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| Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano |
Summary from Goodreads:
"Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. Editor's recommendation."
Rating:
Don’t get me wrong, Wither is very much intriguing. The first chapter would immediately get you held to the story and I immediately thought that this was going to be a good read.
The plot was truly unique so it’s no question that I was captivated by it. It was distressing to know that the lifespan of people have been reduced to 20 and 25. It was painful to feel that despite the perfection of making humans almost immortal and not getting sick, ends up with this disturbing defect. Even more painful is the fact that scientists strive hard, hoping to find a cure but fail as years pass by, over and over again. Add the fact that teenage girls are being abducted and sold to rich polygamous men. Really such a striking story, isn’t it?
But as I progress through the chapters, it drags on. I do love reading about Rhine and her sister wives, their bonding and arguments, their individual responsibilities as wives to Linden Ashby; but it feels like most of the chapters are uneventful. Not that I can blame DeStafano for it, it is supposed to be a prison-like life for Rhine and that’s how it turned out.
I had a hard time figuring out how Rhine truly feels about Linden, there are times that she says she’s pretending to show affection but end up like she’s truly expressing how she feels, so I don’t really get her.
The character I love most is Jenna. She does her best not to stand out but is very observant. I almost cried over what happened to her in the end.
Anyway, I know my thoughts are all jumbled up on this review so I’ll just conclude that this was a nice read, it may not be my taste of tales but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Despite the drag, I liked how it ended. It was like waking up seeing the sunrise over the sky for a new day, like the book is telling me, “This is only the beginning.”
