Reading The Riot Act: delirium

Showing posts with label delirium. Show all posts

Wednesday, 29 October 2014

Panic by Lauren Oliver

Warning: Spoilers! (Duh.)

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

After the Delirium series I really didn't know what to expect from this book. The blurb seemed incredibly unrealistic and I couldn't figure out how it would work, so I put off reading it. This, makes me an idiot.

This book was incredible. Heather is this wonderfully flawed and likeable character. She's smart and determined but also kind of a pushover and obsessed with some asshole who clearly doesn't care about her. But I was rooting for her. She suddenly gave a huge middle finger to the world and just fearlessly went for it. It was like no matter what was thrown at her she just did it, and that doesn't even relate simply to the game Panic.

Her relationship with her sister was beautiful, the neglectful mother and them becoming homeless was heartbreaking because it was written so realistically. It wasn't fanciful or like everyone would be able to tell because nobody guessed, most had no idea and I loved it.

Bishop, oh Bishop. I knew immediately e was a judge, which was disappointing because I would have liked a big gasp moment, which I got, but we'll get to that. He was incredibly charming and after Heather being all with Matt I mean, I just loved him. I understood his journey.

Dodge was a tricky one for me, there were so many things to like, his love for his sister, his love for Nat, his disposition but he was also a nutcase, he tried to kill someone and almost got Heather killed in the process, when Nat gave Heather his keys - that was my GASP moment! I was so terrified. This book had me physically reacting, it was so immersive.

Nat however, hated her. I thought she was whiny and weak and led people on. She didn't seem to understand the idea of consequences and there isn't really any character development for her. She was this kind of steady annoyance and it wasn't going to change.

The actual game of Panic I found very interesting, in the book it actually made sense which I didn't expect. A secret group of seniors plan it behind the back of authority. It worked, I mean I wasn't sure what to expect but it worked.

Overall my favourite thing was the message. Messages can be preachy in books so authors have to be careful. But Lauren Oliver succeeded in creating this moment in which we know things are okay now and they won't be okay forever but when things aren't okay, everyone will stand together nonetheless. It was really lovely. Really nice ending, incredibly peaceful and I put down the book and felt resolved.

Absolutely wonderful read.

Happy Reading.

Monday, 23 June 2014

Word Nerding

Thoughts on Delirium Pilot

Louise Wilkes 14:15:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

You can watch the Pilot all on the up and up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB0yfeJ2SGI

I, like many readers of the Delirium series, was left feeling unsatsified after Requiem. Therefore with the announcement of a Delirium based television show we were excited initially and then disappointed when the pilot wasn't picked up. However many many months later Hulu (kinda like Netflix only it's not Netflix) have picked up the pilot and it is now available to watch on the internet.

So I watched the trailer and my expectations flew, then I watched the episode and well, my notes consisted of:

Awkward Dialogue
INSTA-LOVE!
Kiss and Declaration of Love 19 minutes in.
Anti-climactic reveal *snore*
Party raid scene was incredible.
Casting is excellent
Julian is delightful but I do not ship him and Hana. YUCK!
Blaze through a lot of info every quickly
Too contemporary, doesn't seem realistic.

I may have been a bit harsh but I studied Media so naturally, I'm aggressively judgmental. I feel like this Pilot will make zero sense if you haven't read the book. The pacing of this episode is awful, it's really awfully written. I can describe it through use of The Vampire Diaries. In the Pilot we get a hint that he is a Vampire and that they will be in love, but none of that happens until later in the series, she doesn't find out and they don't have INSTA-LOVE just to get on with there own rewrite all in the first episode. That pilot enjoyed the journey.

This Pilot was the entire first book, leaving characters and plots underdeveloped. A 300 page book in 43:20 minutes just makes it sloppy. There is so much possibility and fun to be had with this series, she definitely shouldn't have crossed the wall, fallen in love with Alex then watch him die all in 1 episode, that actually makes me angry because there is more to it, development, moments that you yearn for when you read the book.

If I was Lauren Oliver I would be furious. This undermined everything that happened in the book to make way for there ow storyline. I mean you want to add to it and twist it go ahead. TVD didn't exactly stick to the book narrative but it was still TVD at it's core and in fact it was better.

I JUST CANNOT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS MY FRUSTRATION RIGHT NOW! Dammit Delirium.

