Pandemonium (2012) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“In my opinion, this is just as good as the Hunger Games, minus the really depressive endings.
Book 2 takes off with Lena making it into the Wilds, minus one very important companion. This one goes back in forth in time of the few months she is out of the contained city. We are involved with different settings- the Wilds, the City the Underground. Clues are coming together and there is a revolt brewing. Book 3 is sure to be equally asexciting and the only downer is waiting another year!”

• Rated 4 stars

“Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver is an easy read that is hard to put down. Pandemonium follows Lena through her transformation after heading into the wilds and becoming an Invalid. Switching from then and now, Oliver shows Lena's struggles to shed her past and move on with her life after leaving her home after contracting the forbidden disease, love. Pandemonium is well written and filled with suspense that keeps the reader intrigued throughout. Despite its suspense, some portions of the book are easily predictable which takes away from the ending a little bit. This novel seems most appropriate for high school readers with its easy to understand vocabulary and with the point of view coming from a teenager. With its strong descriptions, Pandemonium successfully makes the reader feel as though they truly are walking in Lena’s shoes which overall enhances the writing. Being the second book in a trilogy, Pandemonium lives up to expectations and creates a strong anticipation for the third and final book. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“This book is predictable, simple, and slow in the beginning, but as it gets going it improves. The book, just like its predecessor, has a very dramatic ending that will leave you wanting more. I think that although some improvements could have been made it was still thrilling enough for me to have enjoyed it.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. Harper, 2012.
The “old” Lena is dead; a “new” Lena has been born. This one is tougher and stronger. She must forget about her old life and Alex; instead, she must focus on surviving in The Wilds, with the help of her new friends, who are part of the resistance. This time, Invalids are fighting not only “The Cured”, but Scavengers, and a group calling themselves the DFA—Delirium Free America, as well. Finding food and keeping safe are much harder now; hunger, secrecy, and fleeing become the norm.
When Lena and Julian Fineman, the leader of the DFA youth division, are captured and imprisoned, they must put aside their differences and work together to escape. What they discover, however, is that not everything is what it seems. Even the resistance and the DFA are hiding unbelievable secrets of their own!


Pandemonium is the second installment in the Delirium series, and it begins right were the first book ended. Lena has made it to The Wilds without Alex, but she is wounded and must scrape her way through forest and underbrush. She is eventually discovered by members of the resistance and nursed back to health.


The chapters are told in alternating time periods—Now and Then. “Now” is the story taking place in the present time. It is the story of Lena infiltrating the DFA and learning all she can about them. “Then” is the back story—what happens following her escape from The Cured society. This back and forth among the chapters was a little confusing at first, but once I got used to it, I decided it really works. Near the end, the two stories merge and are told only in “Now”. Without giving the book away, I will say that this part of the book was extremely suspenseful. It was very insightful of Lauren Oliver to organize the plot this way.
Many new characters were introduced in this book, and a new love interest is thrown in for Lena. Raven, who is the unofficial leader of the group that Lena joins up with, is a strong female character and role model. Near the end, I did not like her as much, but as the story ran its course, I changed my opinion of her. The same goes for Julian, the handsome son of DFA Leader, Thomas Fineman. Julian seemed very cold and understandably stand-offish at first, but changed as the story unfolded; I ended up loving him! Also, I wonder if there is some veiled “tongue-in-cheek” reason the last name of Fineman was chosen for both Julian and his father??


The descriptions of the underground prison, the tunnel dwellings, and its inhabitants were dark and mysterious. The author has a true gift for painting intricate pictures with her choice of words. This book seems to have more action than Delirium, which really kept me turning the pages! As I read very last page of the book, I realized that there is a surprise twist, and I could hear in the background imaginary dramatic chords…”Dah, Dah, DAAAAAH”!! I cannot wait for the 3rd book!!!!!!
Fans of this series will not be disappointed! I highly recommend it for high school and public libraries! ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Now I'm done this book and am asking myself if there is going to be more? I really hope so. Now that there is a triangle of sorts, I want to know how that will play out.
Another beautifully written story by Lauren. Taking readers on a deep journey through a world that is not so far fetched, but imaginable enough to steal your interests.
I like Lena even more in this book than the first. I just wish she would learn to trust herself more. Maybe in book 3 she will have that self-confidence.
This is definitely a series I am still recommending to readers, but make sure to start with Delirium.”

• Rated 4 stars

“The exciting sequel to Delirium - find out what happens to Lena in her new life.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Great book! :D”

• Rated 4 stars

“36 hours ago I finished Delirium - and after restraining myself from throwing the book out the window in frustration, I moved immediately onto Pandemonium. I don't often move straight to the next book, I like to let the one I've just finished 'settle' a little, but in this case I just couldn't help myself - I HAD to know what happened next.

I tore through Pandemonium in less than 24 hours - partly because it was a good book but also because I started with a sneaking suspicion that I knew what was going to happen at the end - and I was right. Anyway, enough of my gloating about my guessing prowess, here are my thoughts on Pandemonium.

Told in alternating 'Then' and 'Now' chapters, Pandemonium focuses on Lena just after escaping to the wilds, and six months later. I'm not the biggest fan of alternating time-frames by chapter, but it's done pretty well through Pandemonium - it's clearly delineated so there's no confusion, although towards the end of the book the chapters do get quite short for while as the story starts to really heat up.

There is a lot more world-building in Pandemonium, expanding upon some parts of society and introducing some that were not even mentioned in Delirium and making the Wilds a more tangible, imaginable place with kick-ass new characters (loved Raven - that girl scared me!).

Lena has certainly toughened up as a character in the 'Now', and the 'Then' explains the situations she has been through in the Wilds that have caused her to grow some serious balls. There is a new male character (of course), but he came across to me as a bit of a whingy little boy - I didn't find him nearly as solid or likeable as Alex.

The second book in a trilogy is always a toughie - the first book has a lot to tell and the final book wraps everything up, but the second book is sometimes considered 'filler' - and Pandemonium, for the most part, manages to avoid the 'filler' tag. Lauren Oliver, as always, writes well and builds excellent tension, with some heartbreaking, heart-stopping moments thrown in for good measure.

As I said earlier, I'd already guessed the 'cliffhanger' well before I got there, so I didn't have book murdering thoughts when I got there, but if you aren't expecting it I can certainly see why you would want to drop-kick that bad boy into next week! I will be anticipating the third book (in 2013!), but it's not going to kill me waiting for it.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pandemonium, even more so than Delirium. The world-building is stronger, the action is more, well, action-ey and I loved the transformation of Lena. If you were a little disappointed by Delirium because it moved slowly or Lena wasn't the most likeable character, you should still give Pandemonium a try - it might surprise you!”

• Rated 5 stars

“WoW!!!!. . . .This book is a really stong for being a sequel and had me reading with such curiosity i seriously couldn't stop. I am so happy with the book but sad that i have to wait so long before the next book cames out. . .”

• Rated 5 stars

“The first time I read this book, I hated Julian. I thought he acted selfish, like a baby, and just all around annoying. But a year later, rereading it, I learned to love him and enjoyed Pandemonium much more than I had the first time around. Alex will always be my number one choice for Lena, but Julian is a nice guy too.

And as always, Lauren Oliver's writing is absolutely beautiful and makes you connect with the characters she writes about. ”