Review: Fever
Title: Fever
Series: Chemical Garden # 2
Genre: Young Adult- Dystopian
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Book: ARC from Paragraphs Books
“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. “
I have been anticipating this book for a while now. So when I finally got my hands on this book I could do nothing but squeal. *sigh* I wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t. For some reason, I could not connect this world as well as I did the first book.
My issues with this book is the fast changes that emerges in it. I had some trouble gathering my feelings about this book. As I first started it, I was confused. There we so many changes happening so fast that I could not grasp it. Then it felt like the reader was no longer in the world of Rhine but a whole new one. I admit that the changes were good, but it felt like the author went from one extreme to another with no explanation in between. It took me some time to get into to book and at last I found my place.
The beginning even though has major changes, for me, it took me longer to get into. I guess in part, this is my fault. I was expecting a certain plot line and instead got a whole new surprise. Thinking back on this book, I admire that the author threw a whole new twist to the story. It certainly gave the reader a bigger explanation of the world outside of the manor.
The love interest in the book is where I want it to be. I loved that Rhine is so much stronger in who she is. She fights for those she loves and does not give up, even when she is incapacitated. Towards the end of the book, I finally got what the author was trying to make me see. And then the ending. I really loved how the ending left the reader with so much suspense.
Fever carries important messages about persistence, faithfulness, and courage in the face of nearly impossible obstacles. With a few weaknesses in the plot, it still makes for great read of a life never seen before.
I give it 3 BITES!
Happy Reading!
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I haven’t read the first, but it’s in my room waiting to be picked up. I’ve seen a lot of people drooling to get their hands on it. Bummer that you didn’t like it all that much but was still able to enjoy it enough to finish it <3
Yeah, I still liked it.
I have to admit I’m not a fan of the first book, I know that so many peeps loved it to pieces yet I never really liked it. But, I’m always up for giving it another chance but seeing that you seemed to be disappointed, I guess that’s it for me!
Yeah, I was so looking forward to this book. I’m mean I was just super excited. *sigh*
Oh Im reading this one now! I’m only about 30 pages in though so not much has happened. I wasn’t a immense fan of the 1st – gave it 3-stars because of the slow pace so I think I may actually like this faster changing pace. We’ll see I guess. 🙂
I hope you do like it. It’s get better towards the end.
Hm. I’m curious to see what I’ll think of this one and all the changes you mentioned. I really enjoyed the first book, but I’m wondering how things are going to progress without Linden, he was a favorite of mine in book 1. Thanks for your thoughts Savy!
Jenny, I hope you liked it. It just took me a while to get into it.
I’ve heard mixed things about this book, which is on par with how I felt about the first one–I really liked some things, I had problems with others. It sounds like it is still worth continuing to see where the story goes. Thanks for the honest review!
Wendy @ at The Midnight Garden
I had problems with the plot pacing. I had to step back and just look at everything. Still, it got better towards the end.
Oh I’m disappointed. I was hoping to get more in this one. I don’t like it if you get lost and have to evaluate. Maybe I’ll wait for the 3rd book to get this one. Maybe that will end up being more satisfying all together.
Yikes. I was so looking forward to reading Fever. The first book was pretty good but left me wanting to know more about Rhine’s world. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it more.