Review: “Delirium Stories (Delirium #0.5, 1.5, 2.5)” by Lauren Oliver

Title: “Delirium Stories (Delirium #0.5, 1.5, 2.5)”

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: Dystopian, YA, romance

Publication Date: March 5, 2013 (HarperTeen – North America)

Source: Publisher-provided finished copy

Summary: For the first time, Lauren Oliver’s short stories about characters in the Delirium world appear in print. Originally published as digital novellas, Hana, Annabel, and Raven each center around a fascinating and complex character who adds important information to the series and gives it greater depth. This collection also includes an excerpt from Requiem, the final novel in Oliver’s New York Times bestselling series.

Hana is told through the perspective of Lena’s best friend, Hana Tate. Set during the tumultuous summer before Lena and Hana are supposed to be cured, this story is a poignant and revealing look at a moment when the girls’ paths diverge and their futures are altered forever.

Lena’s mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery–a ghost from Lena’s past–until now. Her journey from teenage runaway to prisoner of the state is a taut, gripping narrative that expands the Delirium world and illuminates events–and Lena–through a new point of view.

And as the passionate, fierce leader of a rebel group in the Wilds, Raven plays an integral role in the resistance effort and comes into Lena’s life at a crucial time. Crackling with intensity, Raven is a brilliant story told in the voice of one of the strongest and most tenacious characters in the Delirium world.

☆: 4.5/5 stars – FINALLY, ALL OF THESE ARE IN PRINT! And they’re a must-own for any ‘Delirium’ fan!

Review: Guys, I can’t tell you how happy I am that Harper decided to collect all three novellas for this trilogy and put them into one print omnibus. As much as I love e-books and the web, there’s just no substitute for having the hardcopy in your hand. These three stories are integral to the “Delirium” trilogy, and in order to understand each book better, everyone should read them between each book. While I wish they’d included the Alex short story that comes with the first print of “Delirium”, otherwise? I’m one happy camper with the release of “Delirium Stories”. If you like this series and haven’t read these yet, these are definitely a must-read/must-own!

For me, it’d been so long since I’d read “Hana” and “Annabel”, this was a great reminder of all of the meaty bits of the greater “Delirium” universe as a whole that aren’t necessarily in the books themselves. Just like I asserted in my review of “Requiem” regarding the love triangle, I believe that these three women are the paths that Lena might have taken (and the results thereof) throughout the book, or are her possible futures (depending on where you are in reading these books). Hana was her past, pre-and-during “Delirium”. “Annabel” is the possible future Lena might have if she ever gets caught by society – turning out just like her mother. And in “Raven”, we get to see a hardened leader of the Resistance – possibly in Lena’s future around “Requiem”.

In “Hana”, we get information that leads to the bombshell Big Reveal in “Requiem”. In “Annabel”, we start to get a timeline in terms of how long the closed-off United States has been in existence, as well as when the “cure” was invented and recognized to be safe by the FDA. There’s a lot of information in these novellas, and it never fails to amaze me how much punch Oliver can pack into such short stories.
However, this was my first time reading “Raven”, since its release date synchronized with both “Requiem” and “Delirium Stories”. I really enjoyed it, to say the very least we get a lot more insight into why Raven is the way she is, as well as more on the baby Blue. This is a great lead-in for “Requiem”, and I kind of wish the release date had been sooner, but if you can read “Raven” before “Requiem”, try to do that instead of afterward. You may be a bit confused first, but it’ll make a lot more sense.
Otherwise, rereading all of these novellas makes me all the more sad that this series has come to an end, and all the more angry at the attempted changes that are planned for the TV series. Aside from my angry fangirl attitude, this is a great end release to the series, and with HarperTeen’s new Impulse line (just for e-novellas), I hope that “Delirium” stories sets a precedence, where for a series with more than one novella attached, it’ll get put into a print omnibus like this one. Here’s hoping.

Final verdict? If you haven’t read these novellas yet and you’re a fan of the books, what are you waiting for? And even if you’re only getting started on “Delirium” itself, definitely check out the first novella in this book, “Hana”, to prepare yourself for what comes next. Either way, for fans and newcomers to the series alike, this is a must-read. “Delirium Stories” is out now from HarperTeen in North America, so definitely be sure to check it out when you get the chance!