Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lauren DeStefano’s debut novel Wither is a stunning opening to her Chemical Garden Trilogy.

Set in the future, genetic engineers attempted to perfect the human race, which has left the newer generation plagued with a virus that kills women at 20 years old and men at 25 years old. As a result, young women are frequently kidnapped and forcibly married off to wealthy young men to ensure the survival of the human race by having babies before they die. Sixteen-year-old Rhine is kidnapped from Manhattan where she lives alone with her twin brother Rowan, and taken to a mansion in Florida where she will be forced to marry Linden Ashby, the wealthy son of a prominent doctor. When she arrives at the mansion she find that, Linden’s first wife and true love, Rose has recently turned 20 years old and is dying from the virus. Rhine, along with two other young women Jenna and Cecily, has been chosen to be Rose’s replacements. Despite the tragic and awful circumstances Rhine and Rose develop a friendship and Rose asks Rhine to take care of Linden when she dies. After Rose’s death, Rhine begins to uncover the truth behind the medical research her father-in-law is conducting in the basement of the house. When she discovers the terrifying truth she realizes her only hope is to find a way to escape with the help of one of the house attendants, Gabriel. Will their escape plan succeed, and if so will Rhine be reunited with her brother?

Before I read it, I was cautious about the book’s premise and honestly wasn’t really sold on the idea. What I found is a wonderful read that deals with loss, survival, love, and ultimately hope. The narrative is wonderfully descriptive and well written. The characters are touchingly realistic in their flaws and struggles. By the end, you are trying to escape the Ashby mansion with Rhine and Gabriel, and hoping that Linden and Cecily ultimately try to escape as well.

The second book in the trilogy, Fever, is due out in February 2012 and I’ll be at the store waiting for it’s release!





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