Review: Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1) By: Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (Chemical Garden, #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 356 Pages (March 22nd, 2011)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: 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 limited time she has left.

Review: 4 Stars - In a world far removed from our own - Wither by Lauren DeStefano takes being young and old to a whole new level in this shocking and surprising Dystopian. DeStefano’s writing flows right off the pages creating a world and its future that’s easy to imagine; putting the reader right in the middle of such an emotionally charged tragic tale.

Wither, the first in a trilogy tells the story of a teen girl, Rhine. She’s 16 years old and is facing knowing what her future holds. Females die at 20, males die at 25. Something happened in their past that their parents are working hard to correct – a virus that threatens to wipe out all humans.

Rhine is one of those strong characters with a huge heart that goes about things always thinking about others. She’s fighting for not only herself but those around her who she finds in the same trouble she is. It’s her strength and how she cares that got to me. Early on in the book it comes through, shining a light on the darker times within the book and makes it easy to feel for her and the uphill battle she’s facing.

The creep factor of one character – Housemaster Vaughn - was spot on casting a shadow over Rhines story. I could feel him lurking even when he wasn’t there. I just knew he was never far away, making me cringe as to what he had planned next for everyone. Linden, Housemaster Vaughn’s son was also a bit creepy in his own ways. I was frustrated and have to say that many of his choices had me ready to pull my hair out. I felt so many ups and downs while trying to come to terms with just who Linden was. I think his grief was part of what made him who he was but ultimately it was his father – Vaughn - who molded him and kept him so under thumb it left little wiggle room for the 20 year old.

Another character who is more than worth mentioning is Gabriel, and how he added sweetness to the story and helped to open Rhine up. He’s one of those characters that gave Rhine a more rounded personality making her real. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just leave it at that.

DeStefano’s writing, characters and world building make Wither a must read for anyone who loves a good Dystopian or anyone who’s looking to give a book in this ever growing genre a try. I can honestly say that it was first the writing to draw me in followed by Rhine to make this a fantastic read. I also have to mention the cover which is one of my favorites I’ve seen in awhile. The cover, along with the story will stick with you, leaving you ready for the second in the trilogy. Who’s ready for book two? Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.