Review first posted at http://unautrehistoire.blogspot.com/
When I read Wither early last year I was surprised with how much I liked the book. It was most definitely one of the best books I had read in 2011. I mentioned in my review that I wasn't a huge fan of dystopian novels, and I was leery of reading them because of the theme of hopelessness that seems to be an innate quality in dystopian novels. However, what Lauren DeStefano did with Wither and again with Fever was incredible. She made me love the genre. In case you're curious you can find my thoughts on Wither here. In saying that, I was very eager to read Fever when it came in the mail a few weeks ago. Wither ended on an ok note, but I knew that as soon as the sequel came out I was going to read it. I wanted to know what was to become of Rhine and Gabriel, also of Linden and the sister wives.
If you've gone and read my review of Wither, you are aware that I am a huge fan of DeStefano's writing. I raved about how flawless her writing was and how easily I forgot that I was reading a novel that was intended for teenagers. That has not changed. Even with all the books I have read between Wither and Fever, DeStefano's writing is still as magnificent at it was in Wither and it continued to awe me in Fever.
Fever picked up right where Wither ended. Gabriel and Rhine on the run from Housemaster Vaughn. However things don't go as they planned and they run into some interesting situations. What I really enjoyed about Fever was that the world building continued. Wither introduced us to a society where women die at 20 and men at 25. As a result of the low life expectancy, girls are not really safe, and Rhine is kidnapped and forced into a marriage with two other women. In Wither Rhine resides on one floor of a vast mansion. This is the world that we get to know in the first novel. Fever introduces us to the outside world, what society is like for the less privileged. For the people who are trying to live life as normally as possible. DeStefano does an amazing job in describing this new world, and finding a place for Rhine in it. As a reader we know that this is where Rhine came from, however this is the first time we get to see her in her natural habitat. I was impressed with how easily the story progressed from the mansion to the outside world.
While I was reading Wither I wasn't all that convinced by the relationship between Rhine and Gabriel. I can't say that has changed for me much since finishing Fever. I still find Gabriel a weak character, and the chemistry between him and Rhine is non-existent for me. I felt more chemistry between Linden and Rhine and later Silas and Rhine. After reading Fever, I actually find Gabriel a little annoying.
