Wither - A Review
To all who are reading this,
Today, I introduce you to Wither by Lauren DeStefano, the first book in The Chemical Garden trilogy. Published in 2011, this is a dystopian novel, aimed at young adults. With thriller elements and romantic undertones, it has been described as "gripping" and "breathtaking". So, was it for me?
There may be spoilers.
Blurb
Rhine Ellery is 16 and she only has four years left to live.
A botched attempt to create the perfect human race means that men die at 25, and women die at 20. Young girls are being abducted and forced into polygamous marriages in a desperate bid to keep humanity ahead of the disease that threatens to eradicate it.
When Rhine is kidnapped, she is sold as a bride to Linden, a rich young man with a dying wife. Even though he is kind to her, Rhine is desperate to escape her gilded cage - and Linden's cruel father. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in what little time she has left.
I picked this up from my local library and was instantly struck by the cover. On reading the blurb, I knew that I should be reading this. The fact that it stated it was the first book, made me even happier. Nothing is more disappointing than finding a good book, and it turns out, is the third in a series.
The cover shows a young woman, tousled and made up to look beautiful, with a wedding ring on her finger - but her face holds all the sadness of the world. She wears an elegant dress in pale tones - is it that she is withering away to nothing? To her side, is a songbird trapped in a cage - a metaphor for what is happening to Rhine, our lead character. The silver writing of the title, author and tagline stands out amongst the darkness of the purple, and the geometric lines gives us a hint to later characters and plots.
The novel follows the kidnap and the newly enriched life of teenager, Rhine. Orphaned and separated from her twin brother and Manhattan, the city she grew up in, Rhine is escorted to a fine mansion in Florida, owned by the Ashby family. She is there a mere few days, before she finds herself as wife to Linden Ashby, a kind, gentle designer, who is in love with Rose, his dying wife. Rhine has allies in Jenna, an older willowy bride, and Cecily, a much younger, excitable bride. Together, the three become sister wives, with Rose at her death bed. Never far away from Rhine is the thought of escape, and a young house servant, Gabriel. Rhine and Gabriel talk, and slowly, but surely, an attraction grows between them - most unlike the relationship between Rhine and Linden.
Rhine is determined to run away from this new life of hers, but to get close, she has to play her part. And she does this well - she's a fleshed out character, and is in complete contrast to her other sister wives. Jenna reads romance novels to escape the mundane and isn't bothered about catching the eye of her husband, whereas talented musician Cecily dreams of babies and an adoring man by her side.
Linden is a sweet, gentleman, who is besotted with Rose. He has been in love with her since childhood, and finds carrying on with life a little difficult, until he meets Rhine, with her blonde hair - like his Rose's. Linden's father, Housemaster Vaughan, is a man of scientific means, and is convinced that he is able to find the cure to the disease, no matter what he has to do.
The dystopian futuristic elements have a very scientific feel to them. Hologram walls and games, swimming pools with virtual scene structures and bright fishes galore. Money seems to be no object, especially with the mansion in Florida. There is everything there - stables, swimming pools, groves of flowers and fruits, a miniature golf course, libraries - but no freedom.
Being the perfect human might sound great to some, but it is our personalities, our minds, hell, even an illness that can bring out the best of a person. The scientists were trying to eradicate cancer, and of course, things begin to backfire, causing perfect people to die at 25 or 20, depending on the gender.
The romance aspect was a tad predictable, but it was well written. We don't know too much about Gabriel, but he is always on the lookout to help Rhine, giving her sweets and giving her a motive to move - telling her what she is named after in geographical terms. I think the marriages seem very much like the old traditions of China, where an Emperor had his Empress, and his other many wives were Concubines.
The library copy also contained a preview of the sequel, and also a short story, giving us background on Rose and Linden's relationship, entitled The First Bride.
I really enjoyed this book. I think there's definite room to expand upon the world and characters. The most important question is - will people continue to die? Will Rhine make it past 20? Time will tell.
The series continues with Fever (2012) and Sever (2013).
