…on Delirium by Lauren Oliver {Audiobook}

Posted March 6, 2013 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 9 Comments

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #1
Published by HarperTeen
Publish Date: February 1, 2011
441 Pages
Source: Audio – Library, Book – Library



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. -(from Goodreads) 


Delirium by Lauren Oliver 



My Thoughts:  One of the best bookish decisions I’ve ever made in my entire life is waiting until now to start the Delirium Trilogy.


The first thing you need to know is this:
I waited for YEARS to start this trilogy because I don’t like cliffhangers. 
They stress me out SO MUCH and we all know
that I don’t need any additional bookish stress. 
The Delirium Trilogy has generated a fair amount of buzz and hype in the bookish community – particularly lately since it is completed – and YOU GUYS I am totally Team “DOWN WITH THE HYPE MACHINE.” Down, down, down. There is not much more that will kill my excitement over a book than when it is over-publicized or over-marketed or talked about too much. While The Delirium Trilogy had plenty of hype around it, it thankfully didn’t have as much as some books out there. 

BUT…the hype machine isn’t why I waited to start this series. My reason for waiting was everything I was hearing about these horrible cliffhanger endings. See, I pay attention to Goodreads status updates and to the tweets I see out there in the world. If you, my friends, put something in ALLCAPS and turn on the emotional melodrama, I will notice it. Over and over and over, I began to notice that these book endings were just PAINFUL to some of you readers and I TRUST YOU GUYS. So I asked around and my suspicion was confirmed. I decided I would WAIT…I would wait until this here trilogy was finished before I started it

I won’t lie to y’all. The waiting was a drag but I was determined. But now Requiem is out. BOOM. Let’s get this trilogy started. 

The second thing you need to know is this:
I broke my own rule and listened to the audiobook
for my first read with Delirium. And I’m not sorry. 
I chose to do one of my favorite things and read via Audiobook + Print, which I usually reserve for re-reads. I chose to do this for two reasons: 1) I really, really, really was ready to read this book and I felt like I could fit it into my life better if I did it this way and 2) The voice actor is really excellent for this book (more on that later).

I will be perfectly honest with everyone here and admit something: this is actually not the first time I’ve tried to read Delirium. I actually opened the book once before and just could not make it past the first chapter. It failed to capture me. HOWEVER, the audiobook captured me right away in just the short sample that I listened to, so I knew that was the way to go for me. 

It was a perfect decision because all of the emotions in this book – love, fear, grief, happiness, sadness, all of them – the audiobook only serves to intensify them. As a reader, I personally want to experience my books with as many of my senses as possible – particularly books like Delirium, books that I have been anticipating for so long. 

I genuinely felt like the smartest person alive because because I both waited for the series to be finished before I started it and read it by audiobook. 

The third thing you need to know is this:

I’m still early in the series, but I KIND OF LOVE ALEX. 
1. I feel certain that no further explanation is necessary for those that have read this book. 

2. Clearly I haven’t received the procedure that will prevent the amor deliria nervosa infection.

3. Smart guys make me draw hearts on my notes.  

There are so many hearts on my notes for this book because Alex is so doggone smart.
There is also poetry but I’m not even going there.
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Delirium by Lauren Oliver was well worth the wait for me. It is not my favorite in this genre, but it was tons of fun, held tons of emotion, and gave me a fantastic male character to add to my growing list. The last time I read a book by this author (HERE), the book and I didn’t get along very well. Since that time, I had been hoping that my next Lauren Oliver experience would deliver. I’m thrilled that Delirium has been a positive experience. 

What I loved most about Delirium was the concept of the story, which is probably what a lot of people like. More and more lately, I am increasingly appreciative of an original or engaging idea, one that makes me want to keep turning the pages, one that makes me feel things. The idea that love is a disease – a disease from which the population should be cured – that is fascinating and scary and kind of awesome. I loved the way that Lena was absolutely scared to death of love – she was scared of anything that had to do with love, of even speaking the word. Even better is the idea that love is stronger than government-imposed cures, regulations, or fears – that this one boy can change one girl’s entire life just by changing the definition of a word for her – it completely blew my mind. 

Of course, there was the whole the-people-have-been-fed-lies-for-their-entire-lives thing, which shows up here and there in young adult fiction. But when it works, it works, so we’ll just go with it. 

