Fever by Lauren DeStefano is probably the darkest and most pessimistic book I have read in the last few years. Yet, DeStefano's captivating writing style is like a drug. It is impossible to stop reading and you always want more, even though the events of Fever don't offer the nicest of the reading experiences.
Fever is absolutely a great read and I was hooked from the first to the last page. I praise DeStefano's writing and her masterful skill to make readers feel what her character's are going through.Yet, I do believe that readers have to be willing to put themselves through this emotionally and psychologically exhausting reading experience. Fever is a dark and depressing read that smashes to the ground Wither's glittery ending. So be prepared.
Rhine and Gabriel's experience outside the walls of Linden's mansion is an Odyssey to reach Rhine's brother. Yet, the world outside is definitely not a safe place and I suffered with the series of events that the characters have to go through in in order to get what they want. Fever is certainly a very difficult book to review. This dark and cruel read is not easy to understand when we still don't have a sequel to justify the tragic events we read in Fever. So, here is a list with some of my feelings towards this "fever" that I certainly still need to be cured.
Oh Hell Yeah!
- Rhine and Gabriel are out of Linden's mansion.
- Rhine is an excellent character and so strong to the point of stubborn. She is an idealist. She strongly believes in what she thinks. She doesn't give up. Her personality is so strong that makes her powerful. And best of all, she always take cares of the others. Rhine is selfless and does not show any weakness.
- DeStefano's descriptions of drugs and fever symptoms can clearly be felt by the reader.
- There is a lot more of Gabriel in Fever (though not in romantic terms)
- New characters.
Oh Hell No!
- Psychologically exhausting and depressing.
- Rhine's relationship with Gabriel deteriorates. This probably is due to all of the terrible events both characters have to go through. sniff! (Yet, this is like a double-edge sword. What now seems to take away the romance, could perfectly become a strong bond between the characters in the next book to come)
- The plot is really dark. There wasn't even a moment I considered smiling. Sniff!
Lauren DeStefano is definitely a brave writer. There are so many traumatizing experiences and I wonder how is she going to deal with all the psychological and emotional consequences that this book put our characters through. How is DeStefano going to heal Rhine and Gabriel from all of this? How is Rhine going to move forward from now on? What happens next? What about the cure? What about Gabriel? The ending just killed me!!
This may sound like a negative review, but believe me it is not. The thing is that Fever is a negative book (and dark and cruel) Yet, Fever is, for me, a highly engaging read but is not an easy one to go through. Now, I feel free to consider myself a masochist (or an addict) because when I started this book, I wasn't able to stop! Fans of Wither should definitely be brave and dive into Fever as soon as it hits the shelves!