You can find Lauren DeStefano on the Internet in the following places:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
---
Currently reading: Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Today, I introduce you to Wither by Lauren DeStefano, the first book in The Chemical Garden trilogy. Published in 2011, this is a dystopian novel, aimed at young adults. With thriller elements and romantic undertones, it has been described as "gripping" and "breathtaking". So, was it for me?
There may be spoilers.
Blurb
Rhine Ellery is 16 and she only has four years left to live.
A botched attempt to create the perfect human race means that men die at 25, and women die at 20. Young girls are being abducted and forced into polygamous marriages in a desperate bid to keep humanity ahead of the disease that threatens to eradicate it.
When Rhine is kidnapped, she is sold as a bride to Linden, a rich young man with a dying wife. Even though he is kind to her, Rhine is desperate to escape her gilded cage - and Linden's cruel father. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in what little time she has left.
I picked this up from my local library and was instantly struck by the cover. On reading the blurb, I knew that I should be reading this. The fact that it stated it was the first book, made me even happier. Nothing is more disappointing than finding a good book, and it turns out, is the third in a series.
The cover shows a young woman, tousled and made up to look beautiful, with a wedding ring on her finger - but her face holds all the sadness of the world. She wears an elegant dress in pale tones - is it that she is withering away to nothing? To her side, is a songbird trapped in a cage - a metaphor for what is happening to Rhine, our lead character. The silver writing of the title, author and tagline stands out amongst the darkness of the purple, and the geometric lines gives us a hint to later characters and plots.
The novel follows the kidnap and the newly enriched life of teenager, Rhine. Orphaned and separated from her twin brother and Manhattan, the city she grew up in, Rhine is escorted to a fine mansion in Florida, owned by the Ashby family. She is there a mere few days, before she finds herself as wife to Linden Ashby, a kind, gentle designer, who is in love with Rose, his dying wife. Rhine has allies in Jenna, an older willowy bride, and Cecily, a much younger, excitable bride. Together, the three become sister wives, with Rose at her death bed. Never far away from Rhine is the thought of escape, and a young house servant, Gabriel. Rhine and Gabriel talk, and slowly, but surely, an attraction grows between them - most unlike the relationship between Rhine and Linden.
Rhine is determined to run away from this new life of hers, but to get close, she has to play her part. And she does this well - she's a fleshed out character, and is in complete contrast to her other sister wives. Jenna reads romance novels to escape the mundane and isn't bothered about catching the eye of her husband, whereas talented musician Cecily dreams of babies and an adoring man by her side.
Linden is a sweet, gentleman, who is besotted with Rose. He has been in love with her since childhood, and finds carrying on with life a little difficult, until he meets Rhine, with her blonde hair - like his Rose's. Linden's father, Housemaster Vaughan, is a man of scientific means, and is convinced that he is able to find the cure to the disease, no matter what he has to do.
The dystopian futuristic elements have a very scientific feel to them. Hologram walls and games, swimming pools with virtual scene structures and bright fishes galore. Money seems to be no object, especially with the mansion in Florida. There is everything there - stables, swimming pools, groves of flowers and fruits, a miniature golf course, libraries - but no freedom.
Being the perfect human might sound great to some, but it is our personalities, our minds, hell, even an illness that can bring out the best of a person. The scientists were trying to eradicate cancer, and of course, things begin to backfire, causing perfect people to die at 25 or 20, depending on the gender.
The romance aspect was a tad predictable, but it was well written. We don't know too much about Gabriel, but he is always on the lookout to help Rhine, giving her sweets and giving her a motive to move - telling her what she is named after in geographical terms. I think the marriages seem very much like the old traditions of China, where an Emperor had his Empress, and his other many wives were Concubines.
The library copy also contained a preview of the sequel, and also a short story, giving us background on Rose and Linden's relationship, entitled The First Bride.
I really enjoyed this book. I think there's definite room to expand upon the world and characters. The most important question is - will people continue to die? Will Rhine make it past 20? Time will tell.
The series continues with Fever (2012) and Sever (2013).
You can find Lauren DeStefano on the Internet in the following places:
Website
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
---
Currently reading: Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon
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