Fever
Fever was the much anticipated sequel to Wither by Lauren DeStefano.Wither
First of all, I just want to say that I think the cover of this book is gorgeous! I love the lines that lead from the circles, and the dress is so ruffly and extravagant! I just love it! So cover = 2 thumbs up! However, the Fever (Chemical Garden Trilogy #2) cover, I don’t like so much. But that’s a different review…
I started Wither because I got Fever (Chemical Garden Trilogy #2) in the mail a few weeks ago and just couldn’t stand to read Fever if I hadn’t read the first one. I’d heard great things about Wither but I was still reluctant. After reading the synopsis on the front flap I thought that the book would be a dark, confusing dystopian novel.
Wither starts out dark. Very dark. I mean, Rhine is taken from her home and forced into a marriage. She is like a prisoner in her own home. Actually, the whole world in this book left me in mortal terror. Also, at first I despised both of Rhine’s sister wives as well. (although I came around for Jenna eventually)
As the book progresses it becomes more light hearted. Rhine meets Gabriel, a servant, who becomes the love interest, and she also gets more freedom and is able to go outside and play with her sister wives, Cecily and Jenna. But when Cecily gets pregnant and Gabriel is relocated and all this other bad stuff (I won’t say what because that would ruin the book) starts to happen, the book becomes darker and gloomier again.
However, the end of this book is completely thrilling and such a cliff hanger! I was so glad I had Fever at the ready so I could pick up where I left off in the first one. And even before the ending there are tons of plot twists throughout the book that were totally unexpected.
I’m not going to dumb it down, this book is creepy and utterly terrifying in many ways. Rhine’s husband’s father, Vaughn, is one of the creepiest characters I have ever read. Really, he was in one of my dreams the other night. Yeah, he’s totally psycho and if he doesn’t scare you then I don’t know what will.
Overall, I really enjoyed Wither. It’s one of those books that chilled me to the bone, but also one with valuable lessons I won’t forget. The world created in this book really is unforgettable. Wither drew me in so much that I would just sit down with it and read 100 pages at a time. If you haven’t read it, I highly, highly recommend it. (as long as you don’t mind being creeped out/in mortal terror) 
Ashes
This book starts out with a bang. Literally and figuratively. Never a dull moment. The action starts right off, and the rest of the story is just as nicely paced. Not too fast, not to slow with the plot steadily moving and flowing. Ashes would be best for Teen and Young Adult lovers of Action-packed survival stories, but also for anyone just looking for an exciting story.
Alex just wanted to get away from everything for a while, so she headed for the Great Lakes. Then came the “Zap” followed by creepy, brain-washed monster people. With no choice but to run again, Alex brings Ellie, a younger girl with quite an attitude, with her, hoping to survive. Eventually they meet Tom, an Army veteran also stranded by the Zap. Trying to survive the monsters and the cold northern winter, Alex sets on a journey to find everything she’s lost, while trying to find a way to survive. Eventually stuck in a town of survivors, she tries to find a way to escape. Then she realizes the horrific truth of what’s really happening there…
Ashes was a very good book. A great story, the plot keeps a nice speed, so that you’re never waiting too long for the excitement. It was still suspenseful though, the reader is often wondering what choices will be made, and what will happen as a result. I found I really liked Alex. She’s an awesome girl, who never gives up without a fight. I found that she was a very well fleshed-out character with a fairly well explained past. In fact, I think that the author did very well with the almost all the characters, because you really get a feel for them, and they stick to their own personalities, instead of making decisions that don’t fit. So overall, Ashes was a great story, and well put together, making it easy and very enjoyable to read.
– Amber, age 14
About the Book:
Title: Ashes
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Release Date: 08/2011
Divergent
This is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite books. Even more impressive is the fact that this is a first book for a new author. I’m very impressed, and cannot wait for the rest of the series. I have read this book several times over, and I like it more every time. I loved this book, and I think anybody who liked the Hunger Games series, or really any dystopian fiction will too. In fact, even if you don’t like dystopian stories (or haven’t read much) you will still be impressed by this book. I recommend this book to every Teen or Young Adult reader.
Beatrice lives in a world of five factions. Which faction you chose to continue your life after 16 in decides everything. Your friends, your enemies, even your family is affected. “Faction before Blood” is the saying in all the history books. The actions are supposed to make everything easier to live life the way you want. For Beatrice, she finds herself choosing between 2 factions: Dauntless, the Brave, the one she feels she belongs to, and Abnegation, the Selfless, and the one she was born into, the one she has her family in. Her logic is that it would be truly selfless to stay in Abnegation, yet also truly brave to switch from Abnegation to Dauntless, something only one person has ever done before. As Tris makes her decision and struggles to live life the way she really wants to, she fights with herself, and everyone around her. She tries to remain loyal to old friends and family, while also trying to be truly Dauntless, as opposed to the vicious aggressive faction that Dauntless has seemed to have become. Along the way, she also has to deal with Four, one of the Dauntless initiate teachers. Who he is, how she sees him, and most confusing, how he sees her. Her dangerous secret only confuses things more for her. While dealing with everything else, she also has to deal with the dangerous truth of what she is: Divergent. Not fit to follow only one faction’s ideals, but more than one. What this really means, is that Tris is not afraid to be who she feels she is and wants to be, no matter how dangerous that might be for her.
This book was amazing. Divergent had a gripping yet unique plot, incredible characters who you really can understand and relate too, great descriptions of almost everything you could want to know about what is happening, and overall, it all fit smoothly together. No lose ends that you don’t expect to be finished by the rest of the series, no rough edges or seams between two different plot threads. Everything fit together perfectly. I would be hard pressed to find something I really didn’t like about Divergent. This is an incredible story, and I loved every single moment of it.
– Amber, age 14
About the Book:
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: 05/2011
Born Wicked
Cate Cahill is a character anyone with close siblings can relate to – all she cares about are her sister’s well being, and making sure they will be alright, even if it means giving up her happiness. She sacrifices her own wishes for their multiple times, and in the end, that’s what it comes down to – her sisters or her.
