Book Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

WITHER BY LAUREN DESTEFANO  

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 368 pages 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1 edition (March 22, 2011)

What if you knew exactly when you would die? 

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

How do you sum up a book like Wither? Two words. Disturbingly Beautiful.

Right from the start I was plunged headfirst into a world where women and men all die before ever reaching thirty. Where young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages or even worse (yes it gets worse), they are rejected for the brothel houses. Sometimes if they're really of no use, they're murdered and left by the side of the road in a ditch. What kind of twisted world was this? Well I thought it was one that I could easily see evolving in our own society should a virus outbreak occur like the one in Wither. Look at all the horror stories you hear every day about people being forced into sexual slavery. It's not such a far stretch to imagine the Gatherer vans circling around all our neighborhoods, greedily hunting down pretty young girls to abduct.  And this is what made Wither both agonizingly  emotional but also insanely riveting for me. Rhine, Jenna and Cecily- these girls could easily be any of us. They could be your sister, your best friend or even you yourself.

Needless to say, Wither was a roller coaster ride of emotions for me- ups and downs, highs and lows- it never stopped. There was no "getting used to" the situation either. Right from page one I was thrown into the back of a Gatherer van as Rhine tried to sort through the chaos of being kidnapped. Wow, what a way to reel the reader in!

I  initially assumed I'd dislike the other sister wives but I actually developed a strong affection for both of them, even though Cecily's immature personality drove me crazy at times. I understood why she was the way she was though. She was thirteen when she was forced to marry Linden. Can you imagine yourself at thirteen getting married? It gives me chills to contemplate.

What really surprised me though was how much I ached for Rhine’s twin brother Rowan,  which was interesting because he wasn’t actually ever “on screen”.  Rowan was only brought to life through reflective musings in the Rhine's mind but he was constantly in my thoughts nonetheless. It broke my heart to think of Rhine being  being ripped apart from him. And as such, I mourned when Rhine mourned over the loss of her brother.

I assumed Linden, Rhine's husband, would only be this monster in my eyes. Yes, he was a clueless pedophile without any sort of backbone. But I also thought he was sort of a pitiable puppet being worked like a dancing marionette by his distasteful mad scientist of a father, House Master Vaughn. And you know what? Because I never knew what House Master Vaughn was cooking up in his creepy old basement, it instilled even more of a sense of urgency into the narrative for me.

Wither was a darkly haunting, well-written Young Adult novel that blew into my life like a breath of fresh air and revitalized my interest in the YA genre. Oddly enough, I didn't want to read this book when I first received it. The idea of forced polygamous marriages didn't appeal to me as a reader. I'm fairly new to this dystopian fiction and I admit, Wither sat on my shelf for a little bit. But I'm so happy I did give it a chance because. Lately I've had a hard time with reading Young Adult at all to be completely honest. For me, the genre has become bloated at the seams with the same plot lines and characters recycled over and over (especially the socially awkward young girl whose life has no meaning until she meets hot supernatural boy, ad nauseum). But Wither gave me hope that things are changing—that there will be more protagonists who are strong, self-confident young women like Rhine. Characters who don't need a hot guy to define who they are and make life worth living for. (I could rant about this until I'm blue in the face, but Steph Su really summed it up with a well-thought out blog post which you can read here).

For those that enjoy  romance (and don't get me wrong, I love a good one too), there was definitely romance blossoming in the background of Wither. I appreciated though that it was tastefully done and never overshadowed the importance of the story (for a change).  For me the romance symbolized hope in even the darkest of times and I can't wait to see how Rhine and Gabriel's story intertwines in the next book.

Wither is now hands down my favorite 2011 debut novel so far.  Keep up the great work Lauren DeStefano!

Lauren DeStefano was born in New Haven, Connecticut and has never traveled far from the east coast. She received a BA in English from Albertus Magnus College recently, and has been writing since childhood. She made her authorial debut by writing on the back of children's menus at restaurants and filling up the notepads in her mom's purse. Her very first manuscript was written on a yellow legal pad with red pen, and it was about a haunted shed that ate small children.

Now that she is all grown up (for the most part), she writes fiction for young adults. Her failed career aspirations include: world's worst receptionist, coffee house barista, sympathetic tax collector, and English tutor. When she isn't writing, she's screaming obscenities at her Nintendo DS, freaking her cats out with the laser pen, or rescuing thrift store finds and reconstructing them into killer new outfits.
Official Website 

Book Review: Inside Out by Maria Snyder

INSIDE OUT BY MARIA SNYDER

Keep Your Head Down.

Don't Get Noticed.

Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution

Trella is the Queen of the Pipes. She lives in an enclosed world somewhere in the future. Divided into two factions, Trella is definitely one of the lower class, known as a scrub. She prefers to keep to herself in the pipes rather than deal with the overcrowded, maddening conditions most scrubs resign them to. In the pipes Trella has quiet and a sense of peace. Everything changes, however, when Trella inadvertently sparks a revolution and becomes the leader of a cause she never wanted to believe in.

"I would never have had the patience to fight my way along the main paths, but Cog's thick body left a wake behind him. I followed along in this space, walking without effort and without touching anyone. A moment of peace." (p13)

Trella initially threw me off with her prickly, hardened shell and general disdain for everyone around her. With Cog being her only friend and closest thing to any semblance of family, I thought more time could’ve been devoted to really showing the reader just how much he meant to Trella. Instead it felt like their friendship was quickly “told” rather than “shown". It wasn‘t until his situation became increasingly dire that I began to feel just how much she cared for him. As for those assisting Trella with her cause, Riley was by far my favorite character. A breath of fresh air, he helped round out a lot of Trella’s sharp edges and made her more likable for me. Riley was just about the sweetest boy I’ve ever encountered in a dystopian novel and I looked forward to every time he came into the picture. Their playful banter about the “sheep” showed Trella’s softer side, and allowed me to become more vested in her character as well. I would like to see much more of Riley and the TechNo’s Anne Jade and Logan in the next installment for this series. There is a lot of potential to do much with those characters and I look forward to meeting up with them.