I loved the setting and the world – I loved that the city was supposed to be like this ‘regular’ city, but it really wasn’t. My mind wanted to make it all contemporary-like, but then there would be curfews and rules and regulations and Regulators, which would make it stand out as corrupt and all messed up. I loved it. But more than that, I loved the Wilds and the Crypts – I loved the places outside of the city that were obviously not normal. And as surely as my name is Asheley, if there is an ocean in a book, you know I will fall head over heels for it. That is a given, so high-fives for the ocean making an appearance. 

In terms of characterization, Lena was a tough one for me. I felt like she was a little weak and stubborn and blinded to what was going on around her, which was the point, I KNOW. But I really wanted her to get over all of that at some point in the book. There was a time that I could see her began to open her eyes to the crazy world around her, to see it for what it really was – but Lena still retained some of her stubbornness until the very end, which made me wrinkle my nose up at her so, so many times (HELLO, LAST SCENE). I do have high hopes for Lena, though (despite her little speech-thing at the end of the book, which I did. not. like.). Truly, in my opinion, it was Alex that not only carried this book, but pulled Lena along with him. 

Alex is a great character. Truly great. He is under so much pressure for the duration of the story, but Lena never really knows it – we do, but she doesn’t. Also, that boy has a swagger for miles. It is undeniable and he is so very cool. He’s always calm and he always has an answer, which tells me he is smart enough to be thinking ahead and anticipating his next move. I LOVE smart guys. A reading friend once told me that Alex is not a mysterious guy, and I can agree with this – Alex is not broody, not mysterious at all. He is exactly what he claims to be, he is the impression that he gives off. But the most interesting and awesome thing about Alex is this: I kept grabbing my pen to write down the word “confidence” by the word “Alex” on my notes, only to find that I had already written it down – what this means is that over and over and over in this book, it stuck out to me that Alex had confidence in himself and his decisions, and I absolutely loved this about him. LOVED it. 

I have to admit that Delirium is an exciting story. It is not the best in terms of characterization, but it has one of the very best characters. It has a great setting and I like that there is enough left open at the end to start out the next book, which HAHAHAHA! I can do anytime I want because I waited until the trilogy is completed. Don’t worry, friends, I will read Pandemonium soon I really need to find out what is going on with my pal Alex after that little stunt he pulled at the end. I’m sure it’s only a KINK in this story – that’s what I call these things – and I refuse to believe it anything other than that. I have my fingers crossed for good things for my pal Alex, and NOBODY SPOIL ANYTHING FOR ME, M’KAY?!

The audiobook format of Delirium by Lauren Oliver is published by Harper Audio and is 11 hours, 41 minutes, Unabridged. I want to jump up and down to get the attention of all passersby to alert them that Sarah Drew is the best narrator for this audiobook. Her voice is pleasing to my ear – not at all whiny or annoying. She read this story in exactly the way that I needed it, in a way that caught my attention – in a way that the print alone did not. I loved that she used the inflection and tone that was appropriate for each character, and over and over again I kept making mental notes (and notes on my paper) about how excellent Sarah Drew was for this book. She read like I imagined Lena would speak, would think, would cry out at stressful or emotional times. She read like I imagined Alex as well and, in fact, it seemed to be an easy transition for her to voice this male character. I am very excited to see that she has narrated the entire Delirium Trilogy because it makes me excited to listen to the rest of the books in audiobook format while following along in print. FYI: This audiobook works well as a first read or a re-read. 

If you are one of the few that hasn’t read this book yet, just go ahead and do it. The series is indeed finally finished and you have no reason NOT to. The ending is a cliffhanger-y ending in which there is a character in life-threatening danger, so be warned, but DON’T HESITATE to grab the next book in the series whenever you feel the urge. I recommend Delirium to fans of YA dystopians with romance and perhaps some elements of sci-fi thrown in there. 

********************************************************

Delirium will appeal to fans of:

YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian with Romance
Romance: Slowly developing. No triangle.
Great settings
Great Audiobook Narrator

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
is currently available for purchase.

********************************************************

Have you read DELIRIUM?

What did you think? 
Let’s discuss.

*NO SPOILERS for Pandemonium or Requiem!*
*This is a FIRST READ for me!!* 


Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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9 responses to “…on Delirium by Lauren Oliver {Audiobook}

  1. Ohhhhhhhhh. I read Delirium last year and LOVED it!! I thought book 2 was even better…but I wont tell you anything, just that it was worth the wait to finally read it.

    • That's great Tina! I'm excited to be starting soon! I'm hoping to audiobook and print-read it again, just like I did this time. From what I'm hearing and seeing, people seem to like Pandemonium the best out of the series. We'll see!

