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"Natural humans used to live for at least eighty years, my mother told me. Sometimes a hundred. I hadn't believed her. Now I can see what she meant. Rose is the first twenty-year-old I've spoken to at length, and she's stifling a cough that sprays blood into her fist, her skin is still smooth and soft. Her face is full of light. She doesn't look very different from, or very much older than, me."
We will start with the good. Wither is one of the most elegantly written young adult books I've read. I'm not saying it's the best book but Lauren DeStefano has a way with words that makes it feel like you're listening to the most beautiful song or poem. The genius of this story lies in her. Not the world building which is far from perfect, or the characters, or even the story itself, but in the beautiful prose that brings you from your regular life into the terrifying world that Rhine Ellery has grown up in.
Rhine is only 16, but in a world were girls die at the ripe old age of twenty, she might as well be a senior citizen. She's lived the last 3 years in fear of exactly what has happened. That she would be taken and sold to become a bride. Here I'll be honest. Her life as a bride seemed so much better than her description of her life before that I can't see what all the fuss is about, but some people value freedom above all else and she must have been one of them. All she can think about is getting back home to her brother. Anyway, with her two new sister wives, Rhine tries to survive while at the same time plotting ways to win favor so she can hopefully escape.
Overall, it’s a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable story that contains beautiful symbolism, well thought out dream sequences and compelling characters. It’s clear in some ways that DeStefano did her research. For example, name meanings. Rhine’s 2 sister wives are named Cecily, which means blind, and Jenna, which means small bird. Read the book and you’ll see that the meanings are perfect.
If only she had taken the time to research her world as thoroughly. Through some miracle, North America is the only continent to survive a destructive3rd world war while the rest of the planet is under water. Also, although the polar ice caps have melted, the story takes place in Florida which seems highly unlikely to me. They eat candies and have highly advanced technology but where does this come from in a world where everyone dies so young. This leads to the biggest issue. Has there ever been a disease in this world that so specifically targets an age. Women die at 20 and men at 25 and it’s not like they just age super-fast. They literally just get sick and die around their birthdays.
However, because the story was so good, and the writing so beautiful I’ll still give this story 4 stars because I was entertained and I did really like it. Hopefully the next 2 are just as good.
