VOYA
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