'Pandemonium' Audiobook Review

Audiobook: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Read by: Sarah Drew
Genre: YA Lit, Dystopia

This is the sequel to Delirium, a dystopian novel, that supposes in the future fractured U.S.A has deemed love a virus and are curing the population of it. (My Delirium review here.) That takes away choice, freedom and passion. Lena, the main character, is all about this cure until she meets Alex and realizes she can't live like a loveless zombie. So she runs.

I couldn't help wonder what will become of Lena after she crosses into the "wilds," so I picked up the second audiobook. Now, I've got to pick up the third book. Like now.

Usually, the second book in a trilogy is dullsville. It's a bridge from one action book to the epic finish in the third. There's lots of internal development, as the character gets to the place mentally to take on the crazy stuff in the third book. But this second book was actually good!

We get new characters, "Then" and "Now" storytelling that keeps things moving and lots of good action. Even the time Lean spends in a cell isn't boring. It's all built around revolution and movement and Lena figuring things out a few steps too late. Poor dumb Lena.

One thing I couldn't help but wonder -- so the Wilds is a place where people won't be cured of the love virus and are thus free to love openly. So you'd think there would be a lot of couples, relationship and kissing everywhere. There's not. The groups Lena hangs out with are just a bunch of single people cohabiting. Maybe because it's a book for teens or perhaps Lena doesn't find those kinds of camps. Or maybe I'm making too many hippie commune comparisons. Still it strikes me as odd that there's no free love everywhere with the "uncureds."

Regardless, I all but ran to the library to pick up the third. Because the last delivered line "don't listen to her, she lies" killed me.

Grade: Green Light

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