Fever

With Sever, the third and final book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, set to release in February, I figured I should read Fever so I was actually caught up for once. As you may remember, Wither was not my favorite dystopian of all time. In fact, I had some major issues with it, but it was still a unique and interesting book and I definitely wanted to know what happened to Rhine and Gabriel after their harrowing escape from the mansion. Fever promised to be a completely different type of story. Rhine was away from the opulence and seductive danger of the mansion and now we were going to get to see more of the gritty, treacherous, real world as she hunted for her twin, Rowan. I had my concerns because I had heard from a lot of readers that this book suffered greatly from "middle book syndrome", just a go between, betwixt two awesome plots. Luckily I very much disagree with this. I found Fever to be just as interesting and even more emotional and exciting than the first book. I felt that I really got to know Rhine and Gabriel in this book, as well as the world that they inhabit.LIKES:Dystopian Roadtrip!: Rhine and Gabriel travel up the East Coast in a very dystopian "where are we going to sleep tonight and who is going to watch out for kidnappers" kind of way. The come across everything from a brothel circus, to a creepy cafe owner and little old lady who happens to be a psychic. They also gain and adorable and awesome companion who really tugs at the heartstrings, but I won't get into that here. This setup really keeps the plot moving and kept me involved, I wanted to see where they would end up next and whom they would run into.Rhine and Gabriel finally get real: One of the things that really bugged me in the last book was that Rhine ran away with Gabriel even when she barely knew him and couldn't possibly be in love with him. I was afraid that this book would continue that trend but I was so wrong. Gabriel acted like a real human being. He spent most of the book, seemingly, questioning whether he should have come at all. The mansion was a beautiful prison, but the real world is hellish. He obviously cared about Rhine but they weren't about to jump into bed with each other. In this book they lean on one another for support while their relationship develops and goes through it's ups and downs. I felt like I liked them more and could relate better.Beautifully Grotesque: this book was much grittier than the last and that added to the realism and also made for a much more beautiful narrative about freedom and sacrifice and love.DISLIKES:Where is Cecily: When I first saw the cover I assumed there would be a bit of Cecily in this book. I really wanted to know what was happening with her and the baby back at the mansion, but unfortunately she plays a minuscule role in this book.The Ending: Okay, I'm not going to go into any kind of detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but I was just so mad with how this book ended. First of all, I just felt like it was a bit forced and could have been written in a way that wasn't such a let-down. Second, CLIFFHANGER, seriously? Ugh! I know they make people want to read the next book but they're frustrating as hell. *pout*I'm so happy that I didn't find this book to be a "middle book" bore. This series keeps getting better and I can't wait to read Sever when it comes out on Feb. 12. Especially after that cliffhanger, I guess it worked then.

Oh dear... Fever has left me tired beyond imagination. I was so sad that for so much of it, Linden was absent, then overjoyed when he came back, then mad at his blindness, then happy again at how much he loves Rhine, and then floored with that freaking cliffhanger at the end. I hate cliffhangers. They're vicious things D:First of all, I'd like to defend myself. I understand many people don't like Linden. That is perfectly understandable. I will never agree to the whole Cecily situation, but it's not like Cecily wasn't willing, so he's not some kind of creepy rapist, no matter what anyone says. And what I see between him and Rhine is just... beautiful. It's not about sex, or making kids; it's about being there for each other and comforting one another when the weight of their reality comes crashing down on them. I can't condemn him for wanting a friend - he never forced himself on Rhine, and I have no idea why, if because it's just not who he is, because he chose to listen to his father (I hope to god not), or simply because he loves her enough to want her to want him too. I like to think it's the latter. Actually, I've pretty much convinced myself of it.Regardless, he was missing way too much from Fever, and I thought for sure this book would be less interesting than Wither, since, as much as I realise that Gabriel is a sweet guy and all, I still root for Linden.Of course, DeStefano had to prove me wrong; There wasn't one dull moment in this book; not one part where I skipped over a paragraph. Everything was well-told, to the point and insanely fast-paced, whis is probably part of why I feel like I just run a 10k marathon.I loved getting to meet new characters, all of which have a huge amount of depth to them, no matter what role they play, and most of all, I loved meeting Maddie. She reminds me a little of how I was as a child, always lost in my own fantasy world.Cecily surprised me. I love her to death, but she really should have known better by now. I can't believe what she did to Rhine, and I'm not sure I can look over that one so easily as the first time. Also, for not telling Linden. The poor man was so torn when he found Rhine... *sigh* sorry, I'm rambling.Anyway, before I go off on a rant again (writing reviews just after finishing a book this good always tends to lead to rambles, but I needed to talk to someone about this), let me just say... THAT BLOODY CLIFFHANGER! I hate cliffhangers. They are evil, evil things that make sure the time just doesn't go by fast enough till the next book. I'm pretty much already putting up a countdown for book 3 in my head. Goddammit.

