Monday, June 4, 2012

Review #173: Fever by Lauren DeStephano

Fever is the second book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStephano. Goodreads says:

Rhine and Gabriel may have escaped the beautiful prison of Wither’s mansion, but they are far from escaping danger. First they’re chased for stealing a getaway boat, and then the fleeing pair ends up in the eerie den of Madame, an old woman who collects girls and sells them to the highest bidders. Worst of all, Vaughn, Rhine’s sinister father-in-law, seems to be on her trail every step of the way. Rhine remains determined to get to her brother in Manhattan—but the road they are on is long and perilous. Now that Rhine has finally regained her freedom, what lengths will she need to go to in order to keep it?

For my review of the first book, Wither, click here 

This book was excellent. Excellent. Admittedly I did not like it at first, but it got better and better as I kept reading. By the end, my eyes were ga-lued to my Nook, and I could not believe that it ended, or how it ended for that matter. I did NOT expect the book I got, but that by no means is a bad thing. Every moment held suspense, and there were so many heart-pounding moments that I thought my heart would just rip itself out of my chest. Just, oh my god, this is a heartbreaking book. I could not believe what Ms. DeStephano was putting her characters through. But I will say it all made sense, and I can NOT wait for the final book. We went from a sadistic carnival to the streets of Manhattan and all these new places. I loved this ride even though it damn near broke my heart. Everything was so well written and just plain good.

Rhine is still an amazing heroine. I admire her strength so much, having to go through all that she did. My heart broke for her, and all I wanted was for her to be happy with Gabriel and to find her brother. Her development was excellent, and she grew so much in the short span of this book. Speaking of Gabriel, he also got great development. I also still love him very much, and I loved how he adapted to everything around him, his love for Rhine never fading. Speaking of, their relationship is still one of my favorites. They grew with each other, fighting but always loving each other. Their banter still makes me smile, and I also nearly weep every time they show affection. The new characters like Maddie and the various other were so rich with character that I fell in love with them. Madame scared the hell out of me, as well as making me so freaking angry. And of course there was till Vaughn, who still chills me to the bone every time he's mentioned or around. I mean holy eff, he is a SCARY dude. 

Ms. DeStephano has improved so much. I loved the expanded world, however sketchy it was. She showed a bleak world trying to get by, ravaged by disease. She has a fabulous writing style and knows her way around a story. I can not wait for the final book, and anything else she writes.

I'll next be reviewing Immortal City by Scott Speer.

Until next time, viva la literature!

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