Book Recap: Wither by Lauren deStefano

Cover Inspection:
Very beautiful!

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
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.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.5
Plot	3.0
Writing	3.0
Characters	2.5
Ending	3.5
Overall Rating	3.0 Very Good! (89% to 92%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
The story is set in the future. Rhine is originally from New York, but she was kidnapped and brought to Florida.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The main character is Rhine. She is sixteen years old and lives with her twin brother. She was kidnapped, and was chosen to be the bride of a rich man for procreation purposes.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
The story is set in the future when science has eradicated all kinds of sickness including Cancer. A new technology was developed making sure that people conceive healthy children only. However, this perfection lasted only for one generation. The following generation have much shorter lifespans - 20 for females and 25 for males. For this reason, procreation became much more than a necessity, and teen girls are made into breeders and forced into polygamous marriages. This is what happened to Rhine. She was kidnapped and taken to be one of the wives of Linden.

LOVE:
The writing. It just flows. It's imaginative and sufficiently descriptive. Also, I like that the story is somehow realistic for a dystopian story that is. There's no magic involved, just science. I do think that this is actually a possibility in real life. And this makes the story scary for me. The story is also very original, and I would like to praise the author for having the guts to write about polygamy.

NO LOVE:
The book was slow at the beginning. It dragged on and on. Rhine's voice is too calm and mellow for my taste. Also, there are some things in this book that I find... disturbing. Honestly, this is the first time I have read about polygamy. It's something very new to me, and it made me cringe from time to time.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Lady Rose, Linden's first wife. She seemed really fun. She's always with that candy that makes her mouth blue or green. She's intelligent and well-read.

FAVORITE LINE:

Fate, I think, is a thief.

MUSINGS:
This book is definitely not a light read. I actually found the book exhausting and heavy. I had to stop a few times. I just couldn't take more of the strange polygamous relationship and manipulation My emotions were all over the place, and I needed to compose myself. This is not to say that the book isn't good. In fact, it is a very good book that I had to stop reading it. It made me feel. It made me think. I t made me cringe. This book is very unconventional. It's not a simple boy meets girl story. It deals with marriages, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, and polygamy. It deals with a man having consensual sex with a thirteen year old (who reads KamaSutra, by the way) and eventually gets her pregnant. There are things in this book that disgusts me, and I think that's what makes this story beautiful.

DOODLES:

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Lauren deStefano

SIMILAR READS:
Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild
violence: moderate
sexual content: heavy
mature themes: heavy
age recommendation: 14+