Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver ( Delirium #1 )

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #1
Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: February 1st 2011
Add it: Goodreads | Shelfari
Buy it: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Summary from Goodreads;
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
Rating:
***** 5 stars, recommend to everyone
Thoughts:
The ending...

The plot in Delirium was truly unique. I found myself absorbed in the idea of love being a disease in this world that I couldn't put the book down. I wish I'd gotten more background on how the government came to identify it as a disease and how the procedure of the cure works. At the top of each chapter, there's an excerpt from "The Book Of Shh", and other documents which gives you a tad of more depth into the story though.
Lena was not the most relatable character I've read about but I could follow along at most points. Lena is used to following the rules; she'll turn eighteen and be rid of the cure. Only problem? She meets Alex. From the second Alex was introduced, I was swooning.

Oliver's description and my mind made him into someone who is worthy enough to be mentioned as one of my favorite male characters. Lena's best friend is introduced in the beginning but her role and person sort of dwindles into the back and you don't really see her anymore towards the middle. Then she pops back into the story towards the very end. I just wished she'd had a more stable point in the story.
The romance was so adorable and romantic but I wished there had been more depth to it and more descriptions of some of their moments together. Although Lauren's description of Alex's eyes made me melt and swoon which made up for it. I will definitely be picking up a copy of the sequel, Pandemonium because the ending was just so gahh! I need to find out what happens after that wicked cliffhanger!
I recommend this to anyone who's looking for a novel with a fresh, unique idea and characters that will have you swooning and rooting for them.
First sentence:

"It has been sixty-four years since the president and the consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure."

Quotes:

"Oh, I'm not nervous," I tell her. "Trust me. I can't wait."

Only seven more days."  - Page 384

"Then he does the absolutely, positively unthinkable.

He winks at me." - Page 38

Trailer: I think this trailer is brilliant, not only does it give you an idea of what you're about to read but also has background music which goes along with the title..and story.

Follow Friday

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
(Required) Follow the Featured Bloggers (which are the same today!)
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers.
Feature a blog you love like.
I really like The Paper Planes. ^.^ I just found it a while ago and it's so cute!

Book Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Title: Wings
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Series: Wings #1
Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 6th 2010
Format: Paperback
Pages: 294
Summary from Goodreads;
Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful--too beautiful for words.
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.
In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.
Rating:
3 stars, enjoyable but lacked a few things.
Thoughts:
The cover is gorgeous, simple yet gorgeous. The writing in Wings seemed to flow straight out of the book and into images throughout the whole book but the action actually started to pick up during the middle. The only thing I disliked was the love triangle towards the middle, how Laurel starts acting reminds me of Twilight's Bella, not choosing between the guys but kissing them both. I hadn't really given much thought to this novel's characters because of the smooth pace, until I actually finished reading it.
I felt like the characters were a tad too naive and just too young to be in high school. There was some character development but not as much as I'd hoped for, I really liked the characters though which makes it more frustrating to me considering I wanted to see how they'd change and turn out. I really liked the idea of her being what she was though, which overtook the prospect of the whole book.
The whole plot and idea of the book itself was fantastic but the characters were a tad weak. The pacing was quick making the book a quick and light read which I enjoyed. The detailing was fantastic, the setting was great, and the idea of Avalon existing in this book was amazing and made the feel of the novel more magical.
The ending was really good, really leaves you wanting the next book. I will be picking up Spells soon. I hope to see more of character development there and find out more about Avalon.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a light, fast paced novel with beautiful writing.
First sentence:

"Laurel's shoes flipped a cheerful rhythm that defied her dark mood."

Teaser Tuesday: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

I am in a reading slump.. yes, but I recently started a book that I hope brings me out of it. That book is Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Delirium #1

 "He leans another inch closer, and it's like the flames seep out of his eyes and light my whole body on fire. I've never been this close to a boy before. I feel like fainting and running all at the same time. But I can't move." - Page 67

"The barn is completely gutted: split open and blackened by the fire, exposed to the elements. Only half of it is left standing.." - Page 123-124

Top Ten Tuesday: Any Topic

The folks at The Broke and the Bookish are quite fond of lists, so this meme was made.
June 5: Top Ten Tuesday Rewind (Pick any past topic you want!)
oooh, okay. Any topic I want, huh? Mhmmh

Okay, got it.

Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #1
Links: Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Publication Date: November 15th 2011
Format: Hardback
Pages: 252
Summary from Goodreads;
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color. 
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
Rating:
*** 3.99 what? It was a great read .. just one little thing..
Thoughts:
Okay, cover.. meh. I don't think too much of it really. Didn't care for it but didn't hate it. I really like the background and the pose the girl holds though. The title looks amazing! 
The characters in Shatter Me all had their own personalities. Every single one of them and I really liked that. Juliette was a really strong yet stubborn character once you think about it. She's been through a lot and the book really does a great job at explaining the events she's gone through. You really get to feel for her and root for her after you understand her. Adam was so sweet and understanding yet strong at the same time. The villain in this novel was both evil and not.. thinking about it, he's been through a lot too and truly only wanted someone to understand him but didn't know how to express it resulting in really bad decisions but I really wish I get to understand him in the next book. Kenji was a hilarious character, no joke. I laughed so much reading his sarcastic replies and attitude.
The romance was brilliant! It was so swoon worthy and cute. Adam. *sigh* I really liked the little twist when Adam and Juliette first met and how she saw and remembered him. I found it absolutely intriguing how they had a background already and immensely enjoyed how they didn't fall in love at first sight.
The plot, I'm afraid, didn't pick up until a fourth into the book. For me, at least. There are little scenes along the way that make up for it though. Then starting from the middle the plot takes a turn and bam! Action and suspense everywhere! I wished I'd gotten to know more about the past and the Reestablishment though.
The writing was interesting. It's very descriptive yet not. There's lots of literary devices which added a really great touch to the story. For those who don't know what those are.. it's metaphors, symbols, personification, etc. I loathe the ending, really. It was a cliffhanger.. and the next book comes out in 2013. 2013! There is a novella coming out though. Hopefully it makes up for the wait.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a suspense filled novel with a paranormal twist and great characters.
First sentence: 

"I've been locked up for 264 days."

Book Trailer: I adore how the words break into little pieces! Brilliant!

“Hope is hugging me, holding me in its arms, wiping away my tears and telling me that today and tomorrow and two days from now I will be just fine and I'm so delirious I actually dare to believe it.”
― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

Book Review: Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

Title: Flirting in Italian
Author: Lauren Henderson
Links: Website
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Add it: Goodreads | Shelfari
Buy it: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Summary from Goodreads;
Four girls. One magical, and possibly dangerous Italian summer. Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the stars . . . and, of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!
Rating:
*** 3.5 enjoyable but lacked a few things.
Thoughts:
I really like the cover for this book, such bright colors. After reading Anna and the French Kiss, I've found I really enjoy reading contemporary books set in foreign countries, well foreign to me and the character of course. So, starting from the first page I was expecting to love this book or at least really enjoy it. Unfortunately, the book didn't quite reach my standards, although I really enjoyed the first half.
The characters in Flirting in Italian were enjoyable to read about. The main character was very interesting to follow, she had a love for art which I found intriguing considering not many of today's YA female characters are interested by that. The writer wrote her point of view in a way where you can feel as though you were the one whom has an interesting in art. Now, the main love interest. He was really something, saying one thing one moment and another the next. He was really mysterious and I would've liked him more if I'd gotten to know more about him but for now he was ok. I wish I'd gotten to know the other characters more throughout the story. The girls were really amusing to read about though, because of their personalities.
I had a hard time understanding the plot and genre considering it kept alternating. At one moment the main character was trying to figure out why the portrait of the girl in the museum looked like her and the next, she was thinking about the guy she meets. I really enjoyed the setting of this book though. Italy, I can't say I've read many, if any books set there and I really found myself emerged in how gorgeous it felt and sounded. The writing was descriptive and had a consistent pace.
The romance was rather interesting, but not really for me. It was cute but at the same time it felt sort of childish how they avoided each other and didn't know what to do or say. The ending was...

Yes, exactly as the GIF indicates.. I did not expect it and left me completely shocked and sitting there holding my nook and thinking "what just happened?" 
I recommend this to anyone looking for a cute, fast read set in a gorgeous setting and w/ lots of dancing and foreign guys. It's a really great contemporary read, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't my favorite.
First sentence: quoted from arc, may change.

"The picture in front of me is like a magnet, drawing me closer and closer, till my shoulder is nearly brushing against its antique gold carved frame."