Fever (The Chemical Garden, #2) in Sophomore Reading Challenge

May 08, 2011 Sasha rated it liked it

Shelves: simon-and-schuster, dystopian-postapocalyptic, young-adult, 2012-publication, read-in-2011

So, Rhine and Gabriel are on the run. Rhine is desperate to get back to New York City and reunite with her brother, Rowan. Fever is the journey that Rhine and Gabriel make to try and get to New York City. Will they be successful and even if they are, what will happen once they get there?

I was a little bit afraid that Fever was going to be too much of a “middle novel”, with nothing but fluff in the middle and the “boring” stuff that happens in the second book in a trilogy. But, boy, was I wrong. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2011 Shanyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: src

Wither is actually one of the dystopians where I remembered most of what happened without having to go back through and skim or read a bunch of reviews. YAY! So I started Fever with a good attitude, knowing what was going on, etc.

The first part of Fever put me off a bit - the carnival of girls was a little much for me to read. It wasn't as compelling to me as the Wither setting, and it was also a bit creepy. Once Rhine and Gabriel get past that to continue on to Manhattan, it was very hard to st ...more

Like · see review

May 07, 2011 Princess Bookie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read2011

My Thoughts: In the sequel to Wither, Destefano takes Fever to a whole new level. We are on the road with Rhine and Gabriel who have just escaped Vaughn's estate and the disastrous future that awaited Rhine.

As soon as the book opens up, Rhine and Gabriel are making their way from the water trying to get to safety. They soon find themselves taken captive by a women and her carnival. The carnival isn't much better than being a sister wife. Rhine still feels as though she's property and the lady w ...more

Like · see review

May 04, 2011 Danya rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopian

I had very mixed feelings about Wither, so I was a bit hesitant approaching its sequel, Fever. However, I ended up liking this one more than its predecessor (although not without some reservations still.)

Characters:

Rhine: I'd had trouble connecting with her in the first book, but I suppose I must have acclimatized to her voice, because in Fever it didn't cause me the same difficulty. She's still distant in a way, and overly dramatic at times, but by then I was used to it and just recognized it ...more

Like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Darlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: for-review, read-in-2012, arc, 2012-sophomore-reading-challenge

I received this Advance Reader's Copy for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

I started reading Fever immediately after finishing Wither. I literally put down Wither, pondered for a few moments about how it ended, and dove into Fever. I was expecting the adrenaline rush to be carried into this book. I have to say that I am a little disappointed that I wasn’t as caught up in the momentum of the story as I was with I received this Advance Reader's Copy for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

I started reading Fever immediately after finishing Wither. I literally put down Wither, pondered for a few moments about how it ended, and dove into Fever. I was expecting the adrenaline rush to be carried into this book. I have to say that I am a little disappointed that I wasn’t as caught up in the momentum of the story as I was with Wither.

Fever picks up right where Wither leaves off, with Rhine and Gabriel trying to find their way to Manhattan to find Rowan. They both are abducted by Madame Soleski, a lady who runs a carnival that includes a brothel. She is intelligent and realizes the financial potential of a beauty like Rhine with her heterochromic eyes. She keeps both Rhine and Gabriel drugged up so that they cannot escape. Rather than pimping her out as she does with her other girls, she sets up a sort of “peep show” where paying customers can watch Rhine and Gabriel together.

I thought the whole carnival/brothel scene was just very bizarre, and I actually did not care much for this part of the story. I kept wondering when we were going to get on with the story! The story picked up a little bit of excitement when Vaughn tracked them down at the carnival, and then Rhine and Gabriel managed to escape from both Madame’s and Vaughn’s clutches but not without taking Maddie who is the daughter of one of Madame’s girls. With child in tow, they are on the run again to get to Manhattan.

The pace of the book did not pick for me until the last quarter of the book, when Vaughn tracks Rhine down for the second time. I found that the parts of the story that lagged were the ones without Vaughn! He is so deliciously evil that I just love to hate him!

DeStefano did a bang-up job keeping me on the edge of my seat for the thrilling ride to the end of the book, but I was a little disappointed with how this second story in the series progressed. I was so excited for Rhine and Gabriel to begin their new lives and to see their relationship blossom, but that did not happen. I did not enjoy Fever as much as I did Wither, but I think that DeStefano got her groove back by the end of Fever. I hope that Vaughn figures prominently in the final installment of the trilogy, which is due to be released in April 2013.