  2. Yay! So glad you have started this series at last! I loved, loved, loved Delirium. I remember I didn't read it when it first released, it was more like 6 months later. I think I put it off because I just couldn't get into the idea that it was a dystopian where the central plot was that love was a disease. But once I started reading it I very quickly realized the mistake I made. I was thinking only in terms of romantic love. Not in terms of ALL types of love. Love a mother has for a child. Love two best friends feel for each other. Once I recognized that fact it completely changed my mind about the story. A world were love is eradicated? That is HORRIFYING!

    So, the story sucked me in. Alex is a total dreamboat and the romance between the two was amazing. But I really, really loved Oliver's writing too. So many passages were stickied in that library book (what a bitch it was to remove them all) because the writing felt like poetry.

    Anyway, I'm glad you loved this one. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Pandemonium. Maybe we can read Requiem together in the future:)

    • It IS really horrifying, but I think what is really interesting is the opposite – that in Lena's world LOVE is horrifying, in all forms. I just thought that was a neat concept. And I thought it was such a fun idea HOW FAR they'd go do get rid of all types of love. It was read very well in the audiobook with the voice actor as she had a very flat affect for the people who had already had the procedure in the past and didn't feel very heightened senses of emotion and people like Lena and Alex who were very emotional at times, she would use her voice to convey a broad range of emotions. The effect was amazing and I think to me that is where I was missing it the first time I tried to read it. Plus Alex – he's just in your face and totally real and not a mystery at all. He's a guy's guy, one that a female reader AND a male reader can get behind, and I can appreciate that because I like it when I can recommend books to ALL of my reading friends, guy and girl. BUT he is also a lover of poetry, a lover of the sky and of stars, and the ocean – so I identified with him on these levels of things that I also loved too. So I supposed he's also a ladies' man, ha.

      As soon as Pandemonium comes in for me at the library, I'm gonna start it. Audio and print again. After hearing this voice actor, I have to hear her read it to me. Soon, very soon.

  3. I'm so glad that you enjoyed this book and that you've stuck to your guns and avoided spoilers. I wish you happy things with this series in the future. I agree that hype is so hard to combat and it can be off putting. I admire how you are able to not get bogged down in it. I LOVE Alex too.

    • I did enjoy this one, although I think it did have some flaws or things that weren't my *favorite* from a dystopian series. For example, I didn't love the end. I am VERY GLAD that I waited until the series is completed to start. After one book and one novella, I can see this is gonna be all about the cliffhangers and drama. But the story and premise is really cool. And I really do love Alex. I do. I am nervous about the next two books, though.

  4. Amy

    I need to try one your Asheley-patented audio/print reads. I'll have to find a good pair to give this a shot because I love the idea of getting a fuller impression of a book. We both know that reading a print copy and listening to an audio version can make a reading experience so different. I'll definitely put Sarah Drew on my audio list! Hopefully she narrates more books (I've read this whole series already).
    I won't spoil you for the rest of this series, but I will say that Delirium was probably my favorite. I think the drama and the intensity of Lena and Alex's relationship was really excellent here. AND THE ENDING! Holy crap, one of my uglier ugly cries, I can't lie. Because REASONS, right? But I can't wait to hear what you think of the rest of this series!
    Also, I saw that you mentioned Just One Day up top there, and I hope that everyone's talking about it nonstop doesn't keep you from reading it because it really was so good and I think you'd love it! (I realize that I've basically just done what you said makes you NOT excited to read a book, so I apologize. I couldn't stop myself!)

    • I remember looking up Sarah Drew and seeing that she does do more audio, and I know for a fact that she did Before I Fall (which I didn't love after reading print, but I'll go back and listen to it since she's reading it).

      I totally plan to read Just One Day but I just cannot do it when there is so much talk going on about it. The over-hype of a book, any book at all, makes me like it less, and I don't want that to happen in this case. I'd rather wait a while or possibly read the two books together when the second one comes out than have it spoiled because I just hate the hype machine. I feel like I didn't like Divergent because of the hype machine too, so I need to go back and give that one a chance because I never even looked at Insurgent. I don't mind discussing them, but it's the over-marketing and everybody reading and promoting them at once. It works in the opposite way for me and I can't possibly be the only one. At least I don't think so?? Or perhaps I'm a weirdo. 🙂

  5. Yup, you've managed to convince me that I need to read this series pronto! I've been nervous about it because it got so much hype, but I trust your opinion and will therefore be checking it out soon.

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