PANDEMONIUM by Lauren Oliver

Lena has escaped, and now must piece herself back together as she finds herself having to live without Alex and love. She becomes involved in the fight against the cure, the Rebellion, and then suddenly finds happiness again.. or does she?

For the first time the thought comes to me - I wish I hadn't crossed - and I push it away instantly, try to bury it. It's done now... There's no point in looking back. I can't look back.

I absolutely loved DELIRIUM, so I couldn't wait to get stuck into the second book in this trilogy.

After Lena tries to escape into the Wilds with Alex, her life is thrown into chaos. She was the only one who got over, so she had to leave him behind the fence in Portland. Alex was captured, probably killed... but she got away, she survived. And so messed up, she nearly dies. Until she's saved by a girl called Raven.

Raven belongs to a small community of Invalids who are hiding out in the ruins of the Wilds. It's a hard life where food is scarce, the manual work is constant, and hiding is essential. It doesn't take long for Lena to fit in, but her life is now on a constant cycle of hardship and loss. Ending up in New York, she becomes part of the resistance.

Pretending to be someone she's not leads her to meeting Julian. He's about to be cured, and also happens to be the son of the ruthless founder of the DFA (Deliria-Free America). While on a mission, she winds up becoming a prisoner with him. And even though she's still heartbroken about what happened with Alex, she can't stop her heart from falling in love again...

Told in sequences covering the Now and Then, it gives the reader a look at what happened to Lena after the first book, and why she's become so different. It also throws you right into the middle of the action right now, and leads into the very shocking ending.

Pandemonium is another intriguing, great installment to this trilogy! Although I have to admit that it took me a while to get into, because the first half of the book was like meeting a completely different Lena. I still really enjoyed it, though. It's beautifully written, there are many complications, a few revelations, and a whole lot of trouble to look forward to in the next book.

I can't wait to see how it all ends for Lena, Alex, and Julian.      

Pandemonium: Delirium #2, March 2012, ISBN 9781444722932, H&S Fiction