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Initial Impressions

I was looking for something to read after The Hunger Games that was thought-provoking and inspired discussions among readers because of varying opinions of the subject matter. When I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I wanted to give it a shot.

The Summary

Lena Holoway has had a life filled with pain and is looking forward to the day when it will be taken away for good...the day of her procedure. The procedure will rid her of the amor deliria nervosa and will leave her future safe, happy, and healthy. When her best friend Hana starts behaving strangely, it throws Lena off balance and she answers all the questions that she knows the right answer to in the wrong way during her evaluation. Afterwards, Lena's life takes a turn that is decidedly different than the one she imagined.

The Good

The whole concept for this book is something new and wonderful and had me constantly asking myself how I would act in the same situation. Love as something evil, a disease to be eradicated, seems like it would be hard to make believable, but Lauren Oliver does the job. You truly follow the rational thinking of the characters and how they come to their conclusions. The main character, who often calls herself 'in-between', is an every girl who becomes the book's heroine through choices and actions. Conflict and hope in equal measure make for an excellent reading experience.

The Bad

The only drawback was that the beginning was a little slow, but you know that it's to provide you with necessary information to hook you into the story. Although slow, I found the background information extremely relevant and interesting.

The Romance

This is a YA series, but there are situations implied. Even though this is a story about love being a disease, there are circumstances of love presenting itself. The love of a mother for her child, the love of a cousin for their cousin, the love of best friends, and other examples are found in the book. Every type of love mentioned in these pages is like finding a treasure.

Conclusion

I immensely enjoyed reading this book, and by the end immediately wanted to dive into the next one. I am already hooked and will be reading the 2nd in the series, Pandemonium.

I would recommend this book to YA readers that like Science Fiction and Dystopia.