Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) Review

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3)
by Lauren DeStefano
Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: ARC from Around the World ARC Tours, in exchange for my honest review.
Expected Publication: 02.13.13
Midnight Minute: Rhine is reunited with Linden and sister-wife Cecily, more intent than ever to find her brother Rowan.
From Goodreads:

Time is running out for Rhine in this conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden Trilogy.

With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

Midnight Thoughts:

~ Okay, I love green, but the cover needs a little darkening.  I have to agree that it looks a bit too much like a green screen.  That said, everything on the cover fits nicely with the book, and I like when the cover actually depicts stuff found inside the pages.  Because this is the ARC, it might not be the absolute final cover.  I found this one on Goodreads too, and it's much better:

~ In the beginning Rhine is in the hospital, recovering from all that Vaughn put her through in the last book.  The poor girl deserves a spa day!
~ Cecily, of all the characters, has grown the most through the series, she is by far the most interesting character.  Despite her very young age, she's a great mom and wife, and to Rhine, a great friend.
~ Love Vaughn's mad scientist brother, Reed! Lots of 'r' names in this series though.
~ I forgot how much Rose looked like Rhine... and I kept expecting that to be more than a coincidence, but in the end it was just that.  Or is it? 
~ I've always preferred Linden over Gabriel, but only because Gabriel doesn't do much for me.  Linden is a good man, but he's weak.  For that matter, Gabriel is too weak for Rhine.  I'm glad that the love triangle isn't a major focus of this series, because I wasn't really feeling it. 
~ Rhine stays true to herself throughout the series, determined to reunite with her brother Rowan.  Personally, if I only had a few years to live left, I'd have lived it up at the mansion.  I'd be squeezing out mini-Lindens and sipping cocktails by that amazing pool while my sister-wives braid my hair and cute servant boys feed me chocolates.
~ Several sad things happen, and even though one thing in particular was personally upsetting to me, I thought it fit the characters. 
~ Perhaps I forgot from the other two books, but the term "the chemical garden" and Rhine and Rowan's parents work is explained. 
~ Madame is back!! At first I was like, "NO!", but she adds a lot to the plot.  A lot. There's a few gaspy gasp moments when we find out things that I never even knew to guess at.  Well done, DeStefano, well done!  
~ We FINALLY get to meet Rowan, and he's not the complete douche I've come to believe that he is.  That said, he's still a little douchey.  He acts like he's older by years than Rhine instead of being her twin.  I wish Rhine would have just smacked him a bit and told him what all had happened to her over the past year, but she, for some reason, loses a few IQ points around her bro.
~ Gabriel is missing from the majority of this book, which was fine by me since I maintain that Rhine has better chemistry with almost every other man she encounters (Linden, Vaughn, Reed, her own brother).  Sorry, Team Gabriel-ers, I just never felt the spark.
~ The last third of this book felt a bit rushed, and some of the plot didn't make a lot of sense to me- like the fact that to quell the uprising some brainiac President in the past created super-humans.  Because super long lives and exceptional immune systems will show them to protest against the government!  Also, something happened that I was very unhappy with.  I'm not going to spoil it for everyone, but it was similar to my biggest complaint with the ending of Mockingjay.  However, it's a mark of good writing that I cared as much as I did. Although I didn't like what happened, I appreciate what it did to the overall story.  I guess. *grumbles*
~ Also, although I suspected a plot twist that comes up, it just seems implausible.  Completely implausible, even for dystopian.
~ Vaughn is such and interesting character- part sociopath, part genius, part concerned dad. He's complex, which makes him a good villain. 
~ The ending is a real ending and even if everything didn't go my way, I was satisfied with it.  Again, it felt like everything just fell into place very quickly once Rhine met up with Rowan, but I'd rather have a quick wrap up then trying to stretch this out over another 3 books.  
~ I have to give some points on the names of each of the books, as all three were very fitting, and Sever is suitable in many ways. 
~ Even with some of the plot issues I have problems with, DeStefano has created a interesting dystopian world- I never confused it with any other dystopian book or series I've read (and people, I've read a lot).  I like her writing style and I'm down with whatever she comes out with in the future.
 

Timeless Characters:

Rhine- our heroine, still determined, stubborn and smart.

Linden- Rhine's hubby, nice but weak, he's having a tough time learning his pop's true colors.

Cecily- the last sister-wife standing, she continues to be kind of kick ass. 

Vaughn- Linden's dad, he's not unlike Darth Vadar with a medical degree.

Reed- Vaughn's crazy brother, he's sarcastic and eccentric.  I like that in a person.

Rowan- Rhine's twin, he's lost the script a bit since losing his sister. 

Madame- she kidnapped and imprisoned Rhine in the last book, and she captures her again in this one.  

Gabriel- he really isn't heavily featured in this book, but if your a fan of his, he does make an appearance. 

Rose- yeah, she's Linden's dead wife, but she continues to haunt the present.

Bowen- Cecily and Linden's adorable little boy. 

Midnight Moment:

The airplane scene.  Both of them.  But I kind of suspected the one with Vaughn.  The other one shocked the heck out of me.

Stop The Clock:

I really liked Wither (still one of the most gorgeous covers ever!), but both Fever and Sever failed to really hook me like the first book did.  I'm glad to have read the series though, and I can't wait until the book comes out and I can discuss it with all of you!!


Lauren DeStefan0 — Website |Lauren DeStefano

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3) gets a Midnight Book Rating of: 

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