The Chemical Garden trilogy by Lauren DeStefano
Summary: In Rhine Ellery's world the women die at age 20, while the men live only to be 25. Ever since a lab explosion killed both of her parents four years previously, Rhine and her twin brother Rowan have been fending for themselves. One day Rhine is snatched up by a group of men called Gatherers. These men then sell her to a wealthy Housemaster in order to become one of his brides. Because of the short lifespan of all the men and women, polygamy has become the norm, and birth control has been made illegal in a last ditch effort at keeping the human race afloat. Now Rhine, trapped in a life she never wanted, has to find a way to escape and get back to her brother, before her life runs out.
Opinion: When I first heard of Wither (book one of the trilogy), I was immediately intrigued by the premise. Though not wholly original in itself, I had yet to read anything quite like it within the YA genre. I put off reading it for sometime, because other books seemed to take precedent. Last week I hit a bit of a slump and waiting for a different book to be released that was on my 'to-read' list, so in the meantime I decided to finally pick this one up. After the first 30 pages or so I found myself silently chastising myself for not reading it sooner! Though a bit of a slow burner at times, author Lauren DeStefano is able to completely immerse you in Rhine's world and her plight. Throughout the book I grew seriously attached to the characters, and whenever anything bad happened (as it always does within the dystopian subgenre) I would grow anxious.
The sequel to Wither, entitled Fever was of course the very next book I decided to read. Having literally just finished it a couple hours ago, I can say that it lived up to my expectations wholeheartedly. There was more character development, more twists, and more intrigue. The worst part about having finished is knowing I have to wait until next year for the third and final installment (as yet to be titled).
In conclusion, I believe that these are perfect books to get anyone out of a reading slump, or if you're just in the mood for some good ol' dystopian YA lit.
Recommended for fans of:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- XVI by Julia Karr
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
- Unwind by Neil Shusterman
