The Chemical Garden Series: Wither, Fever, and Sever
by Lauren DeStefano
Fever
Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but they’re still in danger. Outside, they find a world even more disquieting than the one they ran away from. Determined to get to Manhattan and find Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan, the two press forward, amid threats of being captured again…or worse.
The road they are on is long and perilous—and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and men die at age twenty-five, time is precious. In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price—now that she has more to lose than ever.
When I finished Wither, I didn't know if I was going to continue reading the Chemical Garden series, but i decided that the cover was interesting enough for me to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. I can honestly say that Fever is my favorite book in the trilogy.
I feel like this book was more "alive" than the last one, and I think that had a lot to do with the constant moving from place to place, the impending danger of being found and caught, and the growing tension of Gabriel's and Rhine's respective illnesses.
As in her last book, DeStefano has brilliant prose, very lyrical and enthralling. Fever has a lot more of the mystery who/what Rhine is in this dystopic world. The stakes rise as you realize with Rhine that she is slowly dying for seemingly no reason. The people Rhine and Gabriel meet on their way to New York are an enticing mix of good and insane, keeping you wondering when, or if, these two will ever be safe, or just able to get a single good night's un-drugged sleep. At first I was skeptical of the addiction of Maddie, the little malformed child from the carnival-themed scarlet district, but she turned out to be an unobtrusive addition, almost proving more perceptive and intelligent than Rhine, sometimes.
Things That I Liked:
I really liked the parts of the book that occurred in the Madame's scarlet district. I think these scenes are the most colorful -haha- and the most energetic of the book. Madame is one of the more complex characters in this volume, and her energy is infused into her girls and her twisted carnival. The imagery of the district, as well, really pop compared to the other locations Rhine and Gabriel visit along the way to Manhattan.
I liked the little mystery of Maddie, her picture book, her mother Lilac/Grace, and her grandmother. I thought it was an interesting twist to give the group something to keep moving for, and I'm glad that it gave them a place to rest for a little while.
The scenes in the basement after Rhine's brought back to the mansion; they are terribly vivid, and they make my skin crawl with the detail, but I love having a physical reaction to a description, because that's when you know you've got great writing.
Things I Didn't Like:
I don't know if this first thing is something I didn't like or if I just didn't understand it, but the part of the book when Rhine was caught up in the idea that she could be dead, or that she could have died a year ago, or any time in between then and now. I thought it was strange that she was wondering and marveling at this fact as she was slowly rotting away, and they didn't come to any sort of conclusive thoughts because -surprise! -she doesn't die at the end of this book.
Cecily's overall uselessness when she knew Rhine was back "home."
The fact that Rhine didn't show Gabriel how grateful she was to have him with her, or even tell him. She thinks it a lot, but never lets him know, even when, at a few points, they're both pretty much dying.
Overall Impression:
I really liked this sequel to the first book, and it leaves you on a note that's impossible to not follow-up on with the third and final installment. There are so many missing pieces of the genetic puzzle that is the living, breathing Rhine that you can't help but long to know why Vaughn is so invested in her and why her brother Rowan is being such a douchebag.
Blonde's Rating: 4/5
Amazon Rating: 4.3/5
Goodreads Rating: 3.9/5
Stay tuned to find out what The Blonde says about Fever's sequel, Sever, and check out Wither's review here.
Thanks!
The Blonde
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