Review: Fever

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Series: The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Find it here: B&N, Goodreads, Mysterious Galaxy
Source: Library

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

My thoughts:

When I first read Wither I thought it was really great! But between reading Wither and Fever I read so many other great books and I thought that if I read Wither again, that I wouldn't think it would be as great.  So I wasn't read to jump on Fever as soon as it came out.  I eventually got it from the library and I definitely liked it more than I thought I would. 

I really enjoyed the progression of Rhine and Gabriel's story.  I felt it was well-paced and the series of events seemed fairly likely as opposed to other stories that are completely unrealistic.  The story moved quickly enough to where I didn't feel bored nor did I think that Rhine stayed in one place for too long.  I also enjoyed the ending and thought the little twist was just perfect.  It definitely left me hanging and wanting to find out what happens in Sever, the final book in the Chemical Garden trilogy. 

The Chemical Garden trilogy is a series that I have come to appreciate more now that I've read Fever! I guess I needed to be reminded that I really enjoy these books.  I don't like the cover to Fever as much as Wither and I feel like it too much of a literal interpretation of the story.  I personally like more abstract covers. I have to give Fever 4 hearts for reminding how great this series is and now I'm genuinely excited for the release of Sever!