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Wither

Book 1 in the series:The Chemical Garden

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'Wither' by Lauren DeStefano is a dystopian novel set in a world where the population is facing extinction due to a genetic virus. The story follows Rhine Ellery, a 16-year-old orphan forced into a polygamous marriage in a society where males die at 25 and females at 20. Rhine's struggle for freedom, complex relationships with her husband Linden and servant Gabriel, and her determination to find her twin brother create a compelling narrative filled with themes of hope, love, and survival. The writing style is described as beautifully written, engaging, and thought-provoking, offering a fresh take on the dystopian genre with a focus on character development and relationships.

Characters:

The characters are complex with strong personalities, each contributing uniquely to the plot and emotional depth of the story.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is lyrical and beautifully descriptive, creating an intimate and haunting atmosphere.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Rhine's kidnapping and forced marriage, set against a dystopian backdrop of dwindling human populations and polygamous marriages.

Setting:

The setting combines elements of luxury and decay, reflecting a stark contrast between the characters' immediate environment and the broader implications of their reality.

Pacing:

The pacing is measured, allowing for character introspection and development, though some readers found it slow at times.
I know when one of the girls reaches a wall. She begins to pound and scream—there’s metal in the sound—but none of us help her. We’ve gone too long without speaking, and all we do is bury ourselves mo...

Notes:

Wither is set in a dystopian future where women die at age 20 and men at age 25 due to a genetic virus.
Rhine, the main character, is kidnapped by Gatherers and forced into a polygamous marriage.
The novel explores themes of polygamy, child brides, and the drastic consequences of genetic engineering.
Rhine develops complex relationships with her sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, and her husband, Linden.
Housemaster Vaughn, Linden's father, is portrayed as a sinister figure conducting experiments in a basement.
The book has been compared to The Handmaid's Tale, focusing on women's rights and reproductive issues.
Rhine's struggle for freedom is a significant theme throughout the novel, impacting her choices and relationships.
The cover of Wither features striking imagery that symbolizes both beauty and entrapment.
The writing style is described as lush and poetic, contributing to the haunting atmosphere of the story.
There is a love triangle involving Rhine, Linden, and Gabriel, which adds to the emotional tension.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Themes of kidnapping, forced marriages, sexual slavery, underage pregnancy, and suicide ideation are present.

Has Romance?

The romance elements are present but not the central focus of the story.

From The Publisher:

What if you knew exactly when you'd die? The first book of The Chemical Garden Trilogy.

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males born with a lifespan of 25 years, and females a lifespan of 20 years-leaving the world in a state of panic. Geneticists seek 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 sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Yet 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 has no way to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive.

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?

Ratings (11)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (4)
Liked It (3)
It Was OK (2)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (44):

Read It (11)
Want To Read (25)
Not Interested (8)

2 comment(s)

Liked It
4 weeks

Meh...I thought this book was just meh...

For some reason, it reminded me of

The Hunger Games and

The Handmaid's Tale. Since those are two of my all-time favorite books, you'd think I'd be equally in love with this one. Not so much.

It reminded me of

The Hunger Games because of the extreme differences between the 'Haves' and 'Have Nots' as well as the creative fashion descriptions. Linden's family is living in a giant mansion with servants and a holographic swimming pool. Before Rhine was kidnapped, orphans were dying on her front porch.

It reminded me of

The Handmaid's Tale because women are seen as little more than property and breeding factories.

The writing was fine and I liked the characters. I thought the plot was a little weak. There just wasn't enough explanation about what the heck was going on. Maybe it will all be revealed in the next two books.

Also, I may just be old-fashioned but books about polygamy and knocked-up thirteen-year-olds creep me out.

 
It Was OK
2 months

3.5

 

About the Author:

Lauren DeStefano is the author of The Internment Chronicles and the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden trilogy, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever. She earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. Visit her at LaurenDeStefano.com.

 
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