Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Page Count: 358
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
Series: The Chemical Garden #1
Genres: YA, Dystopia, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Source: Purchased (Paperback)
Read summary on Goodreads, here.
In a time when girls die at age 20 and boys at age 25, some search for a cure to the deadly virus, while others have simply given up hope. In order to sustain the population, young girls are kidnapped and sold to wealthy men as wives. Rhine finds herself miles from home and about to be married to a man she's never met but she's not alone. She'll be sharing her new husband with two sister wives. While trapped in the mansion she quickly befriends Gabriel, one of the house servants and begins to plan their escape to freedom.
I liked Rhine's character because she never gave up and she was a very nice person. She didn't care if someone was wealthy or a servant, she treated them with kindness. I did think one of her escape attempts was a bit insane though. I also liked Gabriel's character for the same reason, no matter what he was always so nice. Linden was also nice but at times he seemed very needy and a bit of a push-over but I loved the devotion he had for his first wife, Rose. His father Vaughn is a different story altogether. He's the 'villain' of the story and a very believable one. He's cruel and evil to the core; the author did an excellent job with him. Cecily, the youngest sister wife, is a whiney little brat at first but close to the end she seemed to mature a little. While the oldest sister wife, Jenna, is her complete opposite. She comes across as cold and standoffish in the beginning but she gradually opened up and it turns out she had her reasons. I really felt bad for her.
This was the first time I had read a book with polygamy in it and I'll admit I was a little hesitant to begin with but the first page hooked me and I had trouble putting it down. I loved the story and the writing and I really connected with the characters. I actually cared about what happened to them. I still had trouble getting past the fact that he had 3 wives and the youngest one was only 13 and he was 21 but I didn't let that effect my rating because overall it was an amazing book. Although this is kind of trivial I have to say it, I loved the beginning of each chapter, they have the same designs as the front cover. I also loved the holograms in the pool. Having a swimming pool like that would be awesome.
There's a cliffhanger at the end that definitely leaves you wondering what was going to happen next. My copy also has a preview of "Fever" that leaves an even bigger cliffhanger after reading it. Can't wait to get book 2 and find out what happens.
Love the cover. The pink design really grabs the attention and I like the model's pose and the cute little bird.
Rating: 5/5
Review also posted to Goodreads.
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