Rhine Ellery has escaped her forced polygamous marriage along with Gabriel, a servant. In her desperation to escape her gilded cage, Rhine has forgotten a lot about the real world and runs straight into a trap in the form of a strange run-down carnival. Desperate to reach her brother in Manhattan, Rhine and Gabriel struggle to free themselves but with Rhine's sinister father-in-law Housemaster Vaughn determined to recapture her will they be able to escape again.This is the second book in the Chemical Garden trilogy (after  Wither ) and a book I was eagerly anticipating given my enjoyment of the previous installment. Now away from the mansion Rhine and Gabriel are on their own and the book has a great feel of danger as the realities of the world set in. Gabriel's reactions in particular are fascinating as all he has ever known has been an orphanage and the mansion, and Rhine never prepared him for the brutalities of the world.The book is very much about Rhine and Gabriel's journey to New York and so it twists and turns as they travel and come into contact with other people. That said there were a few plot twists that didn't make any sense, particularly those of Madame and her decisions about what to do with Rhine. It's hard to discuss without spoilers but one day work was done only for a decision to make said work pointless which seemed unusually wasteful for her character.I was expecting Rhine and Gabriel's romance to develop more in this book away from the influence of Linden, but it seems that reaches beyond his physical presence. Rhine seems to have lost her perspective on her marriage, remembering Linden quite fondly rather than as the man who married her against her will and some of her decisions are pretty dumb. Gabriel really starts to come out of his shell and develop as a character, keeping Rhine safe while struggling to accept the realities of the world.I loved some of the new characters that were introduced, especially Maddie. Maddie is a disabled child who Rhine and Gabriel encounter on their travels and I was impressed as how sympathetically and realistically her disabilities were presented. She's a really sweet kid to boot and so adds a new dimension to the story whilst replacing Cecily as the dependent character.All in all this was a great read and I'm looking forward to the final volume  Sever .Plot: 9/10Characters: 9/10Ending: 9/10Enjoyment: 10/10Cover: 8/10Overall: 45/50 WitherSever

I thought Wither was one of the most beautiful books I'd ever read. Fever is so much better. I don't understand how Lauren Destefano managed to do it but the title was so fitting throughout the book - the writing somehow made me feel like I was locked in a fever, seeing the world through Rhine's eyes andeverything I tried to imagine seemed out of focus and dizzy. I felt like this throughtout most of the book, with only brief chapters becoming clear when Rhine felt normal too, and that didn't last for very long.We start our journey at a circus of a sort, although a glorified brothel would be a closer term for it. I found this a little frustrating at first - a couple of minutes of freedom only to be trapped again? But we were at the brothel for a reason - to meet Lilac and her 'malformed' daughter, Maddie. Maddie is a great addition to the story and brings a lot of laughter, despite not saying a word. Rhine, our central character is the same as in Wither and I didn't felt that I learnt anything new about her this time, which didn't bother me. Gabriel didn't really feel 'there' to me, despite having many more scenes, but I didn't really care too much about that either. Rhine's brother was the one that intrigued me. As she's thinking of him and their past, you get a better picture of who he is and I'm not sure I like him very much!Overall, I didn't feel that Fever suffered from Second Book Syndrome and I loved the story as a whole, I think it moved it onto the third book really well. So well in fact, the first thing I did when I'd finished it was tweet to Lauren and beg her to let me read the third book. Well, it can't hurt to try...

Fever is the second book in the Chemical Garden trilogy and whilst I enjoyed the first book, Wither, slightly more than this one, it was still a great read.The series is about a dystopian world where the men only live to 25 and the women 20, so they're forced to breed early in order to keep the population alive. Rhine is the main character and in the first book, she is captured and sold to a wealthy family to marry Linden and become one of his many wives.The second book follows on from this storyline, but going into more details would spoil the first book. I liked this book slightly less than the first, but I can't place why. Up until around three-quarters of the way through, my interest wasn't held that well, but I'm dedicated to finishing the series so I pushed on. At the end, I was hooked again. The ending was tense and I can't wait to start the third book to find out what happens. I would highly recommend starting this series.

I really liked this book, it was set after Rhine and Gabriel's escape from the mansion so we weren't just stuck in the one place this time. It also meant we got a look at the world and what the disease had done to the cities and country in general. I thought the circus/ brothel was a great idea since it totally threw the idea of childrens carnivals and circus fun on its head, which is what the disease has done to young people. I complained in the last book that I didn't understand Vaughn but alot about his sinister experiments is revealed! I like that Rhine and Gabriel also aren't all flowers and hearts after they escape either, interestingly Gabriel's disappointed by what he finds on the outside. Overall I think the second installment developed the characters more and the plot was full of action and all sorts of adventure. A thrilling read that I'd recommend, I wasn't bored reading this at all and infact couldn't stop until I'd finished. :)

WARNING: SPOILTERS AHEAD - Don't read this unless you've read the novel alreadyI was really looking forward to this and bought it the day it came out. Wither was a great dystopian novel, a kind of reworking of The Handmaid's Tale for a younger generation, full of beautiful, lyrical passages of writing and original ideas.Unfortunately, I found Fever disappointing from the word go - I was irritated by the Madame character and the whole drugs theme that traced - unconvincingly - back to the blue June beans! Rhine just didn't deteriorate believably enough until they'd reached Manhattan for that plot line to work. All the focus was on Gabriel and how he reacted to the Angels Blood. I felt like Lauren de Stefano really wanted to write a novel about drugs and should have chosen a whole new set of characters. By the time Rhine's kidnapped again at the end, I'd almost lost interest and am not bothered about reading the third one.