Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Book Review)

Book: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Published: February 7, 2012

Pages: 441

Obtained: Bought at Books-A-Million :)

Started Reading On: March 24, 2013

Finished Reading On: April 22, 2013 (Due to a MAJOR research paper due at the University)


Summary (Courtesy of Goodreads): 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11614718-delirium

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.

Cover - The cover is beautiful and mysterious. It is quite an eye catcher. I found myself looking at it and pondering what Lena was thinking about in that moment. Was she still under the notion of being cured in that picture or has her eyes already been open to the world of The Wilds? 

Plot - The plot, honestly, was slow in the beginning. Having to do a lot of reading for my research paper, I found that though the beginning attracted my attention, I wasn't HOOKED. So I kept putting it down to study. (Usually this is hard for me because I'd rather read a good book any day than browse through nonfiction for a paper.) I realize that the first book is usually slower than other because this is the book that provides a lot of background. Hopefully in the other books, this will not be as bad of a problem. But once I read more toward the middle, the pace began to pick up for me. I was constantly worried about what would happen. Who anyone turn her in? AND THAT ENDING. Don't get me started. Beautiful. Fantastic. Heartbreaking.

Characters - I feel the character development is a bit different in this book, and I'll tell you exactly why. First, the cured of society do not possess any depth to their personality any longer. When they were cured, the operation also took their uniqueness. (At least in my opinion.) So not every character in this story is deep.

Lena - She undergoes MAJOR character development. She starts off the book as annoyingly loyal to wanting the cure. She never does anything wrong. She always obeys her aunt and uncle who took her in after her mother committed suicide. Luckily, she meets Alex who turns her world literally upside down and backwards. I love the person she becomes as the book progresses. You can see how society can create a type of people by brainwashing them through all aspects, even changing religion to better serve their needs. But you also see how a person can break off and see the wrong of that society. It's an eye opening experience. 

Alex - I loved him, honestly. Because of Alex, Lena was set free from the chains that society had on her mind. He was caring, loyal, and wise beyond his years. I have so much respect for him, and I feel deeply for the heartache he goes through. Alex was a catalyst that I very much enjoyed getting to know.

Hannah - She's a rebel. And there's a certain part where she actually surprised me. (And you may or may not know what I mean.) While reading the book, I was planning how everything would end in my head like putting pieces of a puzzle together. And Hannah was the small twist that through my plan off. I did NOT see that coming. She's loyal, beautiful, and not afraid to speak her mind.

Grace - I can't say much about Grace because I don't want to give the story away, but I probably loved her the most. She plays a small but major role in the plot. She's so adorable beyond words and Lena is lucky to have her as her cousin. <3

Series - This book is the first book in a series. 
The second book is: Pandemonium. 
The third book is: Requiem. 

Rating - Overall, I would give this book 3.9 stars. (Mostly because of the slow beginning.)

I would definitely recommend this book, but fare warning about that ending. Woooh. 

My next review will be on Cinder by Marissa Meyer. :) 

Happy Reading, loves!

VF, xoxo

Starfall by W. A. Fulkerson (Book Review)

Book: Starfall

Author: W. A. Fulkerson

Published: February 23, 2013

Pages: 364

Obtained: W. A. Fulkerson sent it to me in exchange for a review

Started Reading On: March 13, 2013

Finished Reading On: March 31, 2013 (due to my busy school schedule)

Summary (Courtesy of Goodreads): 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17451762-starfall

The day an Ungifted witnesses his star fall from the heavens is a moment that shapes the rest of his life. Finding one’s star means choosing a gift, and having a gift means a better life- especially for Ducasus and Malleus. Born into slavery on a Flare’s plantation, the twin brothers spent their youth watching the sky, waiting, wishing, hoping for the day when their ticket to freedom might come. When it does, it is nothing like either of them ever expected.

Starfall is an exciting, adventure-filled journey inside a world filled with giants, monsters, and races not yet known. A new mythology begins now.

Cover - I really love the cover and the simplicity of it! There is a point in the book that you will understand the meaning behind it. I also love how the spine is on the book! In my opinion, it lessens the chances of breaking the spine (a pet peeve of most of the BookTube Community). 

Plot - The plot at the beginning drew me in. I was captivated by the idea of finding your own personal star and obtaining some type of power. I was rooting for the main characters to leave the confines of slavery, and become free and independent with their new found powers. After a while, the plot slowed down for me. Interesting twists were happening, but it was capturing my attention quite like the beginning did. I feel there was too much sleeping and walking and not enough training (much of which I presume Ducasus would agree with). 

I also noticed that at the beginning of the book, the vocabulary was rather large! I was looking up several words I was curious about. This could be a good or a bad thing depending upon your personal preference. I did notice that it did slack as the story progress and became quite natural. 

I loved the types of species there were in the world. There are four that humans can be: 

1st: If you never obtain your star, you will remain a human and be called an Ungifted, and be MUCH more likely to be captured in to slavery.

2nd: Flare - fast speed, long blonde hair (of different shades) (newest species)

3rd: Nebulae (formal spelling) - Nebs are freakishly strong and very tall. 

4th: Lid Sidorium (Hawkeyes) - greater perception of the world, can sense even the smallest of details.

There were some errors in the text though they were very few. One such example was that there was too much space between some sentences.

The end was gripping to me, and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen! I couldn't put the book down and when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it back up!

Characters - I felt at first that the characters didn't have much depth to them, and I was frankly worried for a bit. Anyone who knows me, knows I love deep characters. But as the book progressed, the characters showed various sides to their personality. Especially Malleus. I love him, but I probably shouldn't.

Ducasus - I feel as if he is the TRUE protagonist of this story. He's the top numero uno. I didn't fall in love with his character. I didn't hate him, and I was rooting for him, but there were parts of his personality I didn't much care for. (WHICH IS GOOD! That means he's developed, and I just don't like his way of thinking.) I felt as if he was a overly sensitive, and a little immature. This is a good and a bad thing. That means Ducusas is outside of your everyday norm of badass male protagonists. But it also means that it's a bit of a turn off for me. I also feel as if the romance element between him and Rosae was... well.... a good go. Usually male authors don't even attempt a romance element, and I'm so happy Fulkerson did! :D But it do feel it need sprucing up. He talked about her hair. ALOT. Probably too much. Overall, I did enjoy his character and I could sympathize with his actions as much as they tended to get on my nerves. At the end of the book, he proved himself to me more, and I'm curious to see where this will lead Ducasus. 

Malleus - I love this character. HE HAS SO MUCH DEPTH. I can't say much or I'll ruin the story, but he's phenomenal. And so bloody GENIUS. God, I love him.

Rosae - She proved to be stronger than her boyfriend at many points. I love that Fulkerson made her an independent, I'm-not-taking-crap-off-of-you type of person. She does get into quite a situation and needs saving, but hey! Princess Peach is the exact same. She, also, has pretty hair. 

Incus - Incus is probably my favorite character. Now, you KNOW I love Malleus and all but Incus is the loveable, strong type. If I could have anyone of my side, I would definitely want Incus. He's developed, but closed-in. I love how Fulkerson displayed this with very subtle hints. I cannot wait to learn more about this intriguing character.

Series - This book is going to be a part of a trilogy!

Rating - I would rate this book 4 Stars! 

I seriously enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction and some adventure! 

Thank you, Mr. Fulkerson, for sending me this lovely book! I cannot wait to read the books that follow!

Here is the BookTube Video Review for this lovely book:

Here is a link to Mr. Fulkerson' blog: http://wafulkerson.wordpress.com

My next review is TBA as of right now, seeing that I am so busy with school! 

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo