Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1)

Jan 03, 2011

Tatiana rated it

Shelves: 2011, dystopias-post-apocalyptic, ya, series-dropped-lost-steam, ala-ya-2012

Oh boy, do I have problems with this new crop of YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic lit! I am starting to think that the authors who attempt to explore this genre have no understanding of what it takes to write such books. Just making up some new horrible way people are treated in a future society and adding in some angsty love triangle isn't enough!

I don't want to sound too lectur-y, but these new, young writers probably do not realize that to create a dystopian/post-apocalyptic society...more

like 228 likes

· see review

Jan 17, 2011

Sparrow rated it

Recommends it for: Scott Westerfeld fans

Shelves: punching-tour, slaves, reviewed, young-adult

This book makes so little sense that it was almost painful to read. Admittedly, I finished Blood Red Road about two seconds before I picked this one up, and it has the same basic premise, but is one of the best books I’ve ever read. They are both post-apocalyptic and about twins cruelly separated, trying to find each other. I wasn’t going to mention the twin thing because of karen’s unreasonable prejudice, but I’m kind of okay with people being prejudiced against this book because it sucks. ...moreThis book makes so little sense that it was almost painful to read. Admittedly, I finished Blood Red Road about two seconds before I picked this one up, and it has the same basic premise, but is one of the best books I’ve ever read. They are both post-apocalyptic and about twins cruelly separated, trying to find each other. I wasn’t going to mention the twin thing because of karen’s unreasonable prejudice, but I’m kind of okay with people being prejudiced against this book because it sucks. Not even just with the unfair comparison to Blood Red Road. It kind of sucks on its own, too.

So, you’ve got this pretty complicated post-apocalyptic society here, where they’ve solved cancer, but now all the girls die at age 20 and all the boys die at age 25. (None of this is really a spoiler because it’s all background that you learn fairly quickly and that has no real connection, as far as I can tell, to the actual story.) Also, somewhere along the history, somebody destroyed all of the continents except North America . I’m no scientist – I’m not even a fan of science – but even I could tell you that none of that makes sense. I don’t really want to hear arguments from the peanut gallery about how technically you could destroy all of the continents and not throw the earth off its axis or some shit like that. It just seems weird to me, and the author did not convince me otherwise. And I know there are hints that the continents are not actually destroyed, but what I’m telling you is that this is a serious issue to me, and I would have appreciated it if Lauren DeStefano had spent less time describing bubble baths and party dresses and more time telling me whether in the future there will be continents.

I guess that’s my main problem. The post-apocalyptic garbage was extraneous to the story, which, surprisingly enough, was basically about polygamy and babies. (I know, I can’t get away from the polygamy topic.) This story could have been set in the present day and it would have made more sense.

That reminds me of another of my many beefs with this book. It is so annoying to me when something is set in an alternate reality, and then a character is like, for example, “What you’re saying reminds me of ‘Halloween,’ which I have obviously never experienced myself, but I know about for some random reason.” Dumb. Stilted.

I was on the Kendwa beach, on the north coast of Zanzibar, when I hand-wrote most of this review in my travel journal, and I made a note here that I was a little drunk. But seriously, I had been reading this book off and on for the whole week and hating it all the way. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s a book about pregnancy, polygamy, and bath salts, disguised as a post-apocalyptic adventure. Here are a couple of ways that it could have been re-written to make more sense:

1. Lose the post-apoc business and make it a story about contemporary polygamy and child brides. However, whether the story featured me or a man, this would require that the polygamist actually be culpable in acquiring the brides (or grooms), rather than just being a lovable idiot, but I’m in favor of that anyway because the lovable idiot thing totally offends me.

2. Focus on the post-apoc business, but drop the polygamy nonsense. It makes zero sense that a society dying like flies would be collecting brides for the rich and shooting the rejects. But a society dying in its twenties could be interesting with an entirely different story.

I could continue. This book is ridiculous. The bad guys are unconvincing; the good guys are morons; the twin thing was irrelevant to the entire story. I know it’s setting up for sequels, but even the idea of a sequel, considering the way the book ends, makes me crazy. Other than being a really helpful guide for me in my future concubinage endeavors, this book is pretty useless. If, however, you want to read a book about a bunch of idiots eating candies that turn their tongues colors, then giving birth and being judgmental about lactation techniques, this is the story for you.

______
(A friend gave me this as an ARC to read while I was in Zanzibar. Thank you, friend!!!)(less)

like 65 likes

· see review

Aug 30, 2010

karen rated it

Shelves: my-biggest-fear, teen-faves, why-yes-i-ya

so this is the handmaid's tale for kids. with some new details for the modern set. premise: world is basically over. only north america survives, but barely - like one step better than the road. due to genetic manipulation and subsequent oopses, there are considerably lower life expectancies: girls live to be twenty, boys to twenty-five. then - coughing, blood, expiration.

so, to keep the population going, and to provide new babies to experiment with, many young girls are kidnapped an...moreso this is the handmaid's tale for kids. with some new details for the modern set. premise: world is basically over. only north america survives, but barely - like one step better than the road. due to genetic manipulation and subsequent oopses, there are considerably lower life expectancies: girls live to be twenty, boys to twenty-five. then - coughing, blood, expiration.

so, to keep the population going, and to provide new babies to experiment with, many young girls are kidnapped and sold into marriages where they are treated like goddesses, frankly, except they can't leave and they are expected to fulfill all those wifely duties with the highest bidder.

see, here is my problem. if the world was shitty enough that you had to live in the basement with only your twin brother for company, nailing shut the door to prevent thieves and murderers from breaking in and holding knives to your throats, and afraid to go outside unprotected because marauders would kidnap you and maybe sell you into prostitution, only one day you do get captured (this is all in the first couple of pages, so don't start putting your hands over your ears and going "lalalalalala") and they plop you in a mansion to be one of three brides to a wealthy man with a pool and a library and a bevvy of stylists who make dresses just for you and cooks who bring you whatever you want at any time. i mean - what's the big deal?? if you are going to die in four years anyway, why not live like this?? tolerate some fumbled caresses (that are all too easy to deter, anyway) and sit around reading and drinking hot cocoa until you cough yourself to death?

do i just not value my liberty??
is it because i technically have no siblings so i don't understand the family-pull??
am i just too soft and domesticated?

i could totally be a kept woman if the alternative was freezing and starving to death. i mean - you die when you are twenty in a world with very little left. what, are you going to have a career?? not likely.

me, i will be eating the chocolate covered strawberries on the trampoline, thank you very much. does this reflect poorly on my character?

and i didn't dislike the book, but i just couldn't relate to the character. the whole time, i'm like - come on, girl, it isn't that bad... but i will totally read the next two books in this trilogy, especially if ariel isn't mad at me for not loving it as much as she did.

i definitely think this book will be popular with the teens, but with more ambitious and less comfort-loving girls than me...

going to curl up now with netflix and pomegranate iced tea.(less)

like 159 likes

· see review

Jan 14, 2012

Donna rated it

Shelves: lulz

I'm not a chick that falls easily into hype but sometimes it can be hard to avoid, like with this book. It seems like EVERYONE absolutely LOVES this book. I have not come across one blogger saying anything to the contrary. Of course I could be missing a few but those that I do wander across, love. I had to wade into Goodreads reviews to find black sheep like myself that found serious fundamental issues with this story on multiple levels. Did I buy into the hype initially? To an extent. Books get...moreI'm not a chick that falls easily into hype but sometimes it can be hard to avoid, like with this book. It seems like EVERYONE absolutely LOVES this book. I have not come across one blogger saying anything to the contrary. Of course I could be missing a few but those that I do wander across, love. I had to wade into Goodreads reviews to find black sheep like myself that found serious fundamental issues with this story on multiple levels. Did I buy into the hype initially? To an extent. Books get pimped all the time but it's not all that often that they're swayed so heavily like Wither was. So when I went to read it, my expectations were slightly higher than normal. Unfortunately the book didn't even come close to meeting them. And of course I then started to freak out a little and that's when I started looking for the less than stellar reviews. Did anyone else feel like I did about Wither? Yes. They're the minority but yes. As some asstastic random commenters on Goodreads would have it, anyone with a dissenting opinion against the overwhelming majority should just shut the hell up and keep their opinions to themselves or suffer the wrath. Sillies. Does that sound like me?

See, with dystopian fiction, you can't just insert random catastrophic, shock value events for people to live around without having a thorough understanding of how our society works today and how this current society would potentially break down under such apocalyptic situations. So when I see a statement in the ilk of 'the ice caps were vaporized long ago by warfare' with zero environmental nor humanstic repercussions for such an event, my suspension of disbelief gets punched in the face. It can only take so many hits before it just gives up. DeStefano punched my disbelief in the face. A lot.

If the elements in a dystopian world don't make sense, I just can't take the rest of the plot seriously because everything ends up disjointed. Let's take those ice caps (which is a near quote from the book, by the way). They were vaporized by warfare. Breaking that down, we would have to have weaponry that ran so hot it could vaporize Antarctica. Which holds a steady -35 degrees Celsius. Okay. Hot weapons. But if they're cataclysmic enough to do that, what about the rest of the planet? Would it not get completely annihilated? People, we'd turn into Mercury if there were weapons that could do that. Since weapons of mass destruction have not moved beyond the nuclear warhead in the 65 years it's been in existence, and this story is only set about 70 years in the future, it's relatively logical to assume that they haven't moved much beyond that. And since nukes now are capable of ass raping humanity, what this premise is saying that they've created something beyond that that have been used but people still exist. No, sorry. You can't just pick and choose which elements to remove without considering the greater repercussions of that action. And this isn't even considering the environmental impact of releasing millions of square miles of ice as vapor into the atmosphere. Guys, we'd have beach-front property in Kansas if that happened. We'd have floods of Arc proportions that would have even Noah going 'fuck this shit.'

Do you see what I mean? Since we have Rhine going from Manhattan to Florida, from that tiny statement alone my suspension of disbelief has a black eye, a bloody nose and is missing a tooth. Factor in a nonsensical virus that no one can explain yet everyone's looking for a cure to (how you can fight something you know nothing about is beyond me and how no one knows how it works after 50 years is absurd), women dying before men (when, scientifically, women outlast men, and again, this virus seems to function for no other reason than shock value), how the society has de-evolved to a Victorian polygamists' compound (despite coming from a feminist culture where women should be smart enough to hold their crotchtal regions hostage and switch control since, you know, they're the ones with the power to control the fate of procreation in their . . . nether regions), the whole of the planet has destroyed itself in viral chaos except for North American (which, upon first mention, had me going 'are you fucking kidding me?' either the author is shitting on the rest of the planet for being feral idiots that couldn't survive the virus or she's shitting on Americans for being dumb enough to believe that we're the only ones superior enough to survive this, either way it's bad), girls getting slaughtered for not being bride material (in a society where a womb is like gold, makes total sense O_o) and the kick to the nuts the author gives sensical dystopian fiction, my suspension of disbelief was pureed in a blender and drunk for breakfast.

The world failed hard. Nothing made sense and everything seemed to exist to serve the plot. DeStefano pushed aside what should have been valuable research for shock value and pretty dresses.

And then there were inconsistencies in the plot, like Rhine's desperation to leave. Yet when she's presented with perfectly valid windows of opportunity, she passes on them for one stupid reason or another. With her earthly clock winding down, you'd think time would be valuable. Waste none, right? So instead of taking the opportunity to, literally, walk away, Rhine tried to made mad dashes in the most horrible, inconvenient ways. Why? I have no idea other than to make the plot more interesting.

Linden's an idiot pedophile whose ignorance is made to actually be appealing. He doesn't know what his dad is doing. His father keeps him in the dark. Maybe he isn't so bad after all. No. He's no more ignorant of what's going on in his own damn house than the Germans were of the camps they were living next to. Sorry, guy, but you don't live in the middle of a shit pile and not smell the stink. It really bothered me how his whole situation attempted to make Rhine's blooming Stockholm syndrome justifiable and even okay. No! She was kidnapped! Her "sister wives" are being raped! This is not okay! But of course Rhine gets a free pass. In a house where Vaughn is salivating to produce loinfruit, Rhine doesn't have to get down with her pedo-husband for . . . reasons . . . I guess. She just weasels her way out of it. Or someone didn't want to write a rape scene from behind the eyes of the MC. Either or.

Any antagonist in this story is implied and insinuated but never shown. Yeah, we see Vaughn with a body in a gurney but anything outside of that window is pure conjecture. We hear gunshots but the door's closed before anything could actually be proven. The fear is spread by rumors and wild imaginations. As far as we know, there is no threat. But people's wagging jaws and out-of-context scenes keep the fear alive. We have no idea what really happens outside of Rhine's eyes. She doesn't even know what happens outside of her eyes. She just guesses.

The words on paper were good enough to get me from beginning to end. I was definitely compelled to read through to the end and find out what happened to Rhine, despite the fact that I found her to be a whiny brat without the brain she kept saying she had in Manhattan. I liked the oldest sister wife whose name escapes me right now. I found her the most dynamic, the most compelling character. But the world is written so lazily and the situations so nonsensical that I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't push the niggling back far enough to enjoy it. Sorry, but I'm science-minded and I don't like it when people fuck over science for the sake of dances and bubble baths and candies. If I can't believe the world in which these characters live, how I even begin to believe them?

In all honesty, I'd bet money on the cure for this virus being in Rhine's multi-colored eyes. It's mentioned too hard and fast in this book not to carry weight further on down the line. You don't show a gun in the first act and not have it go off in the third, you know? So I would not be surprised if Rhine lives beyond her scheduled 20 years because of some genetic mutation caused by those multi-colored eyes. Or the twin thing factors into it, or both. They both survive because they split off from the same egg, thus each carrying the same mutation to both embryos and saving both children, only one's dominant and one's recessive. The twin thing is pretty dominant in the story too, and it was mentioned that Rhine and her brother were the first non-deformed twins her parents had. But I might be thinking way too far ahead of myself here because this is all branched off of scientific accuracy, which this book spits in the face of.

When it comes down to it, remove the characters from the story and set them in ether and you have a love triangle coupled with kidnapping. It's not a "normal" love triangle where the contenders are evenly matched. One is made pretty obvious over the other here and the other two chicks are there basically for shock value. They're not competition (I guess) but they don't really serve a purpose other than to serve Rhine's plot.

Chances are you'll get sucked into it but personally, you have to turn your suspension of disbelief way up to get through it. Like I said, I was compelled to read through to the end and I liked the ending. The story could rightly end there (although we know it doesn't), it was nice and cleanly finished in a happy ending sort of way. It was nice. But the rip-my-hair out parts far exceeded anything good I found in Wither. There are far better, and far more believable, dystopians available out there that couple not only a strong (and less squick-worthy) romance but a well-built, believable world to set it in.(less)

like 40 likes

· see review

Jun 16, 2011

Anila rated it

Let me start by saying that I know numerous people who liked or loved this book, and that I see why someone would and I mean no disrespect to your opinions. You have, in general, written very eloquent, expressive reviews describing why you liked it and I have read and enjoyed those reviews. I'm not here to step on anyone's toes.

Except maybe Lauren DeStefano's, because I didn't like this book.

Wither fans, I might be mean after this point. You've been warned.

...more

like 82 likes

· see review

Jul 22, 2011

Lady Moorchild rated it

Shelves: dystopia, post-apocalyptic

World-building lecture time!

World-building, my friends, is the bread and butter of science fiction.

Pay attention, kids!

I refuse to believe that only Americans exist in this world.

I also refuse to believe only wealthy Americans exist in this world.

This is the world of Wither. The first is intended, the second is an implication.

For you see, there's a little thing that a writer should take notice when considering writing a dystopia or science f...more

like 131 likes

· see review

Oct 18, 2011

Leanne rated it

Shelves: sci-fic-dystopia, cover-lust, disappointing, why-the-hype, troll-magnets, partially-read

I was taking a stroll through Chapters, and I stumbled upon Wither's lovely cover. I read the description, and my interest was piqued. My innerself was screaming to give into the urge of buying this book. I mean, a post- apocalypse world, polygamy, a gorgeous cover, and the promise of an exhilarating, fascinating read? Hell yah!

Sigh. Unfortunately, "Wither" just didn't make the cut for me. While Lauren DeStefano does have an intriguing premise, her novel didn't really live ...more I was taking a stroll through Chapters, and I stumbled upon Wither's lovely cover. I read the description, and my interest was piqued. My innerself was screaming to give into the urge of buying this book. I mean, a post- apocalypse world, polygamy, a gorgeous cover, and the promise of an exhilarating, fascinating read? Hell yah!

Sigh. Unfortunately, "Wither" just didn't make the cut for me. While Lauren DeStefano does have an intriguing premise, her novel didn't really live up to it's full potential.

In the not so far off future, humans are living as a ticking time bomb- meaning, men only live till the age of 25, and woman till age 20. Because of this, young girls are kidnapped and forced to become child brides for polygamous marriages to keep the human race from dying out. The novel revolves around 16 year old Rhine Ellery, who is kidnapped by the Gatherers to become the wife of Linden Ashby, along with her fellow wives, Cecily and Jenna.

So basically, Wither is " The Handmaid's Tale" for teenagers.

It's a pretty bleak world, I know. Yet the main problem is is that the author formulates a world that has little explanation to back up her reasons, creating many plot holes. For example, in a brief passage, the narrator mentions that the only continent to survive, or say, exist, is North America. Yet little explanation is given on why. Where did all the other continents go, and what exactly happened to them? how exactly did they...um...disappear? And if Rhine truly didn't want to become a bride, why didn't they simply choose a young woman who would willingly, without making such a fuss by kidnapping and then shooting and killing young girls? I bet there are other starved, desperate woman who would have been more than satisfied to live the rest of their short lives in wealth, with good living conditions and many privledges. Come to think of it, why exactly did they shoot those "unsuitable" girls in the limo that they kidnapped? I don't understand what the point of that would be. I mean, wouldn't it be much simpler if the Gatherers just let them free? I think, instead of going into unnecessary details describing bubble baths, dresses and pretty flowers, the author should have focused more on giving more thorough, detailed explanations on the world-buliding.

And unfortuantely, the characters were dull and very two-dimensional. I was never able to connect with Rhine, Gabriel, Linden, Cecily, Jenna, and Rose, and nothing in their personalities made me want to sympathize with them, or even care about them. Gabriel was mediocre, the "typical" YA love interest, and all the antagonists in the book
were cliched villains. And Rhine Ellery was just unlikable. Of course, I could understand her anger and torment when she is sold as a child bride, I would be too. However, I felt that she was also immature, irrational, and she didn't really try to find ways to get out of the situation that she was in. She mostly just moped around, sulking and thinking how horrible everything in her life is.

"Wither" was a disappointment, to say in the least. Maybe other people would enjoy it more than me, but overall, I think this book didn't really live up to all its hype. (less)

like 30 likes

· see review

Dec 15, 2011

Arlene rated it

Recommended to Arlene by: Publisher Review Request...

Shelves: read-2011, ya-dystopic, dress-me-up

This is going to be one of my rare exceptions where I’m giving a generous star rating to a book that had me simultaneously cringe, confused and connected all at the same time.

My mixed feelings for Wither apparently correspond with the wide range of reactions I’ve seen for this novel. But either way, I’ll admit now that I’m moving on to the sequel, not because I was offered to read the ARC… well not solely, but I’m really interested to see how this story unfolds and hopefully comes t...moreThis is going to be one of my rare exceptions where I’m giving a generous star rating to a book that had me simultaneously cringe, confused and connected all at the same time.

My mixed feelings for Wither apparently correspond with the wide range of reactions I’ve seen for this novel. But either way, I’ll admit now that I’m moving on to the sequel, not because I was offered to read the ARC… well not solely, but I’m really interested to see how this story unfolds and hopefully comes together.

In Wither we meet sixteen year old Rhine on the day she is kidnapped along with several other girls around her age by a groups of Gathers, whose sole purpose is to collect girls to marry them off into polygamist relationships to hopefully give the human race a chance at survival. See they think their actions are noble because they live in a time and place where cancer treatment had a rebounding effect on the next generation. Girls die off at the age of 20 and guys at the age of 25, so these girls are taken from their homes to live as sister wives and procreate to keep the remaining population from dying out. Rhine refuses to accept her situation and from the day she enters Linden’s compound, she looks for a way to escape and find her twin brother. With the help of Gabriel a house servant, Rhine survives one day at a time and searches for that one opportunity to escape this dangerous world of lies and abuse.

First off, I have to point out that I felt the world building is extremely flawed. What sort of world catastrophe demolishes all of the countries while simultaneously leaving the US virtually unscathed? That seems too random and unlikely that I had a hard time envisioning a setting where only the US exists and all other countries are wiped off the face of the earth.

Also, the science behind the story is extremely weak as I can’t for the life of me figure out the biological explanation for girls dying at the exact age of 20 and guys at the age of 25. It all feels so random and too exact when all you hear of medical explanations is that “everybody responds differently” and “not everyone is the same.” Why that age? What happens to the body at those ages that triggers such a response? Is it an autoimmune deficiency? A virus? Also, if the cause of this unexplained anomaly stems back to the fact that it resulted from a cancer treatment, why was it given to absolutely everyone? Couldn’t they limit the treatment and test the results? Not everyone develops cancer and sadly not everyone has access to medical treatment, so how did this happen?

As far at the Gathers who kidnap the girls, I don’t understand why they come in gray suits to announce themselves rather than using some other stealthy method of operation. Not that I want to give them any ideas, but really? And then they kidnap a group of let’s say 6 to 7 girls with the intent of forcing them into polygamist relationships for the sole purpose of experimenting on them and forcing them to have babies, so explain to me why they kidnap a bunch of them and kill off half before they even arrive to the compound? Believe me, I don’t wish that on anyone, but why do they collect so many and kill off half of the girls at the onset? Doesn't this contradict with their initial purpose of trying to keep the population from dying off?

In terms of the time setting, it feels futuristic ... say maybe 75 to 100 years in the future. It was rather ambiguous or I must have missed it, but that seems like such a short amount of time in the not too distant future to have our legal and government system go to shit where it allows for underage marriages, illegal drinking, polygamy, child slavery, disregard for the age of consent, flaunting of kidnapping where the girls are televised on television. What the hell??? What crazy world is this?

So why my generous rating? Wow, this is going to be tough to explain! But here goes... there was something elegant about parts of this book. Not glaringly so, but sort of subtle. There were relationships among the characters, such as the sister wives and creepily enough between Linden and Rhine that felt geniune and pure. You'll have to read the book to understand, but trust me I came undone at some of the stuff that was presented, but that didn't stop me from realizing the underlying beauty that was there when you peal away the many layers of this book. That's my peace...

Anywho, I’m really interested to see how this story unfolds, if anything to see if Lauren DeStefano is able to tighten up the loose ends and provide some sort of explanation for aspect of her world building.

Overall, there are some cringe-worthy scenes, but when it’s presented in such a creepy yet captivating way, I have to admit I’m shamelessly intrigued.(less)

like 26 likes

· see review

Aug 09, 2011

Gina rated it

Recommends it for: Nobody.

Recommended to Gina by: I don't remember. But they should be lobotomized.

Shelves: fantasy-casts

***EDIT: This was not in my original review, and while I did say it on my blog, twitter and several other bookish communities, I think it ought to go here as well: Lauren DeStefano is actually a very talented writer. She has the enviable ability to create beautiful sentences, and to turn those beautiful sentences into evocative and atmospheric paragraphs, even pages. Simply put: she has a way with words. I look forward to the day she writes something else, NOT related to this book, very much. I ...more

like 54 likes

· see review

view all 17 comments

Gina White Magic wrote: "Though I don't agree with your opinion of the book, I do agree with most of the flaws you listed here (I also lived in Florid...more
Jan 30, 2012 01:18pm

Jules (The Great, the Good and the Bad) I had a lot of similar thoughts on this book and I just didn't get why people loved it so much. I also completely agree that the writing was good, it ...more
Feb 02, 2012 11:38am

Mar 23, 2011

Cory rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of Psuedo-Science

Recommended to Cory by: TheDuchess

Shelves: galleygrab

I'm not a squeamish person. Nor am I easily scared. I pride myself on being level-headed. But there were somevthings in Wither that I couldn't stomach.

I consider myself to be a somewhat liberal person, with a few exceptions--for example, I believe in capital punishment and lex talionis under special circumstances.

However, I wasn't able to accept the relationship between Linden and Cecily. He's a good guy that I'm supposed to sympathize with, yet he sleeps with a kid? No...more

like 18 likes

· see review

Feb 13, 2012

Giselle rated it

Dystopian societies- we've seen all kinds. From post apocalyptic hell on earth to life in plastic (yes, this is an Aqua reference >.<). In Wither we fall somewhere in the middle. While trying to cure cancer, society has caused the next generations to die from an unknown virus at 20 years of age for girls, 25 for guys. Is this concept intriguing? Definitely! Everyone has a fear of dying. Since most YA readers are approaching, or are over the age of 20, this world can easily be terrifying wh...moreDystopian societies- we've seen all kinds. From post apocalyptic hell on earth to life in plastic (yes, this is an Aqua reference >.<). In Wither we fall somewhere in the middle. While trying to cure cancer, society has caused the next generations to die from an unknown virus at 20 years of age for girls, 25 for guys. Is this concept intriguing? Definitely! Everyone has a fear of dying. Since most YA readers are approaching, or are over the age of 20, this world can easily be terrifying when we put ourselves in their world.

With such a short lifespan, the human race has gone into baby-making overdrive. Girls are being kidnapped, married off in polygamous marriages, forced to bare children as soon as they're physically capable. I found this strangely fascinating; it's not inconceivable. With all these new vaccines and diseases, who know what it will bring to our future generations. I do wish we would have delved deeper into the world building of Wither. How society lives in the bigger picture. For the duration of the book, we're stuck inside a house with these characters, and like them, we don't get to know what's happening outside these walls. Thus, we only skim the surface of this new world while we wander around the mansion lost in thought. As a result, I felt it was very slow moving for the most part. I never found myself bored necessarily, but I wasn't eagerly turning the pages either. The ending however, does promise a more exciting sequel that I've been told is much more fast pace. I'm still genuinely looking forward to continuing the series.

A big reason why I never lost interest during this slow-moving story is the easy to like characters inside this house. The three young wives quickly form strong bonds. Joy, worry, and heartbreak are clearly felt for each other and I couldn't help but grow fond of their attachment. What also kept my interest was the ominous father-in-law who has dark secrets we're slowly carving into. He's controlling and vicious. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.

While the other girls are occupied having babies and playing house, our protagonist, Rhine, finds solace in Gabriel, a house servant. I never exactly felt sparks between these two. However, I still found it to be a realistic, incredibly romantic relationship. I think they could grow to develop great chemistry, but since we see so little of him in Wither the passion is almost non-existent.

As a big fan of dystopians, Wither does not live up to the ones I've been devouring lately, but it still has an enticing, unique premise with definite potential to become much more exciting in the books to come.

--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads(less)

like 14 likes

· see review

Apr 29, 2011

Stephanie Sinclair rated it

Shelves: 2011-reads, i-really-enjoyed-it, i-liked-it, original-and-creative, made-me-think, dystopian, young-adult, 2011-favs, pretty-covers

I sort of went back and forth on the rating for this book. I couldn't decide to give it 3 or 4 stars. In the end I decided on 4 because this book did keep me up till around 2am. So, for a book to do that to me when I know full well I have to wake up super early with my kids, it pretty much earned those 4 stars.

Let me start by saying I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. In fact, I was kind of ignoring it as it sat on my shelf collecting dust. I wasn't sure how I fel...more

like 12 likes

· see review

Mar 16, 2011

Vinaya rated it

Shelves: arc-galley, books-i-loved, dystopian-fiction, favorites, the-real-5-star-deal, ya-fantasy, hmm-that-was-interesting

My grandmother was twelve when she got married. Fourteen when she gave birth to her first child. By the time she was thirty, she had given birth to seven children.

I'm telling you this to give you a little perspective on where I'm coming from. A culture where child brides are not so far in the past that we can't see their faces. A social order where things we can't imagine today were not only accepted, but natural. Indian mythology is filled with stories of polygamy — a king with thr...more

like 77 likes

· see review

Apr 01, 2011

Morgan F rated it

Shelves: young-adult, galleygrab, not-yet-released, medium-sized, 2011, dystopian-apocalyptic, goodreads-author, series, favorite-covers, e-book, read-2011, debut, its-a-girl

I knew something about this book before I cracked open the pages, even though I was reading an ARC. That's the kind of buzz this book has been getting. Honestly, I would have read this book for the cover alone. God, that is some gorgeous cover art. And I was prepared to hate this book. I thought it was going to be a book with a pretty cover, titillating premise (OMGzzz polygamy!), but with no substance. Overall, Wither exceed my expectations.

Let's start out with the bad things....more

like 28 likes

· see review

May 17, 2011

Wendy Darling rated it

Shelves: dystopian-post-apocalyptic, read-2011, young-adult, icky-subjects, 2011-publication, cover-fraud

The concept of a society in which girls are forced into polygamous marriages may not be everyone's idea of a good time, but I like art that pushes boundaries or attempts to explore unusual subjects in a meaningful way. Besides, the cover is gorgeous! And on the set decoration front, Wither is a novel that seductively beckons the reader with alluring images and positively drips with atmosphere. Languid young women wander around a mansion in lacy gowns waiting to be impregnated by their joint husb...moreThe concept of a society in which girls are forced into polygamous marriages may not be everyone's idea of a good time, but I like art that pushes boundaries or attempts to explore unusual subjects in a meaningful way. Besides, the cover is gorgeous! And on the set decoration front, Wither is a novel that seductively beckons the reader with alluring images and positively drips with atmosphere. Languid young women wander around a mansion in lacy gowns waiting to be impregnated by their joint husband, due to drastically shortened life spans that force them into polygamous marriages. It's pretty much the love child of Ally Condie's Matched and the television show Big Love, as styled by Vogue.

While many of the scenarios and language are certainly quite beautiful, however, sometimes I wasn't sure whether I should laugh at the repeated images of our heroine lounging on a satin bedspread eating candy, all while she's supposedly upset over the situation she's in. There's a strange lack of internal dialogue and emotional distance that make it difficult to empathize with Rhine, and very few scenes that come close to evoking the horror that lies beneath the beautiful exterior of the pampered world in which she lives.

This whole concept just seems like a weird one for YA literature, too. In order for the icky factors of child brides (one of them is only 13), kidnappings, forced marriages, fixation on impregnation, murder, medical experimentations, and so on to be successful, they needed to be overridden by solid world-building, strong characters, and emotional depth. Unfortunately, the whys and wherefores of how society has disintegrated into this is never really explained, and as a result most of set-up for this world seems fairly ludicrous. The questions that were raised in my mind were also never really answered, nor the characters adequately developed. There are surface attempts to create relationships between Rhine and Linden and between the sister wives, but none of them seemed very real or compelling to me--and Rhine's interest in Gabriel seems due to proximity more than anything else. How can people live this closely together for so long and know next to nothing about one another? But is there really anything under the surface at all? After spending 358 pages with Rhine, I still don't feel as though I really know who she is or why people are drawn to her, except that they're supposed to be. It also strains credulity that a healthy young man would (view spoiler)

Overall, this novel just needed more tension, more anguish, more depth, and more feeling. By the time Rhine finally takes some action, I was fairly impatient with how long it had taken the story took to get there, as well as annoyed by how little information was revealed. I'm also disappointed in the missed opportunity to explore the unusual dynamic of a polygamous relationship, which was one of the weakest aspects of the book. I'm curious to see where the story goes, however, so I'll probably pick up the next installment in the series. But I'm crossing my fingers that the beauty of the language and imagery will also be matched by more intricate plotting and more genuine emotion.

The full text of this review may be found in The Midnight Garden. (less)

like 41 likes

· see review

Sep 21, 2011

Alana Kelly rated it

I had a lot of issues with this book from the start. For one, dystopia works because it reflects the scary possibility of horrible things to come. Even if the reader doesn't believe their world could ever turn into the author's vision, there is still a believability that all good dystopians have. Do I think I will ever live to see something like 1984 come to fruition? Of course not. But as a reader I can understand how it could happen. How fear and want for safety can convince people into giving...moreI had a lot of issues with this book from the start. For one, dystopia works because it reflects the scary possibility of horrible things to come. Even if the reader doesn't believe their world could ever turn into the author's vision, there is still a believability that all good dystopians have. Do I think I will ever live to see something like 1984 come to fruition? Of course not. But as a reader I can understand how it could happen. How fear and want for safety can convince people into giving away something sacred: their freedom. In a post 9/11 world this isn't hard for anyone to understand. Dystopia is one of the genres where world building really matters. If an author does a shoddy job then it's hard to connect with the characters because the reader can't accept them as real (in the fictional sense) because the reader can't accept the world they live in as real. And Wither never meets this simple expectation.

Obviously readers are required to have some "suspension of disbelief." It's kind of hard to get into a fantasy book if the reader keeps thinking "magic isn't real." The problem with Wither is while the reader is ready to buy into its premise, DeStefano finds ways to slap that suspension in the face. In the book, DeStefano actually writes "the polar ice caps were vaporized long ago by warfare." Um what?! Even if we ignore all the things a claim like this requires, like actual information or some details, it's kind of hard to take this serious when the story takes place in Manhattan and Florida. Do you have any idea how high the seas would rise? I don't know either, but it's a lot. Enough that Florida would not be around to become some polygamist playground. Even if I'm supposed to believe all the water from the polar caps became vapor and went somewhere so the coasts weren't damaged, the rising temperature of the oceans would still make the water expand. And it would be hell of a lot hotter. I just can't accept this statement at face value. To make matters worse, DeStefano also writes "a third world war demolished all but North America, the continent with the most advanced technology and the damage was so catastrophic that all that remains of the rest of the world is ocean and uninhabitable islands so tiny that they can't even be seen from space." Sweet Jesus. This makes no sense at all. For one, North America is the continent with the most advanced technology? I think not. Also, destroying the continents so only tiny islands exist? Sorry, I don't buy it. Even though the reader is given reason to believe this isn't true, I don't understand how anyone in DeStefano's world would buy into this. If she had said the land was inhabitable, then okay. But totally destroyed while Florida still exists? No way.

Even if you ignore all the science stuff and try to focus just on the story itself, there's still a lot of problems with DeStefano's overall premise. The only thing more unbelievable than vaporized polar caps and yacht parties on Florida's coast is the idea that everyone on the North American continent would have had access to the genetic engineering that made the generation of people whose children die young. There's no way. There are people dying right now because they don't have access to medicine that costs cents. Even if we buy into this idea, DeStefano never gives the reader a compelling reason for why these young people are so obsessed with keeping the population from dying out. There's no sense of a strong sate power that conditions its citizens to be baby making factories so I just can't see why people care so much. I also don't understand why girls are kidnapped. Throughout the story the reader is often told America has a huge orphan problem. This makes sense since people die so young, but it would also stand to reason that there would always be a steady supply of willing and eager wives who want to get out of poverty. So why the kidnapping? DeStefano also doesn't explain why girls who are so valuable they have to be kidnapped would be killed if they weren't chosen by the buyer. It just doesn't make sense. Plus, the original generation is still alive. Why have women lost all power in society?

I know I've rambled on for a while here, but I want to highlight that this book as no explanations for any of these questions. I've seen this book called The Handmaids Tale for YA, but there is simply none of the social or political explanations as with that story. Why are young people sold into slavery? Why do women have no political autonomy? Who maintains this system? Why do men live five years longer then women (especially when women outlive men)? This story would work so much better if only one sex died young. That alone would answer a lot of the questions people are left wondering and explain why women have to be kidnapped. As it is, this story just doesn't make sense.

One more thing, the characters are boring and completely unbelievable. If there had been superb characterizations then maybe I could excuse the major problems I had with the story. We all have books we love that aren't very good. But that's not the case here. All of the characters are too one dimensional. The villain is too villainous. Linden, the husband, is too ignorant. Apparently all kidnappers have to do is draw some pictures and they can start to win over their captives. Is the reader really supposed to feel sympathetic towards a man who refuses to learn anything about the world? Is the reader really suppose to quietly accept Rhine's softening towards him? If Linden is so nice then why didn't Rhine just tell him the truth? Rhine is also too bland. There's nothing special about her and yet we're forced with her narration. It also felt like DeStefano was trying to titillate readers with the sexual aspect of young teens in polygamous marriages while also keeping Rhine free from it. And while I'm glad I didn't have to read a rape scene, the lack of Rhine having to face the ugly side of her marriage felt unbelievable to me. Rhine shows more anger towards a teenage girl, who is just as much as a victim, than Linden. It's ridiculous.

The cover is the best thing about this book. Maybe the next two books will get better, but these watered down YA dystopias are driving me crazy. The themes are handled with kid gloves and nothing feels believable. (less)

like 16 likes

· see review

Jul 29, 2011

Krystle Yanagihara rated it

I’ve never read such science fail in a book, ever. You know, the first thing before you write your book is to do a lot of research on the area/subject you’re writing on and to make sure that all the rules and conventions of the world you set up are logical and plausible. This is given a lot more leeway if the story is set in an alternate world (ie: fantasy) but since this is not and based after a post-apocalyptic/dystopian reality of our own world, everything falls apart.

First of all...more

like 21 likes

· see review

Jan 10, 2011

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it

Recommends it for: Very open-minded people

Shelves: covers-i-love, dystopian-worlds-hells-and-cesspits, left-me-feeling-conflicted, 2011-reads

If this book were to be judged by its cover and package alone, it would be very gush-worthy -- but, alas, books are not meant to be judged by their covers but by the stories waiting inside.

What's my verdict? Well. . .this book left me feeling very conflicted. I just don't know what to think.

Now, I was really worried to start this book. You know that reality show, Sister Wives? As much as I believe in 'to each his own,' I just am not down with polygamy, and that little...more

like 29 likes

· see review

Mar 08, 2011

Danny rated it

Shelves: 2011-debut, march-2011, arc

It hurts having to give such a rating, specially since I know that many people absolutely loved this book. I was torn between 1 and 2....

I even had a hard time finishing the book, I really forced myself to finish because I hoped I would finally get to the point where I start to fall in love with the book. It never happened. I even stopped in between for a few weeks to pick it up again, maybe with a fresh start the book would look better.

I tried, I really did..

...more

like 11 likes

· see review

Sep 07, 2011

Nicola rated it

Shelves: books-i-own, cover-appeal, dystopia, still-reading-series, young-adult

Two stars on Goodreads means ''it was ok'' and I think that just about sums Wither up perfectly. It really was only okay. I had high hopes for this one and I was bitterly disappointed. I wish I'd read some of the reviews before heading into it because I really didn't expect there to be so many flaws in the story.

So many parts of this book just didn't make sense to me. I think DeStefano should have done much more explaining the back story to this world she's created instead of focusi...moreTwo stars on Goodreads means ''it was ok'' and I think that just about sums Wither up perfectly. It really was only okay. I had high hopes for this one and I was bitterly disappointed. I wish I'd read some of the reviews before heading into it because I really didn't expect there to be so many flaws in the story.

So many parts of this book just didn't make sense to me. I think DeStefano should have done much more explaining the back story to this world she's created instead of focusing on details like bubble baths and sweets. I am still baffled as to how North America somehow survived the annihilation of the world. I am, however, liking the theory that perhaps this is just the story that the people of America are being fed by the government and that the whole world is in fact just looking on at America and laughing. But I'm not sure if this will end up being the case. It may just be a major flaw.

The geography in this book didn't make sense, the science was baffling and the history was pretty inaccurate, too. There was a lot of inconsistences. I didn't understand how women were dying in childbirth in a world that has eradicated cancer. I didn't understand why, when the country is apparently so technologically advanced, the library was using a card catalog. I didn't understand why 20 was seen as young, when in this world, it was very old.

I couldn't like or relate to Rhine. She was just whiny and annoying. Her life back with her brother was obviously not good... they spent their life hiding and worrying about intruders, about being taken away by gatherers. Then Rhine is whisked off to a life of luxury and she spends the time complaining. She only had a few years left anyway because of the virus, so why didn't she just, as one of the characters put it, try to ''go out in style''? She went on about how horrible the house was but I never saw anything for her to hate. She had friends. Plenty of food. Was waited on hand and foot. Didn't have to do anything with Linden. Apart from missing her brother, which is understandable, there was nothing that awful about her situation. It was certainly a hundred times better than living in hiding like she was or in one of the many brothels she talks about.

Linden was just awful. He was portrayed terribly. He didn't seem like a grown man with multiple wives. He seemed like a needy, helpless child. He was just so creepy and dependent. It didn't make any sense. Cecily was the best character in the book. I thought she was just lovely and at least a bit interesting. Jenna was okay but I don't think we got to know her all that well. I couldn't see the appeal of Gabriel but we also didn't get to know him amazingly well either.

All that said and done, it was not atrocious. I've read a lot of boring books lately but I could not call this one boring. It kept me reading and I never even once thought about giving up on it. I am going to hold out high hopes for the sequel. I think this story has potential... if the author just explained things properly and backed up the world she has created, instead of just mentioning things in passing and expecting the reader not to care or question it. DeStephano is a talented writer. She can write and she writes well.

For more of my reviews and recommendations, visit my blog: here (less)

like 9 likes

· see review

Oct 06, 2011

Erin rated it

Recommends it for: those who can give up action for atmosphere

Shelves: book-club, dark, delicious-writing, disturbing-moments, dystopia, little-romance, love-geometry

This isn't a book I can easily recommend to others. The ratings I've seen here are very scattered, and it seems like none of my GR friends are crazy about Wither. But what can I say, I really liked it.

So, let's just admit here that the world-building is crap. If the point of the whole polygamy thing is to increase the number of babiez, why shoot up all the rejected girls? And then what's the point of abducting these girls if their husband isn't even going to have sex with them until ...more

like 9 likes

· see review

Mar 08, 2011

Stacia ~ platonic rated it

Shelves: young-adult

My feelings about Wither seemed to imitate the movement of a pendulum. One moment, I would swing one way and find myself completely invested, the next I would swing back in the opposite direction and find myself starting to lose interest. How did the book fare as a whole? Overall, when it was all said and done, I landed on the invested side.

What drew me to this book originally was not the dystopian content (which I am generally a fan of), but the subject of polygamy. It's no secr...moreMy feelings about Wither seemed to imitate the movement of a pendulum. One moment, I would swing one way and find myself completely invested, the next I would swing back in the opposite direction and find myself starting to lose interest. How did the book fare as a whole? Overall, when it was all said and done, I landed on the invested side.

What drew me to this book originally was not the dystopian content (which I am generally a fan of), but the subject of polygamy. It's no secret that I've always had a fascination with polygamy. I love peering in the windows of people living completely different lifestyles, and discovering the inner workings of their mind. I was hoping that this book would be chock full of polygamy conflict.

Instead, much of the focus was spent on main character's inner thoughts of escape, which in this instance, I didn't find myself caring much about. The first person present tense style of writing made for a slightly choppy read, but once I got used to it, I didn't notice it anymore.

When the story finally started to delve into the intricacies of the polygamous marriage that Rhine had been forced into, things quickly became interesting. I was extremely disturbed at the creepy vibe being put out by the 20 year old House Governor (the husband) and the fact that he was all too eager to take the youngest bride of 13 to bed and get her pregnant. The way that he hovered over her and called her his "love" gave me a serious case of the willies. But, that's how polygamy can (and quite often does) happen, so I can't act like this shocks me.

I'm usually able to find something likeable about the underdog, but in this case, I had a very hard time liking the husband, even though you find out pretty early on that he is just as much a victim as anyone else in the circumstance. It's apparent that he genuinely cares for his wives, but he also has no real moral trigger to let him know when his behavior is a bit skeevy. (view spoiler)

Did I like the book? Yes. Was I fond of the entire book? Absolutely not. Will I read the next one? Most definitely. (less)

like 10 likes

· see review

Feb 06, 2011

~Tina~ rated it

Shelves: arc, couldn-t-finish, wanted-to-love-but-couldn-t, dystopian, young-adult, netgalley-galleygrab

I really don't think I'm cut out for realistic dystopia. I think I should just stick with my survival type adrenalin rush reads like The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner.

Without a doubt, Wither is probably one of the most powerful dystopia YA reads of 2011.
The plot is gripping, thought provoking and very distrubing. The writing, absolutely outstanding, but I just couldn't stomach the idea's in this one.
Not for me...

(Arc provided through S&S Galleygrab)

like 16 likes

· see review

Apr 04, 2011

Lisa rated it

Shelves: harper-collins

Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Wither is a story about control and confinement, set in a futuristic world where, other than North America, no continents exist as a result of war. The themes in this novel are mature, a stark contrast to the lighter YA I have read recently. In this novel, we are transported to a frightening and eerily realistic world from the very first page when the main character, Rhine, is being kidnapped by strange men in grey coats. From there, With...moreOriginally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Wither is a story about control and confinement, set in a futuristic world where, other than North America, no continents exist as a result of war. The themes in this novel are mature, a stark contrast to the lighter YA I have read recently. In this novel, we are transported to a frightening and eerily realistic world from the very first page when the main character, Rhine, is being kidnapped by strange men in grey coats. From there, Wither takes us on a dark and chilling journey as the captives try to escape their deadly fate.

From the summary, one may think that there is a significant amount of romance. I was surprised when I found that this wasn't the case, though that did not at all lessen Wither's quality. The love story serves as the minor plot line, while the majority of the book follows Rhine's experience as a first wife and her struggles with escaping. She, along with two other girls, are captured and married to a boy named Linden. While he is always kind to Rhine and favours her over the other girls, I don't feel as if his love for Rhine is ever genuine (he seems to fall in and out of love/like/lust constantly) so I wasn't able to fully connect with him. That's ignoring his complete cluelessness, naivety and ability to conjure up my frustration like no other. Gabriel, a servant at the mansion who Rhine becomes close with, is better. I was able to sympathise with him and see that he truly cares for her. Neither boy has a particularly strong romance with her, but the mystery and thriller makes up for it.

Because of this virus, many are trying to find a cure while some are resigned to their fates. Linden's father is one of those looking for a cure, but not with conventional methods. He has no qualms about dissecting bodies and killing to reach his end goal. Housemaster Vaughn is a truly frightening character, as his thoughts and actions are cold, calculating, misleading and deadly. He is the cause of much death and is the main source of fear in the mansion. There is a strong theme throughout the book which is portrayed through his character - some will do anything to get what they want, even if it breaks every single moral code in existence; it's just a means to an end. The explored issues of child trafficking, teen pregnancies and complete exploitation are realistic and very present in our society. I would think that this book will really strike a chord with many readers and open eyes. Although this is not a fun and lighthearted story with a whole lot happening, there isn't ever a sense of boredom. Every scene is captivating, no matter how ordinary and mundane, and will hold your attention until the very end.

A lot of this has to do with the brilliant characters that have been constructed. They are unique and will provoke a multitude of emotions from you as they each serve a different purpose and fill different roles. Rhine is a very strong female character who isn't afraid to defend herself and fight for freedom. Linden is sometimes aggravating but does have a sweet side…in that oblivious sort of way. Gabriel's impossible not to love and he and Rhine share some great scenes. Because of his charm and ability to make her feel free, Rhine quickly becomes attached which is so enjoyable to read! I, like most readers I think, loved the sister wives, Jenna and Cecily. Jenna is nineteen, one year away from death, and assumes the motherly role for the girls, doing everything in her ability to help and protect them. Cecily, on the other hand, has just become a teenager and quickly falls pregnant. She is the perfect stereotype of a naive girl who wants nothing more than to become a woman, eager to receive love and attention. Linden's willingness to oblige her made me dislike him a little too… There are, of course, others characters such as the servants who I loved also!

Lauren DeStefano writes in a style filled with beautiful imagery, so much so that you can't help but get dizzyingly lost in the words. She skilfully weaves her way in and out of scenes where one moment you're admiring the nature, and in the next you're trying hard not to dwell on the insistently disturbing images. Wither is an intense story that will stay with you and leave you wanting more. If the cover didn't make you want to read it already, hopefully this will!(less)

like 8 likes

· see review

Jan 29, 2012

Azula rated it

Shelves: beautiful-covers, ya, mehh, dystopian-postapocalyptic, had-potential-but-dotdotdot

This book is beautiful.

Literally.

(Complete emphasis on literally)

I LOVE the packaging of Wither. The font is so pretty, the cover is so pretty, the girl is so pretty, the dress is so pretty, the makeup is so pretty, and the flowers on the front flap are so pretty, and ahhhhhh.

[insert soft sigh]

Oh my god.

This book, the actual production of this book, is too great.

With that being said, Wither ...more

like 6 likes

· see review

Feb 11, 2011

Isamlq rated it

Shelves: arc-galley

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ~~3.5 (GR really needs to put up a half star option!)~~ just a 3, after much thought.

Reminds me of MATCHED and DELIRIUM. I loved the latter and merely liked the former...

I'm piecing my thoughts together... but I can say it's
1. Disturbing and a bit shocking;
2. Well written and

Damn, but I want to read it again (just to see if I missed something.)
________________________

Musings of Isa, the nitpicker:

It’s no secret… I am st...more

like 9 likes

· see review

Apr 15, 2011

Tonya rated it

Shelves: 2011, dystopian-utopian-post-apocalyptic, ya, meh, sucksauce, book-club

For such a 'scandalous' concept and for all its attempts at drama and intrigue, I found Wither to be incredibly boring.

I never really felt connected to Rhine, or became invested in her story--or anyone's, for that matter. For all DeStefano's attempts to make Linden a sympathetic character and, I assume, set him up as the eventual third point in the love triangle, I was completely creeped out by him. Sorry, maybe he didn't know everything his mad scientist daddy was up to, but he was st...moreFor such a 'scandalous' concept and for all its attempts at drama and intrigue, I found Wither to be incredibly boring.

