Wither
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4.4 • 345 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A teen fights to escape the wealthy family who kidnapped her to produce their heirs in this first book in the riveting, New York Times bestselling dystopian young adult trilogy reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect humanity has left all males with a lifespan of twenty-five years, and all females with one of twenty—and the world has fallen into a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and girls are kidnapped off the streets and forced to serve as wives and bear children for the scions of the rich and powerful.
Despite her every precaution, Rhine is kidnapped and forced to become a bride. Kept under tight guard, and tossed into a glittering world of illusion, Rhine is given wealth and luxury beyond anything she’s ever dreamed. Her every need is met…every need except freedom. With the help of sweet, caring Gabriel—a servant in the manor—Rhine will do anything it takes to escape, go home, and reunite with her twin brother.
But Florida is a long way from Manhattan; her father-in-law, a scientist from the perfect, healthy “first generation” who is obsessed with finding a cure for this early death, is watching her every move and hoarding corpses in the basement; and her husband, Linden, is a far cry from the monster she imagined him to be. But in a world that continues to decay, and with only four years left to fight for, is there any room for someone like Rhine to choose her own path?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Opening the Chemical Garden trilogy, DeStefano's harrowing debut initially comes across as The Handmaid's Tale for YA readers. DeStefano, however, forgoes larger social analysis to depict the personal impact of a dystopian future on Rhine and Gabriel, teenagers with a handful of years to live. Science gave 21st-century America one generation of perfect babies; since then, war has destroyed the other continents, and a virus that kills girls by 20 and boys by 25 has ravaged subsequent generations. Healthy teenage girls are prized as breeding stock, and Rhine is kidnapped and forced into a polygamous marriage with the wealthy Linden Ashby, in whose palatial Florida home Gabriel is a servant. Pampered but imprisoned, Rhine only wants to get back to her twin brother, Rowan, in gritty Manhattan. And as Gabriel's furtive relationship with Rhine grows, he begins to share her dream of escape. DeStefano has an observant and occasionally pitiless eye, chronicling the cruelties, mercies, and inconsistencies of her young characters. The larger world is less precisely realized; it will be intriguing to see how DeStefano develops it as this promising trilogy progresses. Ages 14 up. n
Customer Reviews
good, exiting read
I loved this book! It was really exiting beacuse you have to know if she escapes the mansion. It has a unique idea, that females die at age 20 and males at age 25. There was good character development, espeachially with Cecily and Jenna. What was the person thinking who thought Rhine should stay in the mansion? Sure, she would live in luxery,but if shes forced to be married to a man she dosnt love, and one of her sister wives murdered and being disected in the basement, I wouldnt hesitate to do the same. It would only be a matter of time before she would be forced by Vaughn to be like Cecily, another baby making factory. And if my brother was the only family i had left, of course i would miss him and try to fibd him!
Simple, could have been better
I understand that this is a debut for the author, but thats all the more reason to really make this book epic. But it wasn't horrifically awful either - simply put, it was an okay read but not memorable.
First, there is signs that This author could be really promising in future, but I don't think this series is where she'll find it. Certain prose she wrote in the book stuck out to me, and set the needed mood. She has a nice way of sharing her story.
But, that never completely carries a book. And this book's main fault was lack of character development. Rhine, the main character, is likable, but her motives are not always clear and her explanations as to why she feels the need to run away are unfounded. I did find it a little awkward how attached she was to her brother. Her relationship with brother Rowan seemed unhealthy, extremely co-dependant. She had the chance to make a new life after The Gatherers captured her, but she was completely absorbed with the idea of leaving her husband and sister-wives.
Linden, her husband, was intriguing and I wanted Rhine to love him as much as she seemed to want to, but she refused to since she was planning to leave him ASAP.
Gabriel, her real love interest, seemed unnecessary and a little forced. The few moments that Rhine got to be with Gabriel weren't enough for me to believe in their love for one another.
The supporting cast of characters outside of them were well-defined and I really enjoyed Jenna, one of the sister-wives.
The last bone I have with this story is the fact that females die exactly at twenty and males at twenty-five. It was a little contrived, a little too unbelievable, this epidemic in humanity that was killing everyone off at a rapid pace.
As for my invested interest in this series, I think I will pass on the second book in the trilogy because many have commented on how it is practically the same plot of getting caught and having to plan another escape.
When the third book is released, I may read it to see if it addresses my unanswered questions, but I'm not holding my breath for it as I never felt fully invested in this story.
Kudos to the author for doing something that didn't involve vampires and werewolves, and for coming up with something different than Hnger Games, but it does fall short of being just as great as those books.
Amazing
This book is exactly the kind of book I have been waiting for. I am amazed by her talent and I want to read so much more from this author. I can't wait for the next book!!!