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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: Literary Exploration
When Sasha from Sash and Em let me borrow Fever last month I was ecstatic! I absolutely loved Wither, and the cliffhanger ending had me craving more of Rhine and Gabriel. In the sequel to Wither, DeStefano shows us the world outside of Linden’s mansion and has Rhine and Gabriel fighting for their lives. I absolutely loved where DeStefano took the story, it was heart-breaking, thrilling, and an amazing adventure.
Fever follows Rhine and Gabriel as they escape from the mansion, only to run into some new villains. The ringmistress who runs the carnival where Rhine and Gabriel are now trapped is a horrifying woman who pimps out young girls to the local men. As Rhine and Gabriel try to figure out how to escape they run into more than one problem. Their relationship definitely develops into something more than it was in Wither which I really enjoyed reading about.
The story is incredibly fast paced, with lots of action going on at all times. Fever turned out to be a really quick read because I just couldn’t put it down. DeStefano had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, and of course it ended with another cliffhanger! As always, her writing is impeccable and poetic, flowing naturally and elegantly. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Overall, I loved Fever more than Wither and I'm so glad it didn't turn out to be one of those "bridge" sequels that just sort of carries the characters and plot from book one to book three. I completely immersed myself in the story, unable to tear myself away. The characters are as gorgeous and heartbreaking as ever, and the story is magically written. If you loved Wither you’re going to want to get your hands on this one as soon as you can.
When Sasha from Sash and Em let me borrow Fever last month I was ecstatic! I absolutely loved Wither, and the cliffhanger ending had me craving more of Rhine and Gabriel. In the sequel to Wither, DeStefano shows us the world outside of Linden’s mansion and has Rhine and Gabriel fighting for their lives. I absolutely loved where DeStefano took the story, it was heart-breaking, thrilling, and an amazing adventure.
Fever follows Rhine and Gabriel as they escape from the mansion, only to run into some new villains. The ringmistress who runs the carnival where Rhine and Gabriel are now trapped is a horrifying woman who pimps out young girls to the local men. As Rhine and Gabriel try to figure out how to escape they run into more than one problem. Their relationship definitely develops into something more than it was in Wither which I really enjoyed reading about.
The story is incredibly fast paced, with lots of action going on at all times. Fever turned out to be a really quick read because I just couldn’t put it down. DeStefano had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, and of course it ended with another cliffhanger! As always, her writing is impeccable and poetic, flowing naturally and elegantly. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Overall, I loved Fever more than Wither and I'm so glad it didn't turn out to be one of those "bridge" sequels that just sort of carries the characters and plot from book one to book three. I completely immersed myself in the story, unable to tear myself away. The characters are as gorgeous and heartbreaking as ever, and the story is magically written. If you loved Wither you’re going to want to get your hands on this one as soon as you can.
Wow. Talk about a novel that has me in it's grips! I think I barely came up for air while reading this book, staying up late into the night the finish it. Not that I was surprised, since I loved Wither so much.
First of all, this book picked up right where the last one left off, and it took me no time at all to catch up. This is what a good series should feel like. That even though it has been roughly a year since I read the first book, I can jump right back into the story again without feeling lost at all.
Oh, how nice it was to be back with Rhine and Gabriel! Quite harrowing at times, but these two characters are so sweet together. And I absolutely loved Madame's carnival. Lauren DeStefano truly excels at world building, capable of describing whole scenes with a few choice adjectives. Color, smell, and taste are her favorite ways to describe the scenes, and I found them to be extra vivid from such sensory words. Just be warned not to read this book while eating! Sickness is a main theme in the story, and it gave me the stomach rolly-pollies on more than one occasion. But I think it takes a lot for a story to revolve around illness and still be interesting enough for the reading to stay enraptured in the plot.
The characters are so fantastic, as well. Rhine is so fortunate to meet the people she does while on her journey. Lilac and Maddie at the carnival are just two of so many lovely folks along the way. Then of course there is the horrifying Vaughn, who makes my blood run cold. The characters, the descriptions, the whole world in general... all of this make the Chemical Garden series so amazing. As long as the book was open in my hands, it literally felt like I disolved into the story. Stunning and beautiful.
One last thing to mention is the cliffhanger ending. How could you, Lauren? I must have the next book, like, now!!
