as it showed it's lovely face at my door, I dropped everything and read it (Also, Kit, Amy and Abigaile would karate chop me if I didn't hurry up with it).So, did it live up to my expectations? Yes and no. I think that I just loved Delirium SO MUCH that nothing would live up to it, but Pandemonium was still a fantastic book. It was set up completely different than Delirium. It didn't have the interesting quotes from The Book of Shhh at the beginning of the chapters. This time, each section alternated between present and past. The "Then" picks up where Delirium left off, and the "Now" is, I believe, about half a year later. I really liked how this was done, as it made the story very interesting (I'll write more on this later, for those interested.)Then:Lena finds herself running for her life, without Alex, and without any idea where she's going, or how to survive. She nearly dies before being rescued by a group of rebels, who help her not only physically, but also slap her out of her depression (more on this later, too). They teach her how to survive in the Wild, and provide a new type of family that she is constantly trying to understand and become a part of. This was an interesting group of people, hardened by their difficult life, but also loving and determined to change the world. They are constantly close to death, never knowing if this will be their last meal, or if the government will come and eliminate them all.Although Lena frustrated me immensely at the beginning of the "then" part, I really loved watching her grow and change and become someone who can and will fight for what she believes in. I liked seeing the other characters, Raven, Blue, Tack, Hunter and others, but I never felt completely connected to them. Raven was the most difficult to get a grasp on, as she was often on the verge of abusive, but then would do something very kind. I'm hoping to learn more about her in the next book.Now:This was the part of the book that kept me reading into the late hours of the night. Lena has survived the Wilds, and has been reintegrated into the population with a fake identity, and a mission: To take down the DFA (Deliria-Free America). She infiltrates this group, and meets it's poster-boy, Julian, a boy whose physical condition may cause him to die if he has the procedure, but who elects to have it anyway, because death is better than being infected. Julian and Lena end up thrown together in an intensely frightening situation, and learn that there's more to each other than they originally believed.I NEVER thought I'd recover from what happened to Alex at the end of Delirium. I never thought I'd want Lena to have another love interest. BUT I WAS WRONG. I couldn't help but fall in love with Julian. It may have helped that it's been so long since I read Delirium, I don't know, but I just felt so much emotion towards Lena and Julian. I wanted them to be together so badly!!! What a complete and total emotional roller coaster, and talk about romantic tension! WOW!Other than the romance, there is also a fantastic storyline, filled with lots of mystery, and plot twists. The action in this book is much more intense than in Delirium, and I loved reading this kick-butt version of Lena. I also really liked getting to "see" so much more of the world that Lena is living, not just the town that she'd lived in.I'm so excited to see where Lauren takes this book in the future. The end of Pandemonium, which was filled with so much action, emotion, and intensity that my heart was racing, is a complete and total cliffhanger, and just makes me crazy to know where it will go from here, and how I'll feel about it. I can't wait for the next book! I'll leave you with some advice: Go into this book with an open mind about Julian, and about the style. Don't expect the same type of story as Delirium, though Oliver's unique and beautiful prose is still very present. I think some will love Pandemonium more than Delirium, and some will like it less, but most will agree that it's a fantastic sequel!-AndyeReadingTeen.net