Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Publication Date: March 22nd 2011 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages:358
Series: The Chemical Garden #1

Source: Purchased

Rating:
 ★★★★★

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

Wither is addicting. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I NEEDED to know what happened next. This book really surprised me though because I didn't think I'd love it this much. Maybe the reason is that I didn't expect much from this book since I heard some mixed reviews on this one. I know some stuffs in here can be kind of disturbing but it's the whole point right...to see how mess up this world is and seriously though what do you expect from a post apocalyptic? A happy perfect world 0_o

Let's talk about the characters (especially about Linden because I've quite a lot to say, I just need to rant about him or else I'd go mad) shall we?

Linden: I'm in a love-hate relationship with him. I just don't get the way he loves someone because if you read the book you will see that he changed his heart (from Rose to Rhine) really quick. I don't think I can see it as love but more like a rebound thingie. But then I can feel the chemistry between Rhine and Linden so my only guess is that at first it's just a rebound thing then it becomes love. Hope I'm right.  And the thing that makes me confused is that how can he said he loves Rhine while his actions toward his other wives speak the opposite 0-o Really Linden. You're sure a pro heart breaker. It's hurt to see Rhine falling in love with him because to be honest, I don't think there will be a happy ending. Rhine will never have Linden for herself, she always has to share with his other wives =( Oh and not to mention about his ignorance AGHH it just made me really really mad.

Rhine: she is smart but the problem is that she falls in love too easy. She should have known better ---> Be careful who you give your heart to or you will be the one getting hurt at the end.

Gabriel: I like this guy. He's really a nice guy, always there for Rhine. It's just sad that there is no chemistry between them =( Friendship yes but love I don't think so. Maybe this will change later on, fingers crossed. And I hope that when Rhine does choose him at the end, it's because of love and not because of anything else.

Overall Wither has done a pretty good job at captivating your heart. Highly recommended and with that gorgeous cover don't you want to have it on your shelves? ;)