Novella Review: Annabel (Delirium #0.5)

Annabel by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:

Lena Halloway’s mother, Annabel, supposedly committed suicide when Lena was only six years old. That’s the lie that Lena grew up believing, but the truth is very different. As a rebellious teenager, Annabel ran away from home and straight into the man she knew she was destined to marry. The world was different then—the regulations not as stringent, the cure only a decade old. Fast forward to the present, and Annabel is consigned to a dirty prison cell, where she nurtures her hope of escape and scratches one word over and over into the walls: Love.

But Annabel, like Lena, is a fighter. Through chapters that alternate between her past and present, Annabel reveals the story behind her failed cures, her marriage, the births of her children, her imprisonment, and, ultimately, her daring escape.

~SPOILER ALERT~

First let me start off saying that this made me a little confused. I bought The Delirium Stories (all four novellas) together in one book for super cheap instead of buying each one individually.

On Goodreads, Annabel is listed first. However, in the book with the novellas, Hana is first. I’m not sure which is correct but I’m gonna go with the Goodreads list for now.

Anyway….what I’ve gathered from this is that Annabel is Rachel and Lena’s mother. She’s been imprisoned for something that I do not yet know. According to the description, Lena was told that she’s dead. (I didn’t read the description until after I read it so I had no idea about that).

Annabel is also immune to the cure. Don’t know why, but I’m interested to find out why and if Lena is also immune. It also seems like Annabel favors Lena over Rachel, don’t know why though.

I kind of hate how Annabel and Conrad met. Firstly, it was way too instalove-ish, and she’s kind of obsessed with him. I get that she falls in love with him but 1. She said she knew she would fall in love just by looking at him and 2. by that point they hadn’t met yet.

That’s weird.

There is one thing that didn’t quite make sense, Annabel says that for their sake, she can’t see the girls again but it ends with her saying she’ll find them…particularly Lena.

Also, I’m assuming that this question will be answered eventually but if they can’t fall in love, how are they having children?

I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

2.5 stars.