Like so many aspects in life, all good things must come to an end and this is the case for "A Cornucopia of Dystopia!", an event co-hosted by Danya at A Tapestry of Words and Casey at The Bookish Type. Today is the final day! *sad face* 

It's been a wonderful privilege to help take part in the event... and I've had such an awesome time reading all the many reviews and author interviews celebrating the rise in the dystopian genre! And I'm sure you've all been enjoying the cool giveaways too, eh? 

So for the final day of the event, there's a scavenger hunt interview with... Lauren Oliver, author of Delirium! (You can read my review of the novel if you wish as well.) There are 8 blogs participating in the scavenger hunt and each one will be posting their question and answer before linking to the next blog in the chain. You'll have to follow the link trail to read the interview in its entirety!

If you'd like to start at the very beginning, Casey's kicking it off over at The Bookish Type! And if you're just stopping by from the previous stop on the tour, then "Hello!". *waves* Okay, so here's the moment you've been hopefully waiting for... my question:

My Thoughts:
Upon completing Delirium, there were three stages I experienced:

1) I wanted to scream! I was seriously tempted to just grab a pillow and scream into it for all it was worth.
2) Once the urge to scream passed, next were the tears threatening to fall. My heart completely reached out to Lena as plans slowly went awry by the end.
3) This awful ache settled in my chest, threatening to never go away as I kept replaying the ending over and over again in my head. How could Lauren Oliver possibly end the novel on such a horrible cliff-hanger note? Pure evilness. 

Delirium has left me infected... with a case of amor deliria nervosa that is. Lauren Oliver's beautiful prose has such a wonderful lilt that the words just seem to seamlessly flow off the page! She brings such beauty to the smallest inconsequential of things with her writing, making you second-guess your own view of the world.

With Lena's 18th birthday approaching ever closer in only a few months, so is her future. Her evaluations will determine who she is to marry and eventually have children with... and she'll receive the cure to amor deliria nervosa, or love, that the government says is deadly to everyone. Sympathizers who even think that love could possibly be good are taken out and swiftly silenced. Such thoughts are dangerous and it's for everyone's protection... Lena has always known and understood this fact. But then the unimaginable happens when Lena meets a beautiful boy... and falls in love.

Lena is the main factor in driving this novel forward; her growth as a character was essential and without it, Delirium would not nearly be as good as it is. The reasoning behind her eagerness to receive the cure is carefully explained, becoming even more apparent after we learn more about Lena's past and her relationship with her mother. With the introduction of Alex into the story and watching as their relationship unfolds and blossoms before our eyes, we see Lena come to make decisions for herself as she questions the rules of a society she had always believed to be right.

And as much as this novel was dystopian and focused on exploring this fascinating, yet horrifying, society Lena lives in... it was also very much a love story as well. Lauren Oliver captures first love in its innocence, complete with all the sweetness, butterflies, and other scrambling emotions it involves as well.

Love is pain... and with Delirium that certainly extends to the ending. Lauren Oliver's novel Delirium delivers with its absolutely beautiful writing and a heartfelt story set to the backdrop of a world without love. I'm eagerly looking forward to next year's release of the second novel, Pandemonium, for sure!

I'm incredibly honoured to have Katie Kacvinsky on the blog today as part of "A Cornucopia of Dystopia!" hosted by Danya (A Tapestry of Words) and Casey (The Bookish Type). Katie Kacvinsky's debut novel, Awaken, is set for release in early May and it's a novel you'll surely won't want to miss! 

1) What was your initial reaction when you first gazed your eyes on the cover of Awaken?

I was completely surprised; my editor told me they were planning to have a boy and girl on the cover. But, I absolutely love this cover. It symbolizes the characters, messages and themes of my book perfectly. Carol Chu rocks my world (the artist who designed it).

I enjoyed writing all of my characters, but Justin was my favorite. I like intense personalities; his was a challenge to write.

My stomach is tied in knots, but I’m trying to focus on being excited. I have been trying to get published for years now—this is a dream come true and an honor. I don’t have any expectations, I just want to enjoy the experience. And hopefully sell a few copies.

That’s a tough question because I’m interested in so many subjects. I had to take time off of college for a few years because I couldn’t narrow down one thing to major in. I wanted to be a geologist, writer, director, historian, scientist. I ended up getting a journalism degree because it meshed writing with all the things I was passionate about: current events, people, science, sports…

I think social networking sites are great for a lot of people, especially to share music, movie and book recommendations. Personally, I get most of my book info from friends and family. My sister is a librarian and has impeccable taste, so I always ask her for book suggestions. I’m lucky to have a wide range of friends that are book lovers and introduce me to everything from graphic novels to soldier memoirs. I love walking into bookstores and asking the workers what their favorite books are. I’ve discovered some incredible novels that way (like Destroy all Cars and Skipped Parts). I just prefer doing all of this in person. I’m not online much. 

A few random things about me: 

I think dystopian fiction comes in waves and it’s a reflection of what’s going on in our own culture. We are undergoing so many changes right now politically and economically. We’re still going through turmoil in the Middle East and trying to rise out of a recession. There is a lot of uncertainty these days. I think dystopian is hot because when you read a book about a chaotic world, it makes your own more bearable.

I have a book coming out next year called First Comes Love. It’s young adult but it’s more general fiction. It’s a love story that flips narratives between the two main characters. It’s kind of a teen angst coming-of-age story. Meanwhile, I am working on a sequel to Awaken and I hope it gets picked up. Maddie and Justin’s story isn’t over. “It’s going to be legend…wait for it…dary.”

-GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED-
-> Winner has been announced! <-

A Cornucopia of Dystopia- an event to celebrate the uprising of the dystopian genre- officially began today! The awesome event, hosted by Danya at A Tapestry of Words and Casey at The Bookish Type, will carry on from March 21 all the way until April 18 in a jam-packed schedule of reviews, author interviews and giveaways! I'm so happy that I'll be helping to participate in the event!

These are the blogs which will be participating in the event as well as the giveaway schedule to look forward to: 

The Book Worms 

Books Are A Girl's Best Friend

Books, Sweets and Other Treats

Down the Rabbit Hole 

I Swim For Oceans 

Loud Words and Sounds

Supernatural Snark

 

 

2011 is already shaping up to be the rise of the dystopian novel! Beginning March 21 and running all the way until April 18, Danya at A Tapestry of Words and Casey at The Bookish Type will be co-hosting A Cornucopia of Dystopia!, an event celebrating the release of some of the latest dystopian titles!  

The books being featured are Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, XVI by Julia Karr, Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky, Dark Parties by Sara Grant, Memento Nora by Angie Smibert, Possession by Elana Johnson, and Bumped by Megan McCafferty.

There is a jam-packed schedule ahead filled with tons of author interviews, reviews, giveaways and even some cover redesign contests!

I'm also really super excited to be helping take part in the event as well!!

These are the blogs which will be participating in the event as well as the jam-packed schedule to look forward to: 

The Book Worms 

Books Are A Girl's Best Friend

Books, Sweets and Other Treats

Down the Rabbit Hole 

I Swim For Oceans 

Loud Words and Sounds

Supernatural Snark