My wife and I read this one together, aloud (we generally do this a book at a time, slowly, over a month or so, while privately reading other titles). We had both read the first book, Delirium, and liked it well enough to be interested in the second. In that book there were a few moments of very well-crafted sentences, the overall idea was intriguing, and the ending was well done, so we approached this second installment thinking it would be equally as entertaining.
But aside from a few well-crafted sentences again, my experience with this book was largely one of frustration. Major plot points revolve around increasingly improbable set pieces and equally improbably character choices. And aside from a few very admirable sentences, the writing (and plot) consistently pushed me out of the story, such that it was never possible to get lost in it. We were always aware this was a contrivance, and could never feel the reality of the characters.
All in all, I didn't have high expectations for this book, but still felt disappointed by it. And then the bombshell ending, which we both saw from ten pages away, felt like a last minute trick to force us to read the third book. I generally don't like books that rely on tricks.
One positive note is that the Kindle version of book 2 is only $1.99 as of this writing, which is a reasonable price for some entertainment.
Pandemonium (Delirium Series Book 2) by Lauren Oliver.
2.0/10
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