Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Released: March 22nd 2011
Published by: Simon &Schuster Children's Publishing
Series: Chemical Garden, Book One
Page Amount: 358 (US Hardcover Edition)

"What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left."-Information from Goodreads.com


My Thoughts:
Wither by Lauren DeStefano is the author’s debut novel for 2011. I completely devoured the world she created in it. In Wither the human race is nothing but genetic engineering, and because of this there is a lethal virus that has Women dying at the age of 20 and Men dying at the age of 25. In this world Rhine, a 16 year-old girl who is orphaned has fought day to day surviving this chaotic world with her twin brother. She is very abruptly kidnapped and taken to be married. Along with Rhine is Cecily a 13 year-old girl and Jenna a 19 year-old girl, who are to become sister wives.

We don’t learn of Rhine’s past until she starts having flashbacks of her parents, her brother, and the home they all shared. Rhine doesn't act like her sister wives, she doesn't want a life of being the first wife. She wants to get back to her brother and having her freedom again not being locked away in the mansion. She develops feelings for Gabriel a servant at the mansion.

I absolutely love the cover, the girl kinda looks like Mandy Moore to me anyways. The dress is beautiful and I love the bird in the cage. I was hooked from the moment I started reading and I didn't want to stop.

The ending doesn't have a cliff hanger. However I am looking forward to the second installment in this series.
My rating is 5/5 stars!! 

If you are in the mood for an dystopian novel, then pick this up!
Hope you enjoyed my review, Ashley