Wither
Wither (Chemical Garden, #1)by Lauren DeStefano
What if you knew exactly when you would die?Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left. (goodreads.com)
Release date: March 22, 2011Holy cow. I think 2011 is going to be the year of breathtaking dystopian novels. (You hear that, Rhiannon? You might want to take out a loan or something to help with all these book purchases you'll be doing!) When I first heard of Wither it interested me but I was worried that it wouldn't really click with me. When I read the first page I knew my worries were for naught.Rhine's voice is just so clear and well-spoken and you can instantly empathize with her. There was something about the way she tells her own story that just had me clinging to the book in anticipation. I almost - almost - finished the book in one sitting the night I started it. I think I had about 150 pages left when it hit midnight and I was falling asleep on the couch. I told myself I didn't have to work the next day, that I was on vacation and yet I still couldn't keep my eyes open so I reluctantly put the book down and slept. The first thing I did when I got up (after letting the dogs out, of course) was finish this book. Only when I had 6 pages left I had to run out with my husband on an errand and the final chapter of the story eluded me until later in the day. Part of me was happy about that because it made the story longer for me.I could totally relate to Rhine's attitude throughout the story. I found her internal war between resenting her husband and yet starting to care for him very realistic. The House Governor wasn't a bad guy, not like his father. It was easy to see how she could feel like befriending him and still hate him at the same time.Rhine's sister wives, Cecily and Jenna were very distinct characters and each made their own mark on the story. I wasn't sure what to think of the characters at the start but I found the relationships very moving and interesting.It's taken me over a week to write this stupid post for a couple of reasons - my week off has been oddly filled with events and I also don't know what else to say about the book that won't spoil things! I have honestly been thinking about this story all week long and even though I have already finished two other books since, I still keep going to pick it up to read more only to remember I have already finished it. I am *this* close to rereading it in the same week I finished it.I have no clue when the second book will be coming out, but I know I already hate the wait that I will have for it. This is the problem with reading great books as soon as they come out! And in this case - a month early because Simon & Schuster Canada sent me this copy. The sequel will be very high up on my Must Have list next year.I'd like to take a moment to talk about the cover, which is one of the first things that drew me to the book (I think I saw it on one of the Books to Pine For posts on The Story Siren blog) - I really like that they captured Rhine from one of the scenes in the story, even though she looks way more withered (heh) on the cover than in the scene. Everything from the dress to the eye make-up. I love that about the cover! Well done, S&S for picking a cover to match the story. I am always so annoyed when the person on the cover isn't anything like the one in the book. It happens too often. Having a matching cover model with your story helps bring the story alive a little more, in my opinion. What do you guys think of the cover?Chemical Garden Trilogy
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