Hana (Delirium Series Book 1)

I love Lauren Oliver's other dystopian novels. This was a big cheat. It was a short story with no additional information to the ongoing story. I think had I known this, it would have been an easy SKIP and save your money.

It was short. Really short. Like 70ish pages. Kinda bummed about that and the ending was confusing. It sorta just ended randomly. It was well wirtten but it sorta just recapped in Hana's point of veiw. It didn't go very much in depth with her own personal experiences of the summer. I think this could've been a wonderful book if it was longer and went more in depth instead of just cruising through it. I would recommend reading the first book, Delerium, if you haven't because it's amazing:)Delirium (Delirium (Quality))

For such a short novella, it was packed with intensity. It's a great complement to the trilogy, and for those who are confused **SPOILER ALERT** Hana says "Sorry, Lena" because she rats out Lena and Alex. That's the reason they get caught going over the fence and everything spirals out of control. That's the whole point. WOW. What a twist. Thanks, Lauren Oliver!

Who is Hana? In Lauren Oliver's "Delirium," she's the best friend of the protagonist Lena, in a dystopian world where love is "cured."

And while the short story "Hana" is not quite as gripping as "Delirium," it is a riveting little look inside the mind of a teenage girl who embraces amor deliria nervosa... and discovers that pain and heartbreak can come from love as well. And it fleshes out the character of Hana considerably, letting us see why she does what she does.

Hana is a wild girl. She's scheduled for the procedure in the fall, and has been matched to the mayor's handsome son, but she has a secret life her parents haven't even dreamed of. She's madly in love with a boy from her school, and she loves to sneak away and immerse herself in wild underground parties filled with dancing, music and passion.

But soon Hana's wild hidden world starts to fall apart. Her life becomes consumed with fear of being caught and forced through the procedure, and she discovers that the boy she's been crushing on doesn't share her feelings. And when she finally goes to see her old friend Lena, she makes a devastating discovery that will change everything.

It's not strictly necessary to read "Delirium" before reading "Hana" -- you get a pretty good idea of how this world works right from the beginning. However, it's probably best to read Lauren Oliver's full-length books along with this, because it ends on a major cliffhanger that promises to disrupt everything in Hana and Lena's lives.

And the story really fleshes out Hana, who merely seemed like a rebellious rich kid who's scared to really risk it all in "Delirium." Here we see that she was truly beginning to rebel against the strictures of her society, only to have heartbreak and jealousy smash her back.

Lauren Oliver's writing is sumptuous and infused with emotion, giving great significance to the importance of real love ("They speak in a language of whispers and giggles and secrets; their words are like a fairy-tale tangle of thorns, which place a wall between us"). And she gives a real feeling of fearful tension to Hana's secret life.

"Hana" is a bittersweet little story that really enhances the story of "Delirium." Give this short story a quick look before reading "Pandemonium."

Originally posted at www.readbetweenthebooks91.blogspot.com

2.6/5 stars!

This one fell so flat for me. I absolutely loved Hana in Delirium but in her own novella I didn’t like her at all. At first I felt bad for her, but it was mostly pity. She was so conflicted and acting out but in the end deciding that the cure is the be all end all. I just really didn’t like her here.

I feel like Delirium was all about the good side of first love and true love and all that good stuff. Hana is all about the bad stuff. Guys using you for one thing and one thing only.

She was just so indecisive and I did feel sorry for her, I really did but it got to the point where it was just so boring. Nothing really happened that we didn’t already know in Delirium. We already knew that Hana acts out and that she was sneaking out and everything. I feel like we didn’t learn much.

I do have to say that it is a little unsettling knowing that she might have done something awful. And that makes me hate her.

Hana was a very unsatisfying novella. It didn’t bring much to the table at all except for the very last page. And that last page is the only thing worth reading.

I really enjoyed this novella! There are a lot of moments in this novella that weren't in Delirium and others that were, but we get to see them in a totally different light in Hana.

Hana becomes much more of a three-dimensional character in this book. We see much more than the fun-loving, rebellious girl that we met in the first book. I thought she was a bit superficial in the first book so it was nice to see that wasn't necessarily so. Even when she acts in ways that are not necessarily positive, it shows her passion, the same passion that is excised with the "cure."

My Recommendation: Although this novella is considered #1.5 in the series, I read it after the last book in the trilogy and I think that that is best. Otherwise, it could ruin a bit of the surprise of Requiem.

