Fever by Lauren Destefano

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

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.

Jillian’s Review:

I didn't like this as much as the first one (Wither). The first few chapters were really gross—all about them being stuck in the red-light-district—and I'm not happy to think there are teenagers out there reading that nastiness. But it got better as it went along, and it was nice to have more time spend with Rhine (still hate her name) and – together, even if they’re running the majority of the time.

I found it strange how much time was spent inside Rhine's "fevered" brain when only half of it made sense so the reader isn’t quite sure what’s real and what’s not. DeStefano could have condensed it into one chapter and moved on with the story and it wouldn’t have hurt the novel at all.

Even though there was no resolution, it still had an interesting ending and I'm for sure reading the third, and I believe the final one in this series (Untitled, release date: April 1,2013).

Wither By Lauren DeStefano

Oops! I lost track of time yesterday and didn't even realize it was Wednesday today until just now! Here's my review - just pretend it's Tuesday ;)

Synopsis (from GoodReads.com):

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. Editor's recommendation.

Jillian’s Review:

I know I probably shouldn't have liked this one as much as I did, what with how depressing it was and the completely unrealistic WW3 that took out EVERY continent except good ol' North America and that everyone dies at exactly the same age depending on gender. BUT, I couldn't put it down.
I was so happy to finally read a novel written in first-person where I really got to know the girl through her emotions and perceptions. Rhine (dumb name, but I guess it has meaning. Maybe I'll find out what that meaning is in the second book) was strong and intense and I wanted her to survive from the beginning.

The bad guy was totally creepy. I actually got the shivers a couple of times when Rhine had to play nice with him. The good guy(s) were likeable. I would have liked to get to know Gabriel better. There should have been more scenes with him and Rhine but I still wanted him to escape with her pretty much from day one of their meeting. I like that the guy Rhine is forced to marry was actually a good guy – naive and unobservant – but good and realistic, considering the unrealistic situation they’re put in. I was surprised, for a girl stuck in basically the same (albeit plush) room for nearly the whole novel, DeStefano manages to make Rhine’s life interesting. DeStefano also does a great job of showing the reader Rhine’s background with out constantly warping us back to the past.

And of course, the cover is awesome! I couldn’t resist trying this one when I found it displayed in the YA section of my public library. Thanks to whatever librarian thought to put it there!

I look forward to reading the next in the series, Fever.