Friday, April 27, 2012

Review: Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publish Date: February 21, 2012
Genre: YA, dystopian
Pages: 341
Series: The Chemical Garden #2
1. Wither (review)
2. Fever
3. Untitled (expected pub 2013)

**WARNING: SPOILERS**
Synopsis:
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.


One of my favourite things when I read Wither last year, was the relationship between Rhine and Gabriel. He’s honestly one of my favourite love interests. I was not disappointed with Fever in regards to Gabriel. Now that he and Rhine have escaped the mansion, he is constantly at her side, fighting for her, fighting with her, and doing the best he can in a very unfamiliar environment.

I really have to commend Lauren for the liberties she takes in YA. Fever contains a lot of risque topics, such as prostitution, drugs, and attempted rape. Perhaps it’s because kids these days are exposed to so much more, that it doesn’t really matter if they see it in one more place. Either way, I think it’s ballsy, and commendable, of Lauren to do it in such a justifiable way. It really shows the state of the world that Rhine lives in, so I think it brings a lot to the story.

There are a lot of new characters that we meet as Rhine and Gabriel head to Manhattan. A lot of the characters were very different, and were another thing that shows the state of the world. There was Madame, the ringmistress who I hate with a passion, Lilac, who is a realist and optimist, Maddie, who didn’t let her physical disabilities rule her life, Claire, who has the biggest heart, and more.

I was turning the pages so quickly as I neared the end. S*** was going down! I had one status update around page 290 and all I could write was “Gabriel” over and over again. No spoilers here, but he’s all I could think about for much of the end of the book. So if you’re a big fan of Gabriel, like I am, then prepare yourself.

I can’t wait for the third book. I think I know what the storyline might be because of the end of Fever, but I’m still dying while waiting. We (as a public) still have no title, no cover, and no synopsis! Lauren has all of these things as of now... and I’m jealous. But I’m excited to see what’s next, and don’t know if I can wait a year!

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

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