Hana takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride into her most intimate thoughts - Back into the world of Deliria, where love is a disease, I couldn't stop reading! I devoured this book.
Rewind back a little bit, I stopped reading Delirium about halfway through because I wasn't really into it. The pacing and plot fell flat for me. I started Hana, to somehow get me interested in Delirium, I've always admired Lauren's beautiful writing style. I'm so happy to say, I totally have a different opinion about Delirium now and looking forward to getting back into it!
I have to thank Hana. I wouldn't have given Delirium a second chance it wasn't for her. I really liked her in Delirium; from the ending in Hana, I wouldn't have thought she would have given up so quickly. Her internal struggles with going along with the cure or rebelling against it made her a complex character. I'm glad Oliver gave us a chance to see what was going on in Hana's head and giving us her reasons why she made the decision she made. I don't think Hana was the overly jealous bestie everyone thinks she is. I truly believe she was trying to look out for Lena. With whatever emotions she had with that one guy (Steve?) I think he hurt her more than she lets on. To a point where she doesn't believe in love anymore and she wants to save Lena from the pain that comes with Deliria. Hopefully we'll get to explore that in the next book.
Hana definitely has the shock factor! I'm curious as to how fans of the Delirium series think of her now?

Hana by Lauren Oliver
'''''

Hana was Lena's best friend, and this was her story of their last summer together before the "cure." Hana embarked on her last rebellion before she received the cure. She participated in illegal parties, music, and boys, knowing it would all come to an end. Hana knew, in the end, she would get the cure, but everything changed when her best friend Lena fell in love and was ready to fight to stay "uncured."

This was a really quick read, since it was only a novella. I wish it was longer, but I still really enjoyed it. I liked reading Hana's point of view and finding out more about her. It also confirmed some of my suspicions about things that happened in Delirium.

The author captured me just like she did with Delirium. When it ended, I really wanted more. It was just left hanging on an "oh, my god" moment. I would enjoy it if the author did another story or book in Hana's point of view.

This was a beautiful addition to Lauren Oliver's work, and I look forward to reading more of her stories.

This is unnecessary to read in order to continue with the Delirium Trilogy. I did not feel like it furthered the story or helped with understanding or even enhanced it that much. There were very few memorable moments: Hana gets a "Devil's Kiss" which is a hickey and frets about it because she could be considered "diseased" if it gets noticed and reading about her perspective during the raid was mildly interesting. I liked her thought of wanting to share with Lena what she was experiencing, "if she could see the beauty of this underground world, and appreciate what it means: the music, the dancing, the feeling of fingertips and lips, like a moment of flight after a lifetime of crawling..." Great description.

Originally posted on Pawing Through Books on 5/2/12

I'm going to start off saying that I loved Delirium. Though this is a short novella, I honestly loved this just as much. It was great to see what was happening through Hana's eyes. You truly get a feel for Hana as a person and it brings a whole new light to her character and role in Delirium. Hana really gives you a true sense of who Hana is and why she did some of things she did in Delirium. You are able to feel for Hana and connect with her a lot more.

In all Hana by Lauren Oliver was a great short story and it made me even more excited to read Pandemonium.

I just finished reading Requiem, and loved the double POV, seeing through the eyes of an "infected" and a "cured". This novella, however, was an insightful little snippet into Hana's head, pre cure. There is much more to her than I thought, after first reading Delirium. This book should be read by anyone who likes this series.

Reading chronologically, this book would take place in the middle of book one, so I read it after. I had a sneaking suspicion about Hana, but I was sad to have it proven right. The book was short, of course, being a novella so I wish we'd had more information. Specifically, I wish we'd been able to see how Hana felt after her actions and after she saw the consequences of those actions. I always love getting another character's perspective though, and I hope we get to see Hana again as the series unfolds.

Overall I feel that this book provides an interesting explanation of Hana and Stephen's relationship. Since she realized that Stephen was only interested in her for the fun, this acted as a springboard for Hana and why she became jealous of Lena and Alex. This jealousy ultimately led to Hana turning the pair in.

The reason for the docked star: in the entire Delirium trilogy, Hana's full name is Hana Tate. In this novella, she is referred to as Hana Trent. Whether this is intentional or not, it needs some sort of explanation.

I love reading other characters POV. Lauren Oliver gives a glance into Hana's thoughts, feelings, and experiences in this short story. It was great fun and the perfect little tidbit to tide you over while waiting for Pandemonium.