Wither: 15th Anniversary Edition
Mar 2011 · The Chemical Garden Trilogy Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
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210 reviews
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About this ebook
A teen fights to escape the wealthy family who kidnapped her to produce their heirs in this first book in the riveting, New York Times bestselling dystopian young adult trilogy reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect humanity has left all males with a lifespan of twenty-five years, and all females with one of twenty—and the world has fallen into a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and girls are kidnapped off the streets and forced to serve as wives and bear children for the scions of the rich and powerful.
Despite her every precaution, Rhine is kidnapped and forced to become a bride. Kept under tight guard, and tossed into a glittering world of illusion, Rhine is given wealth and luxury beyond anything she’s ever dreamed. Her every need is met…every need except freedom. With the help of sweet, caring Gabriel—a servant in the manor—Rhine will do anything it takes to escape, go home, and reunite with her twin brother.
But Florida is a long way from Manhattan; her father-in-law, a scientist from the perfect, healthy “first generation” who is obsessed with finding a cure for this early death, is watching her every move and hoarding corpses in the basement; and her husband, Linden, is a far cry from the monster she imagined him to be. But in a world that continues to decay, and with only four years left to fight for, is there any room for someone like Rhine to choose her own path?
Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect humanity has left all males with a lifespan of twenty-five years, and all females with one of twenty—and the world has fallen into a state of panic. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and girls are kidnapped off the streets and forced to serve as wives and bear children for the scions of the rich and powerful.
Despite her every precaution, Rhine is kidnapped and forced to become a bride. Kept under tight guard, and tossed into a glittering world of illusion, Rhine is given wealth and luxury beyond anything she’s ever dreamed. Her every need is met…every need except freedom. With the help of sweet, caring Gabriel—a servant in the manor—Rhine will do anything it takes to escape, go home, and reunite with her twin brother.
But Florida is a long way from Manhattan; her father-in-law, a scientist from the perfect, healthy “first generation” who is obsessed with finding a cure for this early death, is watching her every move and hoarding corpses in the basement; and her husband, Linden, is a far cry from the monster she imagined him to be. But in a world that continues to decay, and with only four years left to fight for, is there any room for someone like Rhine to choose her own path?
A teen fights to escape the wealthy family who kidnapped her to produce their heirs in this first book in the riveting, New York Times bestselling dystopian young adult trilogy reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect hum...
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Ratings and reviews
210 reviews
Robby Neale
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October 5, 2016
The positives: it was well written, and I enjoyed the setting and story premise. The negatives: very little occurred, I disagreed with the protagonist on some actions that were considered evil, the knowledge some characters possessed (whether too much or too little) was sometimes unbelievable, and it really could've used more mystery (and had the ability to).
Janelle Williams
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December 15, 2013
Well written but the end of the series is a bit too happily ever after for me. Not to mention the human interactions throughout the whole series are really unrealistic. I give it a 2.5 because it kept me reading but it was just a little off...
Adrianna McNabb
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May 30, 2016
I own all three books and I can say they all went flying the first book took me 10hours to read and since I was on a road trip with cadets at the time I didn't know that there was a second book I had to wait months before the second one came out same with the third one I can never get sick and tired of them. They are my favorite . :)
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About the author
Lauren DeStefano is the author of The Internment Chronicles and the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden trilogy, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever. She earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. Visit her at LaurenDeStefano.com.
Lauren DeStefano is the author of The Internment Chronicles and the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden trilogy, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever. She earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. Visit her at LaurenDe...
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