Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) Review

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2)
By Lauren DeStefano
Expected Publication: 2.21.2012
From Goodreads:

 Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion. But danger is never far behind.

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 woman 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 this 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.

My Thoughts:  I started reading Fever at the hospital, waiting for my Mom to improve (she since has), and finished the book on Friday the 13th, so setting and time were very appropriate.  Fever picks up where Wither leaves off, with Rhine and Gabriel on the run, trying to make their to New York and Rhine's twin.  Like most plans in a dystopian world, things do not go well.

Rhine and Gabe run afoul Madame, who runs what is basically a carnival/cat house.  All seems bleak as Gabriel is kept drugged and Madame has big plans for Rhine, but the duo befriend Lilac and her young, malformed daughter Maddie.  Because DeStefano isn't going to turn our beloved heroine into a prostitute, you can pretty much bank on Rhine escaping again. Wither was slow paced, but Fever's main theme is running, and Rhine does a lot of it.  My favorite part of the book was that you're introduced to a wide variety of new characters, and old favorites pop up.

I had a problem with Gabriel in Wither, and the second installment does little to endear him to me.  Rhine had a more complex and interesting relationship with Linden, and she has more heat with newcomer Silas than she does Gabriel.  He just feels more like a comfortable best friend than a potential lover.  Honestly, he bores me a bit.  The most interesting thing about him is his withdrawal from "Angel's Blood" that the Madame hooks him on.  But there were no awesome "Intervention" type rages here, sadly.   Rhine keeps a little light of hope alive in my heart as she continues to wear Linden's ring on her finger.  Am I the only one rooting for Linden?

The ending of Fever, while not shocking, definitely leaves you with Must Read Next Book feeling.  The entire time I was reading this book, which was just two days, I kept hearing the soundtrack to Repo: The Genetic Opera! in my head.  The cover of Wither, the first book, would have fit this book too- Rhine literally finds herself in a cage, but even after she escapes that, she's still in a different kind of cage constructed by Linden's father.

Fever gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of Fever gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

 I'm not sure I love it as much as Wither, but it's still gorgeous and very appropriate to the story.

Disclaimer: I received a temporary copy of Fever through Around the World ARC Tours in return for my honest opinion.