Review: Wither by Lauren DeStafano

Title: Wither

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books

Publishing Date: March 22nd, 2011

Pages: 358
Audio Length: 10 Hours and 23 Minutes

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Series: The Chemical Garden

Source: Book

 

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?

What made me pick this book up: 

I've seen this book everywhere for a long long time. The cover is definitely what caught my eye first.

What did I like about the cover: 

The cover is stunning. The colors are beautiful, I love her hair and makeup, and oh my God that dress/ I originally wanted my wedding dress to look just like that. And I love the bird cage and what it signifies.

What made me read this book: 

Like I said, I've seen it around for years and I finally just decided it was time. The synopsis sounded as great as the cover looks.

What did I like the most: 

The story is very interesting. No diseases or sicknesses, but the females all die at age 20 and the males at age 25. I found myself really liking the husband. He grew up in this lifestyle, he didn't know better. So you can't really fault him for not realizing how wrong it all is. He genuinely cared for his vies. The futuristic items they had were really interesting to read about. And I really liked Jenna too.

What didn't I like: 

The main character was kind of blah to me. I can't exactly put my finger on why. I think it's because, even though I understand her life sucked and her situation sucked, but she was kind of whiny and acted very dumb. I don't know why but her constantly trying to find ways to escape just... annoyed me so bad. She was not at all a strong heroine. 

***Slight spoiler coming up***

One of the sister wives was 12 or 13 and she was the first one to have sex with the adult man. And she was the first one to get pregnant. It's all so... pedophile-y feeling. And it's so sad because they don't see it that way, they don't see her as a child, just something to reproduce with. And it's sad because that's just how life is then.

***Spoiler over***

Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Yes yes yes!!! I need to know what happens!

I really enjoyed this book and I read it in a day.

“Eventually I realize that I am holding on to him just as tightly as he holds on to me. And here we are: two small dying things, as the world ends around us like falling autumn leaves.” 
― Lauren DeStefano, Wither