Inside Out, a novel with a dystopian flair and hint of science fiction escapism, explores thought provoking issues such as eugenics, political control and class warfare while still managing to entertain the reader with an exciting storyline. This was the first novel I’ve read by Maria Snyder, and I was impressed with her writing style. I do have to note, however, that I almost gave up on the book early on. The first ten pages or so were devoted to the complex workings of the large, self sustaining cube where both classes of the people in Trella's world live and work. Much as I wanted to, I couldn’t picture the layout very well and Snyder began losing me with all the pipe crawling and different sector names. I still don’t have a clear mental image of it nor do I completely understand Snyder’s definition of telling time. With that being said, I’m really glad that I did keep reading on. Once Trella became involved in the revolt and began working with the people willing to put their lives on the line to help her, I began to care more about her character. Things finally kicked into high gear for me when she met Riley, an “Upper” who could’ve turned her in, but didn’t. At that point, I couldn’t read fast enough and ended up finishing the book in one sitting.

Just like the pipes where Trella felt most at home, the plot of Inside Out twists and turns with danger, self-discovery and the thrill of rebellion. So many people looked at Trella as their last hope, that it added an incredible amount of suspense and tension. Add in the threat of the Pop Cops, Chomper (a frightening death sentence) and cryptic computer files, and it was enough to reel this reader in. My favorite aspect of Inside Out was how even in times of distress, a little hope and a lot of courage can have widespread and long lasting influence for change in the world. We are not predestined to live out our lots in life, we can make a difference and we can change the course of our future. Outside In, the sequel to Inside Out releases in 2011.

Purchase Inside Out on Amazon.com.
To learn more about Maria Snyder and her books, visit her Official Website and
Read an excerpt from Inside Out.

Maria V. Snyder changed careers in 1995 from being a Meteorologist to a Novelist when she began working on her first novel, Poison Study. Published in October 2005, Poison Study won the 2006 Compton Crook Award, was a 2005 Booksense pick, and received a Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly.

Maria's second book, Magic Study was a 2006 Booksense pick and is currently a RITA Finalist. Since becoming a writer, Maria has been busy attending conferences, teaching writing classes, and doing book events. While working on her novels, Maria has earned a Masters of Arts Degree in writing from Seton Hill University.

Book Review & Contest: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

THE MAZE RUNNER (MAZE RUNNER TRILOGY)

SYNOPSIS: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

REVIEW: Thomas wakes up disoriented in a dark elevator lift with no recollection of where he came from or where he is going. The lift doors open to reveal a group of strange teenage boys. They welcome him to the Glade, an acre of land bordering a large stone maze with shifting walls and unsolved mysteries. None of the Gladers know why they were placed in The Glade, but they make sure they are safely within its protective walls after dark. Why? The large doors keep out the Grievers. Grievers are slime ridden metallic creatures who mostly come out at night and will prick you with their deadly needles. The day after Thomas arrives, a young, beautiful girl shows up unexpectedly in the lift. She collapses into a coma after revealing a cryptic message about time running out. Pretty frightening, right? This is the puzzling, suspenseful world James Dashner has created in THE MAZE RUNNER.

The Glade is an extremely creepy place with arbitrary “variables” and ever changing rules that challenge the stakes of survival. A less talented author would leave the reader incredulously shaking his head with disbelief, but Dashner's writing was so skilled, I was able to suspend any reservations I might've otherwise had about the plausibility of the experiment. Like the Gladers, I learned to accept the rules of the Glade and found myself anxious to solve the riddle of the Maze. Thomas' character evolved believably and I thought his reactions to his situation were highly relatable. He proved himself to be a smart, courageous leader among the Gladers, and an extremely likable protagonist.

One of the things I enjoyed most about THE MAZE RUNNER was the Lord of the Flies type hierarchy system that developed within the Glade. It was interesting to me to see how the boys established a pecking order of authority and delegated the work necessary to insure their survival. I also found it intriguing that though Thomas’ memories were wiped, he instinctively knew that he had to be a Runner and that he was connected to the mysterious girl disrupting the Glade with her arrival. The first time Thomas put himself in a deadly situation outside the walls of the Glade was a true nail biter and my absolute favorite part of the book.

THE MAZE RUNNER is a heart stopper and a nail biter that will keep you up in the wee hours of the night. My skin prickled with excitement reading this book and I absolutely can’t wait for the next installment in this series. From the moment Thomas wakes up in the lift, you are plunged into a heart stopping tale of mystery, with well developed characters and a fast paced, entertaining plot. Just like the Runners, whose job was to barrel through the maze searching for patterns and clues, I felt myself hurtling along with them, desperate to unlock the secrets of this frightening world. The end was my favorite part of the book. It has a twist I did NOT see coming either. Check this one out- you don’t want to miss it!

As a special bonus, I am excited to offer up TWO COPIES of this book! If you have wanted to check out THE MAZE RUNNER, here is your chance! Just leave me a comment and you will be entered to win. Bonus entry if you link/post to any social network you wish. Contest ends 12/25 and is open to all US residents. Good luck!**NOTE: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED**

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 Pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (October 6, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385737947
ISBN-13: 978-0385737944

Buy at Amazon, Borders, Books-a-million, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound

James Dashner is also the author of the 13th Reality series. James was born and raised in Georgia, but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. After several years working in finance, he is now a full-time writer.