First of all, this book picked up right where the last one left off, and it took me no time at all to catch up. This is what a good series should feel like. That even though it has been roughly a year since I read the first book, I can jump right back into the story again without feeling lost at all.
Oh, how nice it was to be back with Rhine and Gabriel! Quite harrowing at times, but these two characters are so sweet together. And I absolutely loved Madame's carnival. Lauren DeStefano truly excels at world building, capable of describing whole scenes with a few choice adjectives. Color, smell, and taste are her favorite ways to describe the scenes, and I found them to be extra vivid from such sensory words. Just be warned not to read this book while eating! Sickness is a main theme in the story, and it gave me the stomach rolly-pollies on more than one occasion. But I think it takes a lot for a story to revolve around illness and still be interesting enough for the reading to stay enraptured in the plot.
The characters are so fantastic, as well. Rhine is so fortunate to meet the people she does while on her journey. Lilac and Maddie at the carnival are just two of so many lovely folks along the way. Then of course there is the horrifying Vaughn, who makes my blood run cold. The characters, the descriptions, the whole world in general... all of this make the Chemical Garden series so amazing. As long as the book was open in my hands, it literally felt like I disolved into the story. Stunning and beautiful.
One last thing to mention is the cliffhanger ending. How could you, Lauren? I must have the next book, like, now!!
This is a good follow up to a book that I really didn't love. I rated Wither poorly because I hated the premise, but Fever is well written and grabs you in.
My thoughts are so mixed with this one. I need some time to process it before I write a review.
Full review to come...
Full review to come...
Fever, like the first book, Wither, is simply... ok. The plot is still enjoyable, the characters still one-dimensional and somewhat boring, just overall meh. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. HOWEVER, the science used (or lack of) still gets on my nerves...
Science doesn't cater to a specific age, and it still baffles me that people in this universe die at an EXACT, PRECISE age. If anything, it would have been 18-22 for girls, and 22-27 for guys. Also, why is the age limit different for girls than for boys? This was not explained.
Also, how is it that North America still only exists without Earth being thrown off its axis?
I don't know guys, I'd love to love this book, but the characters (especially Gabriel) are just so flat and boring. The only characters I actually care about are Silas, Linden, and Cecily. It's just plain sad that I have NO INTEREST IN THE MAIN CHARACTER WHATSOEVER.
However, while Lauren DeStefano's writing style may be enjoyable and beautiful to some, I found it rather annoying, but that's just my preference.
However, thanks to that amazing cliffhanger, I will be buying the last book, Sever.
Science doesn't cater to a specific age, and it still baffles me that people in this universe die at an EXACT, PRECISE age. If anything, it would have been 18-22 for girls, and 22-27 for guys. Also, why is the age limit different for girls than for boys? This was not explained.
Also, how is it that North America still only exists without Earth being thrown off its axis?
I don't know guys, I'd love to love this book, but the characters (especially Gabriel) are just so flat and boring. The only characters I actually care about are Silas, Linden, and Cecily. It's just plain sad that I have NO INTEREST IN THE MAIN CHARACTER WHATSOEVER.
However, while Lauren DeStefano's writing style may be enjoyable and beautiful to some, I found it rather annoying, but that's just my preference.
However, thanks to that amazing cliffhanger, I will be buying the last book, Sever.
At the beginning of the book, I was really annoyed at Rhine. She and Gabriel barely managed to escape the mansion, and she somehow managed to get them in trouble again. But it wasn't really her fault, and I shouldn't have been so upset with her. Because after spending the entire first book wishing for freedom, she finally managed to get it, even if not for long.
It was hard for me to read about Gabriel in this book. He suffered a lot, and he didn't deserve it. But he wasn't the only one who suffered, because Rhine had payed for her escape with more than just her freedom. I had a surgery last year. They took me to the operation room, and told be to count back from ten. I was gone after about five seconds. And then I woke up, and I had no clue where I was, or what's going on around me. I saw people, I heard voices, and I was gone after a minute or so, back to dreamland. I woke up a few times later, and every time I tried to focus on reality, on what was real, but it was so hard, because my body just wanted to go back to sleep. So I went through this for about a day or two, and Rhine suffered that for months.
The writing was great, just like the first book. And I think I fell in love with Rhine even more after I finished reading this book.
It was hard for me to read about Gabriel in this book. He suffered a lot, and he didn't deserve it.