I never really felt connected to Rhine, or became invested in her story--or anyone's, for that matter. For all DeStefano's attempts to make Linden a sympathetic character and, I assume, set him up as the eventual third point in the love triangle, I was completely creeped out by him. Sorry, maybe he didn't know everything his mad scientist daddy was up to, but he was still super cool having three wives--one of whom is THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, AND HE PROMPTLY KNOCKS UP.

Ew.

There's no redeeming that. If I was supposed to let it go because his behavior is normal for that society, then I don't feel there was enough setup to warrant my acceptance. Not only that, but he went from grieving over the death of the love of his life, to 'falling in love' with Rhine--who happens to look a lot like the former Mrs--in 0.2 seconds. THAT'S NOT CREEPY AT ALL.

On the other side of the spectrum, Gabriel was basically a non-entity. He was a cardboard cutout character, two dimensional at best. I never felt any chemistry or was given any foundation for the supposed connection he and Rhine had.

Added to that the evil genius Housemaster Vaughn who's pretty much killing everyone everywhere to find the cure to stop people from dying? Idk. It was just a mess. From about 30% on, Wither is just chapter after chapter of repetition, the only difference Rhine's gradual softening toward Linden...you know, the guy who was cool with his dad buying random girls--sight unseen, mind you--to be his wives/sperm vessels? But he sketches super pretty houses and sometimes takes her to parties and dances with her SO HE'S FINE, GUISE. DON'T EVEN WORRY ABOUT IT. HE MIGHT EVEN BE A LITTLE HOT WITH HIS PALE CHEST AND HIS TEARS AND HIS DELIBERATE OBLIVIOUSNESS TO HIS RATHER OBVIOUSLY EVIL FATHER.

TEAM LINDEN!

There was so much Try--trying to make it scandalous and shocking for the YA genre, trying to make it mysterious, trying to make it sad, trying to make it unpredictable--that it became incredibly boring and transparent. And creepy. Very very creepy.

I don't normally write such harsh reviews, but this fell flat for me in every single aspect.(less)

like 7 likes

· see review

Jan 25, 2012

Caitlin rated it

Edit: After reading a bunch of reviews, ones that on the lower side of the rating scale (1 or 2 stars, all with great points) I forgot to mention how dark this book is. I always get consumed in the making and structure of the book and forget the rest. This book is dark. Not in a gory sense, but in a hopeless sense. A 13 year old gets preggers. Young people die "naturally." It's one of those books that takes in on a journey to find hope, but there's very little to find. Anyways, if you'...moreEdit: After reading a bunch of reviews, ones that on the lower side of the rating scale (1 or 2 stars, all with great points) I forgot to mention how dark this book is. I always get consumed in the making and structure of the book and forget the rest. This book is dark. Not in a gory sense, but in a hopeless sense. A 13 year old gets preggers. Young people die "naturally." It's one of those books that takes in on a journey to find hope, but there's very little to find. Anyways, if you're not into the dark genres, this may not be the right fit for you.

When I first read the description, I honestly thought, "Well, I'll probably have to push myself through this one." The idea is not original and the love triangle is in no way surprising, but I found myself submerged in the characters, there relationships and the development overall.

I'm a sucker for development. Whether it's character development or a nice steady relationship development. As long as it's paced well and makes sense (which is such a difficult thing to do, in my opinion), then the book is already qualified as "good." DeStefano does an amazing job at creating characters and slowly revealing there layers. Not once did I think, "Wait they're friends now?" or "Why is she doing that?" It just happened naturally, and me, who is always a stickler in the development department, hardly took notice in the changes.

Now, the whole development thing is really important in the novel due to the lack of plain old action. They are no huge explosions, wars, bloody deaths. It's all basic conflicts. Man vs man (Rhine (Wives) vs Vaughn). Man vs. Nature (Generations vs. The Virus). Man vs. Self (Rhine vs. Well, herself). In fact, the last one can be applied to almost every character, even the villain. Like I said, there isn't a super hero nor super villain. But even without the special effects, DeStefano is still able to pull you in just by the tension and desperation Rhine suffers from. Her observations of her sister wives, husband and father-in-law are interesting and mysterious. You can't help but continue reading and reading and reading. Just when you start to think things are slowing down, something happens. Something that changes Rhine's plans of escape or causes more conflict within her and among her sister wives. Honestly, I haven't read a book with such great development overall.

So why is it getting four stars out of five? The narrative is a tad weird. It reminds me of Katniss from The Hunger Games, except Rhine isn't "willing to kill to survive" type of girl. She's more of a "I'm smart and I'm willing to do anything, even kiss up to a stranger, to get out of here" but not like Katniss who at times is completely worn around the edges. Rhine's inner narrative is too formal at times. Lots of "It is" "He is" "are not"s. I know it's an arc so it's still subject to change, but I found myself not quite interested in the story until other characters came into light. Rhine herself is boring. Nothing too interesting about her. Even the few humorous lines she mentions fall flat. She mostly gets nostagia thinking about her brother and her life outside the mansion. At times I found myself thinking, "Okay, okay we get it. You hate this place you wanna go home. Stop crying so much and do something." But other times I enjoyed hearing about what her life use to involve and how her brother and her survived.

To summarize it all, Wither is great book. Great characters with great development. Sure Rhine can get under your skin at times, but what lead character doesn't? My only worries for this book is, it's a trilogy. The book ended pretty nicely. One loose end, but not big enough to need an answer (Brother where art thou?). But my point is, were is this going? What can DeStefano possibly drag out for two more novels and make it equally as good? Well, I'm willing to take my chances.(less)

like 5 likes

· see review

Jun 29, 2011

Hannah rated it

Shelves: already-own

So everyone's infected with this virus that makes girls die when they're 20 and boys die when they're 25, and they're really desperate to find a cure so they start being all polygamous so they can impregnate lotsa bitches and spit out a new generation asap. Rhine is kidnapped and put in this mansion and made to be the bride of this guy, which should suck because he has an evil father and she really wants to get out to see her twin brother, but then things get complicated because she's hot for th...more

like 8 likes

· see review

Aug 07, 2010

Brittany marked it as to-read

how does linden still have a father if men die at 25?

like 28 likes

· see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Linden or Gabriel?	68	183	6 hours, 34 min ago
♥ Joyful Page Tur...: The Chemical Garden by Lauren DeStefano	28	7	Feb 20, 2012 03:30pm
Dystopia=Bad for women? Discussion.	37	133	Feb 20, 2012 02:29pm
Was this as disturbing to me as it was to you?	24	229	Feb 16, 2012 01:24pm
Book Boyfriends: * Wither	22	12	Feb 10, 2012 07:07pm
My YA Obsession: Wither	3	7	Feb 08, 2012 03:13pm
YA Book Club: Wither by Lauren DeStefano	6	69	Feb 02, 2012 09:46am

title link	preview: Wither
avg rating	preview: Wither Goodreads rating: 3.93 (13767 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8525590-wither?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878510m/8525590.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8525590-wither?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Wither by Lauren DeStefano[/url]

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (21)

Videos About This Book

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Lauren DeStefano

Books by Lauren DeStefano

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Wither

Quotes from Wither

Groups That Shelved Wither