By: Lauren Destefano
Published By: Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster
Released : Available Now
Details : Paperback from library, 341 Pages
RATING: 4.5 WOW STARS!
Blurb: Goodreads
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.
BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:
Straight into it from where we left off with Wither. Gabriel and Rhine are living on borrowed time, escaping from the mad scientist’s lair.
If you have read Wither you will understand what I mean.
WOW! This installment just kept getting better and better the more the pages turned.
An ever moving forward installment with more mature themes. Out of the clutches of Vaughn and into the clutches of Madame’s world. A world of guards, girls with names of color used for prostitution, and Angel’s Blood.
From up here he seems so small.
He's a petal of ash tumbling toward the sky,
all that's left of the flames.
He's a petal of ash tumbling toward the sky,
all that's left of the flames.
Strange how easily things disappear.
Once upon a time there were two parents, two children,
and the lilies wilted.
One child disappeared.
Then the other.
and the lilies wilted.
One child disappeared.
Then the other.
Straight into it from where we left off with Wither. Gabriel and Rhine are living on borrowed time, escaping from the mad scientist’s lair.
If you have read Wither you will understand what I mean.
WOW! This installment just kept getting better and better the more the pages turned.
An ever moving forward installment with more mature themes. Out of the clutches of Vaughn and into the clutches of Madame’s world. A world of guards, girls with names of color used for prostitution, and Angel’s Blood.
A dangerous world of slavery within the carnival tents of Madame's world.
A world which Rhine was looking for a way out of while Gabriel spent his time in a drug induced state.
What had Gabriel signed up for when he escaped with Rhine? He could not remember a world beyond the walls of Vaughn’s mansion. No matter how fake that reality was, it was safer for him to live out his short life time.
A world which Rhine was looking for a way out of while Gabriel spent his time in a drug induced state.
What had Gabriel signed up for when he escaped with Rhine? He could not remember a world beyond the walls of Vaughn’s mansion. No matter how fake that reality was, it was safer for him to live out his short life time.
Not so much for Rhine.
Plotting their escape from the crazy woman and her incinerator they find themselves a 'plus one' and head towards Rhine’s home.
Plotting their escape from the crazy woman and her incinerator they find themselves a 'plus one' and head towards Rhine’s home.
I loved the plus ones character. Smart, unpredictable.
What will they find in Manhattan?
Will they find Rowan?
What will they find in Manhattan?
Will they find Rowan?
Will all of this have been worth it?
Gabriel is along for the ride but I wasn’t feeling a love connection through Lauren’s words. Gabriel cares for Rhine...but does he care more than friendship?
The pages kept turning for me , Lauren would write in quite a beautiful style the horror of what this duo were living through.
A quite poetic journey they had with all the brutality of what the world had become along the way. What people had become to survive.
Where was safe?
I loved the fortune teller, you didn’t know whether she could be trusted.
Rhine has had nobody trustworthy in her life except for Deirdre and Gabriel and Rowan.
She must learn who she can trust to help her find Rowan.
Vaughn is such a wonderful evil character. He truly believes in his own madness and his passion to find the answers at the cost of the poor women surrounding him and even babies.
A most brilliant set of scenes are Rhine and the mad scientist and his attendants. I felt like I was on the wacky weed reading those scenes. Very powerful and 3D.
Frighteningly realistic.
I could have been in Rhine’s position laying in that bed. One particular scene had me wanting to shut Rhine’s eyes so she didn’t have to watch what was coming for her.
Gahhhhh!!!
Silas is a new addition , I hope we hear more from him in Sever. He has this , I don’t care attitude, but I think he does care. It comes across in his expressions and words.
Lauren shows us how she can put Rhine especially through the wringer. Gabriel was more the bed snuggle buddy in this installment. He didn’t bring a strong personality to the table. I think he was wondering half the time...why am I here , I left one mad man to fall into the clutches of all these other crazy situations.
Rhine had a direction of where she wanted to go and why. I could understand if Gabriel had undying love for Rhine, but I didn’t get that feeling. I know he cares for her, wants to help her.
"Why?" I ask.
"You fascinated me," he says, settling back down, gathering my body to his. "You had so much faith in the world, and I wanted to see it the way you did."
Gabriel is along for the ride but I wasn’t feeling a love connection through Lauren’s words. Gabriel cares for Rhine...but does he care more than friendship?
The pages kept turning for me , Lauren would write in quite a beautiful style the horror of what this duo were living through.
A quite poetic journey they had with all the brutality of what the world had become along the way. What people had become to survive.
Where was safe?
I loved the fortune teller, you didn’t know whether she could be trusted.
Rhine has had nobody trustworthy in her life except for Deirdre and Gabriel and Rowan.
She must learn who she can trust to help her find Rowan.
Vaughn is such a wonderful evil character. He truly believes in his own madness and his passion to find the answers at the cost of the poor women surrounding him and even babies.
A most brilliant set of scenes are Rhine and the mad scientist and his attendants. I felt like I was on the wacky weed reading those scenes. Very powerful and 3D.
Frighteningly realistic.
I could have been in Rhine’s position laying in that bed. One particular scene had me wanting to shut Rhine’s eyes so she didn’t have to watch what was coming for her.
Gahhhhh!!!
Silas is a new addition , I hope we hear more from him in Sever. He has this , I don’t care attitude, but I think he does care. It comes across in his expressions and words.
Lauren shows us how she can put Rhine especially through the wringer. Gabriel was more the bed snuggle buddy in this installment. He didn’t bring a strong personality to the table. I think he was wondering half the time...why am I here , I left one mad man to fall into the clutches of all these other crazy situations.
Rhine had a direction of where she wanted to go and why. I could understand if Gabriel had undying love for Rhine, but I didn’t get that feeling. I know he cares for her, wants to help her.
"Why?" I ask.
"You fascinated me," he says, settling back down, gathering my body to his. "You had so much faith in the world, and I wanted to see it the way you did."
Linden still needs a bit of a stinky dead fish slap from me for being so naive in his own home, but he is getting better.
Looking forward to Sever even more now. I think Rowan , Silas and Gabriel will hopefully bring some man power to the table and help Rhine to ........ well I don’t know J I shall have to find out.
This was a very colourful instalment, with colourful villains and colourful scene settings.
Can’t wait to see what happens with the politics and virus and maybe love?? and how it will all end.
Looking forward to Sever even more now. I think Rowan , Silas and Gabriel will hopefully bring some man power to the table and help Rhine to ........ well I don’t know J I shall have to find out.
This was a very colourful instalment, with colourful villains and colourful scene settings.
Can’t wait to see what happens with the politics and virus and maybe love?? and how it will all end.
Michelle
