Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

The Chemical Garden # 1

Hardcover: 358 pages

Published March 22, 2011

Synopsis: Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. – Goodreads.com

Books from the YALSA Best Fiction For Young Adult 2012 Nominations right now dominate my “To Be Read List” and this title is listed. So, I picked up Wither (mostly because of the cover) and was immediately sucked in. I was a worried about the premise of the book, I mean really?? kidnapped into a polygamous marriage to procreate… Wow that is extreme, actually it is cringe worthy. Surprisingly, I thought it was written well and not as graphic/explicit as it could have been considering the dark and mature story line. This is a fast paced book and was very hard to put down. I found it easy to like Rhine’s character and even found myself actually liking Linden. While reading this I was completely torn I kept going back and forth between how I wanted the story to go. Should she choose freedom? Linden? Could she get both? One huge problem I had was with the world created in this book. It is so awful! I really cannot see how anyone could overcome the bleak, despairing, corrupt reality DeStefano has created. I can only hope the next book in the series (Fever - Expected publication: February 21st 2012) will suck me in as deeply and keep me invested in the story long enough to see how all the characters manage in such a dismal hopeless existence. Perhaps they will break free creating a healthier happier society. We will see.