Waiting on Wednesday: Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I read a lot of series. Many of them I like, a choice few do I love. This one is part of the latter. Sever by Lauren DeStefano, coming out February 12, is the third and final installment in The Chemical  Garden series. Be forewarned, there are spoilers for the first two books in this summary. If you've read Wither and Fever, then feel free to read on!

Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

From Goodreads

I am so stoked for this finale! The characters are phenomenal and the story is quite incredible. I will be sad to see it end, but glad to finally get a resolution to the saga. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I have been so eager for each book that I am sure that this one will finally quench that desperate need for the next story. On top of all that, these covers are remarkable!

What are you waiting on this week?

Fever by Lauren DeStefano review

Be forewarned, Wither was an incredibly action-packed novel, so this WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS if you haven't read it. Read on at your own risk & be sure to check out my review of Wither if you're curious.

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Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the 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.

From Goodreads

As you see in the summary, a lot is going on in this next installment. Rhine only thought her fight was over once she got out of the mansion, when really it was just beginning. And poor Gabriel is shocked that the world of his beloved atlases doesn't exist anymore & the present world is on a shadow of the glory promised by Rhine.

Once they (barely) escape the mansion, these two find themselves in a new nightmare of a scarlet district run by a madwoman with no sense of shame. They make new acquaintances who help them on their beleaguered journey to Manhattan. And if that isn't bad enough, housemaster Vaughn (her nefarious father-in-law) is tracking them like the bloodhound he is. Throughout all of this turmoil though, there is a sense of hope, however fleeting. Rhine begins to understand just how well off she was at the mansion despite all its perils & Gabriel comes to terms with his role outside of the mansion.

Lauren DeStefano has brought us back to a hobbled world where women die at 20 & men die at 25, so there is little in the way of moral order. While society is not exactly in a state of chaos, there is a sense of foreboding in the air & the dread of unknown things to come. I really enjoyed picking up Rhine's familial story arc. We learn more about her deceased parents & her twin brother, all of which give us a glimpse not just into her character, but also into the society as a whole. Even Housemaster Vaughn exemplifies certain characteristics of the rich in this world & how some things (like power & influence) never change.

There is plenty enough action & intrigue to keep you going, but this one didn't have me on the edge of my seat (as the first one did) until the last few chapters. They totally made it worth it! Not a quick read, but definitely a good one, you simply must read Fever!

Waiting on Wednesday: Fever (Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

SPOILER ALERT!! If you have not yet read Wither, the first installment in this series, then this preview will definitely ruin it for you. Read the book first or read my review of it before proceeding. Go ahead... I'll wait.

Okay, so Fever is the highly anticipated sequel in the Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano. It's February 12th release date has long been awaited by those of us who devoured the first book. I read it super fast & then passed it on to my sister who squeed right alongside me. Now we get to go through it all again.

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the 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.

From Goodreads

How fabulous does that sound? I'm notorious for bashing book 2 of most series because I find that it ends up being a filler novel with no real meat to it. This one promises to defy that stereotype. I look forward to it.

What are you waiting on this week?

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Rhine has been taken by the Gatherers. These roving bands of thieves steal their world's most valuable resource: young girls. In a world where men die at 25 and women die at 20, the Gatherers are making a profit off stealing young girls & selling them into prostitution, workhouses, or (potentially one of the worst) into a loveless marriage where they're forced to give birth to the next generation. The latter is what has happened to Rhine & while she is constantly worried about her twin brother & what he's doing, she's determined to get back to him.

Rhine, Jenna, & Cecily were all married to a semi-famous architect named Linden Ashby. While they each have their own room & their own attendant, they are confined to the wife floor of an expansive mansion. Rhine manages to quickly bond with the current wife Rose, who is in the throes of death. Rose warns Rhine not to underestimate Linden's father, he's a ruthless doctor that will protect his work & his son, at any cost. After Rose's death, Rhine inherits her status as the "first wife," a more public role than that of the other wives, and sets about earning Linden's trust so she can make a break for it at the earliest moment.

But Rhine didn't expect to actually grow fond of her sister wives, being to care for her husband & she certainly never expected Gabriel.

This is an attention-grabbing first novel in a new series by a debut author! I must say that I am quite impressed with this book. It manages to be set in a future, semi-apocalyptic world where everyone is dying from an unknown virus & yet seem so currently. I feel like it draws several parallels to present-day situations where young girls are treated like products to be distributed rather than the human being that they are.

Rhine is such an amiable character. Her story really draws you in & also gives you a picture of what's happened in the world. Her memories of her parents really helped flesh out what was going on in the rest of the world while she was stuck under Linden's house arrest. The "sister wife" concept was a first for me outside of a "religious-polygamy" setting, but it fit quite well with the "we need to make lots of babies quickly to find an antidote to what's killing us" scenario. I think it really added depth to the multitude of experiences by young girls in this society.

While I felt the writing was a bit repetitive at times (as in using the same phrase to covey the same emotion/memory), overall it was very metered & perfectly timed. The word choice really made a difference as well. There's not an adequate way to really describe it without giving away certain situations, but suffice it to say that this is a book that you won't want to miss.

On a side note, I must say that this book inspired me to create a playlist to listen to. The words of each song really convey the actions taking place. Listen, enjoy, & let me know what you think!