Spoiler
He got addicted to drugs, and it wasn't that easy for him to recover from his addiction.Spoiler
Vaughn put her through things I don't wish to my worst enemy. He made her question what was real, and what's not. He made her wonder if she'll survive to see the sun again, and if he'll ever let her out of his basement of horrors.The writing was great, just like the first book. And I think I fell in love with Rhine even more after I finished reading this book.
OhMeuDeus! Que livro espectacular!
Imaginem aquele livro que para vocês está perfeito, com direito a cereja no topo do bolo tudo e talvez, apenas talvez, consigam perceber aquilo que Delírio significa para mim. Adorei!
Desde o cenário futurista enlouquecedor, aos mil e um intervenientes secundários que complementam eximiamente o enredo, passando por protagonistas marcantes e terminando num ambiente aterrador que dá vida ao pesadelo relatado neste texto, nada é deixado ao acaso, o que faz de mim uma leitora absolutamente maravilhada.
No ano passado, através de Raptada, conheci a fatalidade com origem na beleza estéril. Conheci a dor causada pela ilusão de infinito em vidas que nunca chegarão a nada e, confesso, que ao conhecer Rhine me apaixonei por si e pelas suas irmãs-esposas, todas elas jovens, diferentes e condenadas.
No primeiro livro da série O Jardim Químico descobrimos que as mulheres vivem apenas até aos 20 anos e os homens até aos 25 - eu já estava morta -, e que, assim sendo, estamos perante um retrato da humanidade condenado à nascença, limitado a produzir incessantemente para que o mundo não acabe. Mas, igualmente no primeiro livro, descobrimos que apesar da desgraça que envolve este conceito arrepiante existe excelência, ainda que precária, encantatória, algo que em Delírio se desfaz completamente transportando os leitores e a narrativa para um novo patamar.
Esqueçam o que é belo, esqueçam a esperança de que tudo vai correr bem e sejam bem-vindos a todos os horrores que consigam conceber para a sociedade idealizada por Lauren DeStefano. Conseguem imaginar? Este livro é pior ainda e não admira que o seu título seja Delírio. Mas atenção, desprezem o lado positivo da palavra e permitam-se aconchegar em perversidade e insanidade, porque quando o conseguirem estão prontos para dar as boas-vindas a um circo, feira, inimaginável - repleto de medos primitivos, cruéis e reais. O verdadeira aventura começa agora e nunca o perigo foi tão constante.
A fuga da mansão, que deveria dar alento a Rhine e Gabriel, é o primeiro passo para que a nossa protagonista descubra que o cenário social que a aguarda é bem mais desolador do que pensava. Meio apaixonada e totalmente desesperada para encontrar o seu irmão gémeo, as aventuras agora desenvolvidas ultrapassam tudo aquilo que eu julgava possível e, infelizmente, eu não vos posso contar nem uma para não cometer spoilers. (Desculpem!)
Em relação a personagens, das que conhecíamos anteriormente apenas Rhine e Gabriel estão constantemente presentes, ainda assim, se leram o livro anterior, sabem que esta autora consegue surpreender e aqui, com o adensar do enredo, surpreende e muito. De qualquer forma, no que respeita a Rhine esta é uma protagonista que já conhecemos com um nível de maturidade elevado e que acaba por se desenvolver ainda mais nesta narrativa, com tudo aquilo que agora se vê obrigada a ultrapassar. Já Gabriel não me cativou por aí além, mas acho que a culpa é de Rhine, ela brilha tanto que ofusca todos os outros intervenientes, no entanto este rapaz desempenha bem o seu papel, e tantos os seus receios como a sua inocência são aceitáveis, sinceramente fica a aguardar que volte a ter destaque nos próximos livros.
Os intervenientes secundários são mais que muitos e quer seja para o bem ou para o mal são vários aqueles que merecem ser referidos, assim sendo espero que gostem tanto de Maddie ou Lilac como eu gostei e que se repudiem tanto com Madame como eu. Mais importante ainda, espero que sintam a mesma estupefacção que eu senti com alguns dos reencontros que vos aguardam.
Temas abordados, God, são tantos que nem sei por onde começar sem desatar a contar a história toda.