Thursday, 22 May 2014

Top 10 Favourite Series

Louise Wilkes 06:37:00 4

Series are an important member of the YA family. We love a long story that keeps going and gives us as much as possible. When you love a story there is nothing better than finding out there are more books, although that being said, some series are better than others. This is the countdown of my CURRENT favourite top ten

10. Dust Lands Series by Moira Young

Amidst the wreckage of a ruined civilization, Saba must fight to save herself, her family, and maybe her whole world.

The Dust Lands Series by Moira Young makes my top ten because of the first and second books in the trilogy. The final book was admittedly a disappointment but Saba is a strong protagonist and it's hard not to fall in love with her and her journey. The relationship development between her and her siblings is beautiful and the final chapter of Raging Star is really quite lovely.

9. Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver

Lena and Alex, two teens battling against the controlling government that believes that love is a disease and forbids it from their community.

Delirium is one of those trilogies that people were let down by the ending but Pandemonium is one of the greatest books I have ever read, the structure is just genius. And much like Veronica Roth's Allegiant, the ending becomes better and more able to cope with in time and after a re-reading.

8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Enter a future world where every year two tributes from each district are thrown into an arena expected to fight to the death or get knocked out by other means. Only one can survive.

A classic YA fave, The Hunger Games needs no explanation as to why it deserves to be in my top ten. Although I will say that despite how controversial. I loved Mockingjay.

7. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The mysterious "Kid-Killer" affliction has left most American children dead, but Ruby is not one of them-she's one of the dangerous ones, the ones who lived.

The Darkest Minds is by far one of the most interesting concepts I have ever read. I adored the first book and the second one was just as good. Ruby is delightful as is Liam and the characters development throughout this series is phenomenal. The final book in the trilogy In the Afterlight is out this year. I highly, highly recommend.
6. Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling debut is a gripping dystopian tale of electrifying choices, powerful consequences, unexpected romance, and a deeply flawed "perfect society."

Another YA classic, Divergent is a wonderful trilogy with a shock conclusion. If you haven't quite got over Allegiant,I recommend reading Veronica Roth's blog. Her post about her plot decisions is beautiful and really helps to understand the authors point of view.

5. Harry Potter by J. K Rowling

Need I say more.

4. Demon Trappers by Jana Oliver

Riley Blackthorne is a 17-year-old trying to make her way in an Atlanta plagued by marauding demons and scheming necromancers. With each passing day, Atlanta is becoming the latest battlefield between Heaven and Hell.

This is one of the most consistent series I have ever read. Each book is as good and as satisfying as its predecessor. Riley is badass, Beck is just...great! And the narrative is full of twists and turns. You will fall in love with this series.

3.Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong

The series revolves around The Edison Group, a team of supernatural scientists, and the subjects they have experimented on.

An incredibly absorbing trilogy that follows Chloe Saunders. Her inner struggle to control her powers and find out who she is will surprise and enthrall you. Armstrong is a well known horror writer and brings aspects of this into these novels to give it a great, scary edge.

2. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Follow Cinder as she tried to take down the evil Lunars in these wonderful novels based loosely (incredibly so) on fairytales. The final book Winter is scheduled for release and I am so excited for it, I am going to pee my pants.

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

I initially read these books last year on a random whim after grabbing it at Waterstones and I never just buy books without researching first. But I was really glad I did. A year later I have just reread them after the release of The Assassins Blade (Throne of Glass Prequel Novella Bind Up) and it occurs to me that this may be my favourite fantasy series EVER!

I love Celaena so much, in a way that I've never connected to a protagonist before, she isn't simply kick-ass and hard and cold, shes also soft and sweet and goofy and she's real person in the greatest way that a collection of words can be a person, she is so incredibly complex that it doesn't seem possible for her not to be a person. Then there's Chaol who is the weirdest love interest but also seems so incredibly right, Dorian isn't just the typical kind of 'here he is, prince charming' fantasy that people love to read in books. But Chaol gives off the idea of what it's really like to be in love, he is the reality of love rather than the fantasy and I adore that. Sarah J Maas has created real life on the page. I often forget it's constructed and that none of this has actually happened.

The world is beautiful it's like Game of Thrones meets modern day and the way it feels natural to move through. And I normally hate books about Fae, I avoid them because I can't stand them and after I first read this book, the Fae part seemed not that important, it was more to do with how great the story was. The percentages of the book focusing on each narrative felt really good, really natural, it wasn't all about the competition or Elena or the love story or even this kind self acceptance and misery Celaena goes through story, they all flowed naturally and felt like that was how much time should have been spent on each part. I love this book in the weird way that I can love something that isn't real, something that was made up.

The third book Heir of Fire is out September and luckily there are to be six novels within this series.