The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2: Fever Review

Title: The Chemical Garden Trilogy #2: Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Date of Publication: February 21, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, E-Book

Synopsis: After escaping from the mansion where Rhine lived with her husband Linden, her sister wife Cecily, and Lindens evil father Vaughn she and Gabriel are on the run. To their horror they run into a worse trap than the one they were in before, forced to preform against their wills Rhine and Gabriel wait for the day they can make their escape. When Vaughn appears trying to buy back Rhine she and Gabriel make their escape and dreaming of finding their way to Manhattan. Tired and sick they finally make it, only to have Rhine on the verge of death. As they struggle to discover what's wrong with Rhine the more it becomes apparent that Vaughn still has a hold on both of them.

My Review:

I loved Wither so I was eager to start Fever; at first I was disappointed the plot was slow and I had a hard time focusing on the story, but after the halfway point I really started liking Fever. Full of action and suspense the second half of the novel made me love Fever just as much as I loved Wither. Rhine is a great character and I really love reading about her and her fellow sister wives.

My favorite character by far was Maddie, the young daughter of one of the girls Rhine meets on her journey. Maddie always made me laugh, weather she was biting someone's ankles or refusing to speak she lightened the mood of an otherwise dark novel. While I don't mind Gabriel I don't really like him either. A bit of a boring and flat character the romance between him and Rhine feels forced, he livens up a bit in the second half of the novel but I still can't help but have a piece of me that wants Rhine to end up with Linden.

I absolutely loved the second half of Fever, it undoubtedly made up for the boring beginning. From Rhine's devastating illness to the horror of Vaughn's underground lab I was completely riveted. When I was done I went back and re-read parts because I couldn't get them out of my mind. With such a fantastic finish I am thrilled for the final book, hopefully with more of Cecily and Linden!

Despite my early fears that Fever wouldn't live up to Wither it was a wonderful novel that leaves me eager for Sever. Definitely for the older end of YA, Fever is a book that will not disappoint; I would recommend The Chemical Garden Trilogy to young and old fans of science fiction.

4/5