Wither by Lauren Destefano

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

This is the first book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy. The second book called Fever will be out in February.

Imagine a world without cancer and other diseases. But then imagine a world where girls only live until the age of 20 and boys until the age of 25. In Wither the world is a different place then the one we live in now. Cancer has been cured but then it was discovered down the road when children started dying in their twenties that something went terrible wrong along the way.

Due to this young girls are being kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. Rhine Ellery is sixteen and living with her twin brother when she is taken by the Gatherers and becomes one of three brides to Linden. Even though she has entered a world of wealth and privilege and her husband seems to love her she wants out. She wants to go back to be with her brother and she wants her freedom. To get her freedom she has to contend with her father-in-law who is an eccentric man bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

This was an interesting read. I don't think I would like knowing I when I was going to die. I know one day I'm going to die but not when. Rhine knows that in four years she will die no matter what. I wouldn't want to have a child that I wouldn't get to raise. The children in this book don't have a childhood. How can they when their lifespan is so short. I'm curious as to see what else is in store for Rhine. This book makes you think.