Review: Fever

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

***SPOILER ALERT***READING ANY OF THIS COULD SPOIL Wither! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T YET READ BOOK 1!***

Summary: 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: I have mixed feelings. I was very much anticipating this book, and I read it pretty quickly. But I cannot figure out how I feel or what I think about it. Overall, I didn’t like it as much as I liked Wither. It is written as well, and DeStefano is as amazing as she was the first time around. The world building is fantastic, and again I can picture everything in my mind as I read.

I think the tone is what didn’t work for me. I’m not sure that could have been helped, as it seems to be what the story is. But the story is very negative – much more than the first ever was. There is an overwhelming sense of frustration, despair, and hopeless that is imparted to the reader. In one way, it’s done ingeniously – DeStefano has made her readers feel what Rhine is feeling. But for me, it made reading Fever a bit of a downer. There is very little hope, very little happiness, very little of anything even remotely positive to experience this time around.

I remember when the cover was revealed. Some people complained that they didn’t like the look on the model’s face. Some even went so far as to say she looked drugged. I’m sure Ms. DeStefano got a good laugh over the talk. As with Wither, there is no one element on this cover that isn’t in some way integral to the story. From the dress to the carousel horse and the ring on her finger, all of it bears significance. All of it – even the model’s expression/pose. This cover – again, as with Wither – is a rare example of the perfect cover. It is gorgeous, and every single detail is relevant to the story.

This is a highly anticipated sequel to a very well-done novel, and I’m deliberately being vague to avoid spoiling things for anyone who would rather find out for themselves. Long story short, I felt it wasn’t as strong as Wither, but Fever is still very well-written. While the whole book in and of itself wasn’t as memorable as Wither, the ending packs a HUGE punch. I cannot wait for the final installment in this fabulous trilogy!

Source: Received through Around The World Tours for review.

Read It: Fever is scheduled for release on February 21, 2012. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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