From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1)

Lauren DeStefano

Start date: September 1, 2011

Finish date: October 1, 2011

Why we're reading this: This is the book choose to read. Link to discussion:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/6...…more
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May 27, 2011 Haze rated it liked it

Shelves: 2011-books-read

Article first published as Book Review: Wither (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStefano on Blogcritics.

I had been seeing Wither by Lauren DeStefano a lot in bookstores and was intrigued by the premise. A genetic experiment gone wrong has given all newborns a fixed lifespan of 25 years for males and 20 years for females. How could I not get hooked?

Apparently, it happened when scientists were trying to discover a cure of cancer and other degenerative diseases. They found a wa ...more

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Nov 16, 2016 Vickie rated it really liked it

Shelves: listened-to

I seem to be slightly addicted to dystopian future novels. I've read or listened to quite a few. I wonder if it's reached saturation yet. So long as they intrigue me, I will read and listen.
There are so many that it must be getting difficult to find a new premise. This is definitely a new premise. What I liked about this one is that it's something that could actually occur. Kind of like China only wanting male children to exist caused a shortage of female children...Geneticists creating perfect ...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Kaity rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, library-book, dystopia, science-fiction

Review originally posted on Bitten Books and given 4½ stars.

On their own, Rhine and her twin brother must take any chance at making money that they can. Rhine, however, faces the very real threat of the Gatherers, men who kidnap teen girls to sell to rich young men as wives. The Gatherers exist because science and genetic perfection have brought disastrous consequences, men dying at twenty-five and woman dying at twenty. Rhine finds herself taken by the Gatherers and sold along with two other si Review originally posted on Bitten Books and given 4½ stars.

On their own, Rhine and her twin brother must take any chance at making money that they can. Rhine, however, faces the very real threat of the Gatherers, men who kidnap teen girls to sell to rich young men as wives. The Gatherers exist because science and genetic perfection have brought disastrous consequences, men dying at twenty-five and woman dying at twenty. Rhine finds herself taken by the Gatherers and sold along with two other sister wives to Linden. Her fate is marriage to a man she hates and her sole purpose in life is now producing children and entertaining Linden. As terrible as that is, the women who weren't selected as wives faced a much worse fate, being shot to death and then discarded like trash. Rhine cannot accept her new life even if Linden treats her well and seems to love her. She needs to escape, she needs to return to her brother.

Rhine was a wonderfully unique narrator. Her voice was very odd but after a little adjusting, I loved it. It did slow down my reading, however, not that I minded. The way Rhine thought and spoke was just so distinctive, it's one of the things that really stuck out to me while I read the book. When so many YA books are replicas of others, a fresh voice is something to truly appreciate.

It's been a while since a book totally wrecked havoc on my emotions. One moment I was loathing someone or something then a few paragraphs later I was suddenly questioning what I'd previously felt. It was like a tilt-a-whirl ride, I never knew how I felt or what was going to happen and even when the ride ended, I was still experiencing the emotional confusion. Good confusion though. I loved that DeStefano was able to draw those emotions and reactions from me. Usually I'm set in my opinions and feelings about characters at at least the halfway point of the book but while reading Wither, I was constantly adapting and changing my perceptions.

Wither was so much more creepy than I'd expected. It was creepy as hell at certain points. I enjoyed the creepiness but there were a few things that I honestly found just a little too disturbing for my tastes (mainly the young pregnancy/polygamy, so just personal preference aspects not anything gore/violent/etc related). I did think that everything worked very nicely with the dystopian world created though. That said, I wouldn't recommend Wither as a starting place for people looking to try dystopian. I think it's a wonderful representation of the genre and a fantastic book but for readers unaccustomed to the genre, I think they might not enjoy Wither as much.

Wither isn't just about the story and Rhine's struggle to be set free. It's about relationships and that little gray area between right and wrong. Wither draws you so far into the book that you'll be left feeling the aftershock of the experience days later. ...more

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May 18, 2012 Kelli rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

I thought this book was beautifully written. The story is just creepy and haunting since the main character is dealing with being kidnapped and married off against her will in a dystopian setting. It's the first book in a trilogy but it doesn't end with a cliffhanger like other books I've read in dystopian series. It also does not offer much action. The character is just reacting to her new environment and contemplating her escape. ...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, fiction

I listened to the audio in the car, which turned out to be a bad idea. Every time I arrived at a place, I parked my car and sat there listening to the story. I didn't want to get out of the car because I wanted to continue to listen to what would happen next.

Lauren DeStefano takes us into a world were women live only up to 20 and men to 24. We are able to know and understand how this happen. Also, what having money can accomplish in a world were you know when your time is over.

I loved this book, ...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Jane rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopia

The book basically follows the same premise as The Handmaid's Tale but in a much more simplistic fashion. It was readable but that's about it. ...more

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