MY RATING: 4 stars!! It was really good! You should put it on your "To Be Read" list. Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to review this book! ...more

Like · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Amanda (Vivalabooks) rated it liked it

Shelves: future-books-i-want, feb-2012-releases, sophomore-reading-challenge

Wow! Isn’t this cover just gorgeous! The Chemical Garden covers are always so riveting and eye-catching, and it’s like they’re begging me to pick them up. I mean look at how cool the cover of Fever is! It gives off this enchanting yet creepy vibe that draws you in.

Well, in Lauren DeStefano’s Fever, the second book in The Chemical Garden series, we are now experiencing the world outside the mansion. And, man is that world messed up! I didn’t completely realize how awfully destroyed their world wa Wow! Isn’t this cover just gorgeous! The Chemical Garden covers are always so riveting and eye-catching, and it’s like they’re begging me to pick them up. I mean look at how cool the cover of Fever is! It gives off this enchanting yet creepy vibe that draws you in.

Well, in Lauren DeStefano’s Fever, the second book in The Chemical Garden series, we are now experiencing the world outside the mansion. And, man is that world messed up! I didn’t completely realize how awfully destroyed their world was until Rhine and Gabriel were actually experiencing it. Rhine’s life inside the mansion didn’t seem as bad now that I was experiencing this awful outside world, but I’m still glad she ran away.

The creepy carnival with its even weirder ring mistress was just unbelievably spooky and disgusting! The way she treated the girls was just horrible. I couldn’t believe the terrors Rhine and Gabriel experienced.

Gabriel and Rhine are such a cute couple, but they hit some bumps along the road in their relationship during Fever. They were still a few cute, memorable moments, but they had to fight through a lot of despair throughout the book.

I think Fever was a harder read than Wither because we were experiencing the outside world, not the sheltered world inside the mansion. I mean the world inside the mansion wasn’t any good, but the horrors in the outside world were astonishing. However, what do you expect out of a world where men die at age 25 and women at age 20.

Throughout Fever, I felt Rhine losing her fierce grip on her life. Vaughn, her creepy father-in-law, is chasing her down with only one goal in mind: taking her back to the mansion. So, Rhine and Gabriel are trying to run as far away as possible from Vaughn to her twin brother, Rowan, in Manhattan. But, they experience so many terrible hardships that make their journey more difficult. At moments, I just wanted to throw Fever down in desperation for Rhine and Gabriel’s safety.

Ohhh, the ending! I didn’t know exactly what I was expecting, but what I got was something I didn’t want at all. I mean it was a great, suspenseful conclusion, but I did NOT want it to end like that. Plus, the MAJOR cliffhanger we’re left with is always “great”. I never saw it coming, but I can’t wait to get my hands on Sever, the final book in the Chemical Garden series.

Fever was a bit of a slow read towards the end, but trust me you’ll be begging for more once you read that last page.

- Amanda
...more

Like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Alexa marked it as didnt-finish

Shelves: gave-away, arc, first-reads

The first book in the series Wither was strange. Well, that's one word I would use to describe it. Honestly, I was left feeling 'meh' about that book because...it bored me. It really did. And what I've read of Fever, it already seems even weirder and more boring than Wither. I'm definitely not saying Wither is the better book. Both books are probably on the same level, but reading another book like Wither is not something I'm in the mood to go through again. I want to say I'm putting Fever on-ho ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

May 08, 2011 Jessi rated it it was amazing

Two words: WOW. AWESOME.

I can't share a fuller review just yet, but know this: this book ROCKS. If you enjoyed Wither, then this book will blow your mind because really, I think it's even better. DeStefano's writing is mesmerizing. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 16, 2011 Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday) added it

Shelves: sophomore-challenge-2012

I continue to be amazed at Lauren DeStefano's imagination, worldbuilding and writing. Fever does not disappoint! See full review on my blog!

http://jenryland.blogspot.com/2012/03... ...more

Like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, 2012, complete-series-read

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I might bump it down from the 4 star to the 3 star after some reflection. I'm honestly not sure how I want to rate this one.

Review to come! ...more

Like · see review