Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither

Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 358
Format: Hardcover
Category: Young Adult
Rating: Pick it!

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.
Synopsis courtesy of Good Reads.

I was worried about reading a dystopian book. I've only read one other dystopian and I hadn't really made up my mind about whether I'm a fan of the genre or not, but Wither really helped to bring me closer to a decision. I am definitely a fan of the genre now! This is a really new and refreshing story line. In this dystopian era, men can only live up to twenty-five and women up to twenty. We find ourselves following Rhine, a sixteen year old orphan twin being taken from her home in Manhattan to become one of three wives to Linden Ashby. We soon learn the camaraderie between the sister wives' and you definitely feel for them right away.

As the sister wives' become acquainted, we meet Housemaster Vaughn, Linden's father and a first generation human. You see this virus only affects new generations, so Housemaster Vaughn is perfectly healthy and has not been affected. He is a doctor of sorts and is committed to finding an antidote to the virus, especially for his son. At first he seems like the "grandfather type" who cares for everyone as his own, but we find out that is not the case at all.

Now I'm not here to spoil the story for you, that would be tragic. So I'll stick to telling you how I feel about the book. I really liked Wither! I think Lauren did a great job of making the story really unique and not like anything else you have ever read. This book really brought out a few emotions as well. I mostly felt sympathy while reading. Yet I never felt like the book was heavy either.  The polygamist marriage aspect was described well in my eyes. Lauren showed how the sister wives' were really more sisters then wives. They watched out for one another as the three of them became family. Anyways, this was a great book and I've already gone on Amazon to pre-order Fever: Book Two which will be released February 2012 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. So on that note, I would say Wither by Lauren DeStefano has been officially marked!