Book Review: Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Sever by Lauren DeStefano
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Source: Borrowed ARC from Lindsey (thanks!)
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

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. – Goodreads

Review:
It’s always hard to write reviews for the final book in a series because I want to SCREAM about specific things, but I obviously can’t do that without ruining things for others. As such, this review will probably be a short one. Here’s what you need to know:

As you may or may not recall, Fever was not my type of book. Like, at all. Lauren DeStefano’s prose was beautiful, but I felt that the plot itself lacked direction and I was definitely disappointed by it since I had loved Wither so much. I can’t say that I enjoyed Sever as much as the first book, but it picked up steam in a major way and the entire time I was reading it I was like, “Yes, HERE is the emotion that I missed from book two.”

Because, for better or for worse, there was plenty of emotion to be had in Sever. Lauren DeStefano reminded me of the strength between the sister wives: how far their bond went and their place in each other’s lives. I was able to get back into Rhine’s mindset and feel her determination to reunite with her brother. Lauren DeStefano allowed me to have a better grasp on several characters: to understand their motivations, their fears, and their realizations about the world. I was left staring at the book in shock when certain developments arose and, right now, days after having turned the last page, I’m still remembering the “Noooooooo” moment I had. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THAT MOMENT.

There are a few issues I had with Sever, namely that one particular character remained too underdeveloped for my liking and that ending could have been expanded on, but I definitely feel that this book made up for what I felt was lacking in Fever. Lauren DeStefano filled in the gaps, allowed her characters to grow and, overall, delivered a satisfying conclusion. I’m looking forward to getting to know the characters in her next series.

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