The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame.
In this electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller Delirium, Lauren Oliver sets Lena on a dangerous course that hurtles through the unregulated Wilds and into the heart of a growing resistance movement. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.
Set six months after Delirium, Lauren Oliver's new standalone sequel plunges you headfirst into Lena Haloway's nightmarish predicaments, challenging you to respond to a new set of characters and ever-shifting situations. This new dystopian fiction will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games. (P.S. Delirium is headed for the big screen. Fox 2000 has not only purchased the rights for that film; they have obtained first-look options for this Oliver's upcoming series books.)— Brian Monahan
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)
Praise for Before I Fall:“Samantha’s attempts to save her life and right the wrongs she has caused are precisely what will draw readers into this complex story and keep them turning pages until Sam succeeds in living her last day the right way.
The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books
The gasp-worthy final page sets the stage for a promising conclusion to this trilogy.
VOYA - Joanna Lima
The story begun in Delirium (HarperTeen, 2011/VOYA April 2011) continues: A rebellion is brewing within a nation determined to eradicate the disease of love, and eighteen-year-old Lena Halloway has a role in it. Lena was eager to be "cured" by the mandated procedure, until she met Alex, fell in love, and attempted to escape with him to the Wilds. Now Lena finds herself helpless, sick, and alone. A group of Invalids, led by the tenacious Raven, cares for Lena until she is recovered enough to join their resistance movement. Her assignment: Re-cross the border into a new city where she will closely watch Julian Fineman, the seemingly perfect spokesperson and youth leader of the Deliria-Free America organization. When Lena and Julian are kidnapped together, held underground by unknown captors, Lena discovers the power plays that dominate her world—from the secrets of her companions in the Wild to the private lives of public figures influencing the country. All the while, deliria courses through Lena's veins as dreams of her mother and Alex haunt her day and night. Alternating the narrative between the hardships of Lena's recent past and the action-packed present, Lauren Oliver heightens the suspense and deepens the complexity of both the story and the characters. Lena is, at this point in the story, more like Tally Youngblood of the Uglies series than Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games books: Lacking both finesse and conviction, she is embroiled in a compelling plot that renders her not exceptional, but promising. Whether Lena matures into a strong heroine remains to be seen, but after this second book, fans of Oliver and of dystopian fiction will be clamoring for the final installment of the trilogy. Reviewer: Joanna Lima
Kirkus Reviews
It's been six months since readers first met 17-year-old Lena Haloway, desperately in love in a world that considers such feelings an infection to be permanently and irrevocably "cured." This much-anticipated sequel to Delirium (2011) picks up right where the first novel left off, with Lena and Alex's only partially successful attempt to escape to "the Wilds." Lena, alone, heartbroken and near death, must reach deep within herself to find the strength and the will to survive. "Step by step--and then, inch by inch," she is reborn. The story of Lena's new life as a rebel Invalid, determined to honor the memory of Alex by fighting for a world in which love is no longer considered a capital offense, is told through a series of flashbacks and present-day accounts that will leave readers breathless. The stakes only get higher when Lena realizes she has feelings for someone new. The novel's success can be attributed to its near pitch-perfect combination of action and suspense, coupled with the subtler but equally gripping evolution of Lena's character. From the grief-stricken shell of her former self to a nascent refugee and finally to a full-fledged resistance fighter, Lena's strength and the complexity of her internal struggles will keep readers up at night. (Dystopian romance. 14 & up)
Booklist
This is a romance in the purest of senses, where just the longing for the faintest taste of love is worth the greatest of risks. Like all successful second volumes, this expands the world and ups the stakes, setting us up for the big finale.
Seventeen.com
If...you crave the heart-stopping action of the arena from The Hunger Games combined with a destined-to-be-doomed love story then this sequel is perfect for you!
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"The gasp-worthy final page sets the stage for a promising conclusion to this trilogy."
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The gasp-worthy final page sets the stage for a promising conclusion to this trilogy.
Jay Asher
Praise for Before I Fall:“This story races forward, twisting in a new direction every few pages, its characters spinning my emotions from affection to frustration, anger to compassion. You’ll have no choice but to tear through this book!
Carolyn Mackler
Praise for Before I Fall:“Before I Fall is smart, complex, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Lauren Oliver has written an extraordinary debut novel about what it means to live—and die.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The gasp-worthy final page sets the stage for a promising conclusion to this trilogy.
ALA Booklist
Praise for Before I Fall:“Oliver, in a pitch-perfect teen voice, explores the power we have to affect the people around us in this intensely believable first novel...This is a compelling book with a powerful message and should not be missed.
The Horn Book
Praise for Delirium:“In a thick climate of fear, Oliver spins out a suspenseful story of awakening and resistance with true love at its core.
New York Journal of Books
Praise for Delirium:“Oliver’s deeply emotional and incredibly well-honed prose commands the readers’ attention and captures their hearts. With a pulse-pounding tempo and unforeseen twists and turns, Lauren Oliver has opened the door on a fantastic new series; the second book can’t come soon enough.
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Following directly on the heels of Delirium (HarperCollins, 2011), Pandemonium is equally riveting. It shifts back and forth between "then," as readers discover how Lena adapts to her life in the Wilds even as she grieves for Alex, and "now" where she is infiltrating the DFA, an organization committed to offering the "cure" to all citizens regardless of their age in spite of the known risks to anyone under the age of 18. She begins to have feelings for Julian, the son of the leader of the DFA, when they are incarcerated together following a mass demonstration. They discover they have more in common than they could have imagined despite their initial mutual antipathy and distrust. Oliver's descriptions of life in the unregulated Wilds with its deprivations and dangers are powerful and vivid. The characters are fully realized and heartbreakingly human. The underlying theme that love will win out regardless of prohibition is a powerful idea that will speak to teens. Readers who gravitate toward dystopian literature with high-stakes action and flawed humans who are willing to risk all for their ideals will enjoy this novel and eagerly await the next one in the trilogy.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
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