Monday, February 25, 2013

Sever by Lauren DeStefano-Review


As some of you may know.. I have made it a mission to finish up the series that I have been reading.  I end up starting them through the Young Adult Book Club, and then we keep reading new books every month and I wasn't ever going back and finishing the series.  Well now I am!  And this is the last book in the Chemical Garden series.  Here is the goodreads description:



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.



I really thought this was a nice wrap up for a trilogy. It did not end in a bow.. there were still things wrong in the world, but we at least felt satisfied with knowing what happens to the characters. One thing that really drew me to this trilogy is the cover art.  I have found some people to really not like it .. but I think the covers are amazing:




I love all the little clues in each picture for the stories.  Just beautiful!

Spoilers to come:
OK... so as you know with the last book I was really disappointed that we left the mansion only to end up back at the mansion.  Well to tell the truth when I picked up this book from the library I couldn't remember for the life of me what exactly happened at the end of Fever.  I looked all over the internet trying to find a summary of the 2nd book.  Wikipedia didn't even have one! (shocker!!).  Sooo I just had to wing it off my memory.  

At the beginning of the book we are starting to find Rhine's brother finally... and forget about Gabriel.  It's like the people in the book don't really care about him.  We'll go find him when everything is all over Rhine decides.  Well he is a boring character anyways.  I feel we never really get to know him. This book I really have grown to love Cecily.  I think she has really matured and found out what the world is really like. Vaughn is still a good villain but now I am not so sure if he really was a villain or not.  Clearly he found the cure for everyone. And yes he went about it in terrible ways, but he did it.  I am not sure if he had just told the truth would the twins have just participated and helped the world?

Now Linden... Linden is a character I love sooooo much.  He is so in the dark .. but yet comes to the light.  I hate (big spoiler don't read ANY further if you haven't read the book).

when he dies.  I was so shocked and surprised, and yes I was surprised when Vaughn dies too.  But Linden I really wanted to see happy.  I wanted to see him and Cecily and their son live happily ever after.  The end of this book was nuts!  

I love how the carnival gets mixed up in the story again.  I thought that was important because I knew that somehow after reading Fever that the carnival had to more then one story.  The twists and turns and the fate that the carnival location brings is amazing.   I do wish we could've learned more about the virus.  Why only the US?  Where was the rest of the world?  Was no one helping?  Why would Hawaiians not even know that the continental US had a virus.  Vaughn said that the people there didn't know.  Too many questions here for me. 



The crystal balls says:
Clouds are covering! A read that lets me down every now and then but peaks out of the clouds!


9 comments:

  1. I'm praying to lose the last 2 minutes of memory! I couldn't resist. I'm on like chapter 4 of Sever so I thought a peek at ur review wouldn't hurt. Nope. Not at all. Lolz.
    I read fast, skim fast actually. Then I saw it : Big Spoiler Ahead, and my eyes betrayed me Angie. They looked! Now I'm going to be sad, but I stopped myself from reading further. I have never done that before. Looked after a warning. I'm so excited after finishing Fevers review last night to finish Sever and get answers. I'm rooting for Rhine and Linden(you dream crushed you..lol) not anymore. Lol.
    Its my fault. I run the risk. This dangerous life I lead- of reading reviews before I fully finish the book.
    I am rushing to read it now. After Being Human is over. Its on scyfy.
    Well, I'd say thanks for the review, but.....
    ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh man that sucks BIG TIME. Especially since it was a BIG spoiler. Yea I am still sad about it. And surprised it happened. But on another topic I love Being Human!!!

      Delete
  2. I read the first book and loved it. But then I read the second book like seven months after and couldn't get into the story again :-(
    I don't know, for me when too much time passes between one book and the next I lose the connection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yea.. I was really lost in the beginning of this book. And I couldn't find any information on Fever on the internet ANYWHERE!!! It was nuts!

      Delete
  3. I was shocked when Linden died as well & I loved how DeStefano finally made him open his eyes & see the world & have hope, true hope for a better future, only to kill him off literally moments later. It was sad, but beautifully written. That being said, I never cared for his character. He had sex with a 13 year old girl and .. I just could not get over that. I know thats the world they live in, but still, I just did not like him. Vaughn's death was brilliantly done. I love Cecily. I loved this book!! So glad it was not a pretty bow ending. & great review!!

    --V

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea that whole sex thing was odd... but I guess supposedly that was the times they were living in. Though I don't know if I could every bring myself to do that... 13 years old is like YOUNG!!!

      Delete
  4. Does anyone know how exactly Linden died?? Was it something about the plane ride?? I re-read that part several times and I just couldn't figure out what made him go into convulsions and start bledding profusely...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sorry...bleeding...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful review. I haven't read this series yet but it always makes me happy when readers are happy with the conclusion.

    ReplyDelete