Em primeiro lugar continua a fascinar-me o facto da raiz do mal nesta narrativa ter sido imaginada a partir do inconcebível conceito de imortalidade - conceito explorado por diversas religiões através da alma ou até mesmo através de cientistas e filósofos dos nossos dias com viabilidade a longo prazo -, mas este é apenas um extra bem trabalho, irónico e inteligente, um extra que fundamenta uma história que consegue explorar todos os podres da actualidade, vou citar alguns exemplos: miséria extrema; tráfico de toda a espécie, em particular humano; droga; prostituição; abuso de poder; corrupção; regime ditatorial; crítica à exploração científica abusiva; violência; todo o tipo de abusos que possam imaginar e, acreditem, muito, muito mais. Este texto tem de tudo.
Em suma, isto é bom, mais que bom e eu recomendo a todos quantos me perguntem por uma distopia de qualidade. Embora possa ser lido por um público juvenil, não sei se no geral este conseguirá compreender tudo o que esta história pretende alcançar. E por fim, creio que esta história agradará não só aos leitores deste género, mas também a todos aqueles que gostem de uma boa ficção que explora a humanidade, como um todo, e os próprios limites do ser humano, física e emocionalmente.
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt/2013/04/delirio-lauren-destefano-opiniao.html
Imaginem aquele livro que para vocês está perfeito, com direito a cereja no topo do bolo tudo e talvez, apenas talvez, consigam perceber aquilo que Delírio significa para mim. Adorei!
Desde o cenário futurista enlouquecedor, aos mil e um intervenientes secundários que complementam eximiamente o enredo, passando por protagonistas marcantes e terminando num ambiente aterrador que dá vida ao pesadelo relatado neste texto, nada é deixado ao acaso, o que faz de mim uma leitora absolutamente maravilhada.
No ano passado, através de Raptada, conheci a fatalidade com origem na beleza estéril. Conheci a dor causada pela ilusão de infinito em vidas que nunca chegarão a nada e, confesso, que ao conhecer Rhine me apaixonei por si e pelas suas irmãs-esposas, todas elas jovens, diferentes e condenadas.
No primeiro livro da série O Jardim Químico descobrimos que as mulheres vivem apenas até aos 20 anos e os homens até aos 25 - eu já estava morta -, e que, assim sendo, estamos perante um retrato da humanidade condenado à nascença, limitado a produzir incessantemente para que o mundo não acabe. Mas, igualmente no primeiro livro, descobrimos que apesar da desgraça que envolve este conceito arrepiante existe excelência, ainda que precária, encantatória, algo que em Delírio se desfaz completamente transportando os leitores e a narrativa para um novo patamar.
Esqueçam o que é belo, esqueçam a esperança de que tudo vai correr bem e sejam bem-vindos a todos os horrores que consigam conceber para a sociedade idealizada por Lauren DeStefano. Conseguem imaginar? Este livro é pior ainda e não admira que o seu título seja Delírio. Mas atenção, desprezem o lado positivo da palavra e permitam-se aconchegar em perversidade e insanidade, porque quando o conseguirem estão prontos para dar as boas-vindas a um circo, feira, inimaginável - repleto de medos primitivos, cruéis e reais. O verdadeira aventura começa agora e nunca o perigo foi tão constante.
A fuga da mansão, que deveria dar alento a Rhine e Gabriel, é o primeiro passo para que a nossa protagonista descubra que o cenário social que a aguarda é bem mais desolador do que pensava. Meio apaixonada e totalmente desesperada para encontrar o seu irmão gémeo, as aventuras agora desenvolvidas ultrapassam tudo aquilo que eu julgava possível e, infelizmente, eu não vos posso contar nem uma para não cometer spoilers. (Desculpem!)
Em relação a personagens, das que conhecíamos anteriormente apenas Rhine e Gabriel estão constantemente presentes, ainda assim, se leram o livro anterior, sabem que esta autora consegue surpreender e aqui, com o adensar do enredo, surpreende e muito. De qualquer forma, no que respeita a Rhine esta é uma protagonista que já conhecemos com um nível de maturidade elevado e que acaba por se desenvolver ainda mais nesta narrativa, com tudo aquilo que agora se vê obrigada a ultrapassar. Já Gabriel não me cativou por aí além, mas acho que a culpa é de Rhine, ela brilha tanto que ofusca todos os outros intervenientes, no entanto este rapaz desempenha bem o seu papel, e tantos os seus receios como a sua inocência são aceitáveis, sinceramente fica a aguardar que volte a ter destaque nos próximos livros.
Os intervenientes secundários são mais que muitos e quer seja para o bem ou para o mal são vários aqueles que merecem ser referidos, assim sendo espero que gostem tanto de Maddie ou Lilac como eu gostei e que se repudiem tanto com Madame como eu. Mais importante ainda, espero que sintam a mesma estupefacção que eu senti com alguns dos reencontros que vos aguardam.
Temas abordados, God, são tantos que nem sei por onde começar sem desatar a contar a história toda.
Em primeiro lugar continua a fascinar-me o facto da raiz do mal nesta narrativa ter sido imaginada a partir do inconcebível conceito de imortalidade - conceito explorado por diversas religiões através da alma ou até mesmo através de cientistas e filósofos dos nossos dias com viabilidade a longo prazo -, mas este é apenas um extra bem trabalho, irónico e inteligente, um extra que fundamenta uma história que consegue explorar todos os podres da actualidade, vou citar alguns exemplos: miséria extrema; tráfico de toda a espécie, em particular humano; droga; prostituição; abuso de poder; corrupção; regime ditatorial; crítica à exploração científica abusiva; violência; todo o tipo de abusos que possam imaginar e, acreditem, muito, muito mais. Este texto tem de tudo.
Em suma, isto é bom, mais que bom e eu recomendo a todos quantos me perguntem por uma distopia de qualidade. Embora possa ser lido por um público juvenil, não sei se no geral este conseguirá compreender tudo o que esta história pretende alcançar. E por fim, creio que esta história agradará não só aos leitores deste género, mas também a todos aqueles que gostem de uma boa ficção que explora a humanidade, como um todo, e os próprios limites do ser humano, física e emocionalmente.
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt/2013/04/delirio-lauren-destefano-opiniao.html
First reads winner.
I hadn't read the first book, although I got a summary, and I expected a book that wasn't quite the science fiction ya read of the century, but I was still disappointed.
Browsing earlier reviews, the majority of my complains have been listed, but here they are:
The science fiction reality, constructed by DeStefano, isn't believable. At all. Science fiction is a hard genre to write, in that even the best books will still be so far-fetched in places due to the unrealistic devices that authors tend to put in to spice things up, but in this book the author just seems to lack a recognition of what motivates humanity. Protip: Evolution might breed a supposed "better race" through natural selection (though not always), but that doesn't mean individuals drive forward with no goal other than procreation (as seen by a widely polygamous society) and continuing/improving (fixing the time bomb) the race.
Individuals care about survival, which the main characters are trying.
As far as the actual characters, like a great many books in the ya section nowdays, the vast majority of the plot ignores the background and focuses on romance tension (which never seemed to improve, due to the many memories and thoughts consuming them).
The main character and plot were enjoyable for the most part, especially the twisted carnival section, but neither Rhine or Gabriel ever really stood out to me.
I hadn't read the first book, although I got a summary, and I expected a book that wasn't quite the science fiction ya read of the century, but I was still disappointed.
Browsing earlier reviews, the majority of my complains have been listed, but here they are:
The science fiction reality, constructed by DeStefano, isn't believable. At all. Science fiction is a hard genre to write, in that even the best books will still be so far-fetched in places due to the unrealistic devices that authors tend to put in to spice things up, but in this book the author just seems to lack a recognition of what motivates humanity. Protip: Evolution might breed a supposed "better race" through natural selection (though not always), but that doesn't mean individuals drive forward with no goal other than procreation (as seen by a widely polygamous society) and continuing/improving (fixing the time bomb) the race.
Individuals care about survival, which the main characters are trying.
As far as the actual characters, like a great many books in the ya section nowdays, the vast majority of the plot ignores the background and focuses on romance tension (which never seemed to improve, due to the many memories and thoughts consuming them).
The main character and plot were enjoyable for the most part, especially the twisted carnival section, but neither Rhine or Gabriel ever really stood out to me.
eh, okay book. interesting enough that I'll look for book three, but I won't be going around recommending this trilogy to everyone
I'm still processing my thoughts on this one. I didn't love it nearly as much as Wither, which was such an amazing, vivid work of storytelling. Fever felt more like a transitional novel, in the sense that, you were waiting for something major to happen, only to realize that something major won't be till the next book.