Wither by Lauren DeStefano Review

Title: Wither

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Paperback Edition

Amount of Pages: 384 pages

Release Date: December 6, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Meant For: Young Adults

From: Amazon

Summary: From Booklist:

When scientists engineered genetically perfect children, everyone thought it would ensure the future of the human race. Though the first generation is nearly immortal, a virus causes all successive generations to die early: age 20 for women, 25 for men. Now, girls are kidnapped for brothels or polygamous marriages to breed children. Rhine is taken from her hardscrabble life and sold with two other girls to Linden Ashby. Though they live in a palatial Florida home surrounded by gardens and treated like royalty, the girls are sequestered from the outside world, and Rhine longs to escape. Her growing affection for her sister wives, her pity for Linden, and her fear of Housemaster Vaughn, Linden's manipulative father, keep her uncomfortably docile, until she falls for servant Gabriel.

honeywhenyousleep's Review: I first picked up this book on a impulse buy. I had read briefly about it on a forum and thought that the summary sounded interesting. I had never read a dystopian novel that dealt with certain dying periods as this book has and decided to give it a shot. It was pleasant surprise, and I have to say this is one of my favorite books.

Characters:

I very much appreciate the narrative from Rhine's perspective and love her descriptions of things, and the way she incorporates memories within scenes, every time something triggers a thought to come to her mind. I found that Rhine was an very clever character, with the way she continuously manipulated everyone around her to believe that she wanted and did care for Linden the way he did for her.

Rhine's sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, were also amazing characters just by themselves. I loved the way they interacted with each other, handling their marriage in a way that they each accepted they were not the only ones to be with Linden, and ended up each having a different relationship altogether with him.

Relationships:

Now if you would ask me in this book which love interest I would chosen for Rhine to be with, it would be Linden. I found him to be such a sweetheart, but incredibly naive. Not to say that I did not appreciate Gabriel's character would be a lie, but I felt like he wasn't in the book as much as to lead Rhine on that they could be with one another. Sometimes I felt like the way they felt for each others was exaggerated, and that Rhine was in denial for feeling for Linden, that she chose to want Gabriel as a way to suppress her want.

Ramblings:

I finished this book within a day, and the way it is written and paced is just right for me. It wasn't too fast, but it wasn't too slow. Everything was explained in a orderly fashion and not taken to be rushed and I felt it was quite alright that at some parts it was lengthy.

I love the whole concept of this dsytopia, and feel it is much different that anything that is out there at the moment. There was a certain feel to this book that I couldn't describe. It almost felt contemporary, but it does not only talk of what is happening with the disappearing human race, but it shows how it affected everyone and the way things are viewed in this type of society. For example, a grown man being with a 13 year old is acceptable in this society, as if kidnapping to repopulate.

And sometimes it felt like a mystery book as well, as Linden's father drops hints to be deceiving his son, and everyone around them with this 'cure' he is trying to find.

End Thoughts:

After I finished this book, I just could not wait to get my hands on Fever, and I was so happy to have found out that within that week I had read Wither, that it was coming out.

I definitely recommend this to anyone, even if dystopian isn't really there thing, as it has something for everybody in my opinion.

I give Wither a 5/5 rating.

The Accidental Vampire (Argeneau Vampire #6) Book Review

Title: The Accidental Vampire

Author: Lynsay Sands

eBook Edition

Amount of Pages: 384 pages

Release Date: December 26, 2007

Publisher: Avon

Meant For: Adults

From: Library

Summary:

Ever since an accident turned her into a knockout vamp, Elvi Black's been catching her z's in a coffin, staying out of the sun, and giving up garlic. She knows there's more to being undead than what she saw in Dracula, but she can't very well ask her mortal friends about proper biting etiquette. But when her neighbors placed a personal ad for her in the local paper, she never imagined she'd meet Victor Argeneau, a vampire who could have his pick of any woman—dead or alive.

Rich, powerful, and drop—dead gorgeous, Victor's the perfect man for a novice neck—biter like Elvi. He's willing to teach her everything he knows, but he'll have to do it fast. Someones out to put a stake through her new vamp life, and only Victor can keep her safe—and satisfied—for all eternity.

honeywhenyousleeps' Review:

This is not my first Lynsay Sands book, and after reading this one, it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, all the way until the ending, and finished it quite fast, in about a day or so.

Relationships:

Elvi's friends decide to put an ad in the paper, looking for a single male vampire, and six men are asked to come down to her restaurant to surprise her. I loved the way Victor and Elvi were both attracted to each other instantly, but were fighting what they felt for one another, until they could deny it no longer.

I loved Victor's friend, DJ, that decided to come along with him to support him on what had originally had been a mission, for Victor and DJ believed that Elvi had broken the law of exposing them for what they were.

DJ and Mabels relationship literally had me dying. I was laughing so hard I could not stop, the whole book really.

And, be warned, they are explicit sex scene starting around the middle of the book until the end.

Characters:

They are the things I love most about Lynsay Sands books. Her characters are always making me react in some way. Either they make me laugh, angry, or smile like an idiot. My favorite though, in this book, would have to be Victor. There was just a certain allure to him, and the way he easily accepted and cared for Elvi, and how he was committed to a relationship, although she was weary.

Loved the cheesecake situation, if you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. I had a crush on Alesandro. Just such a cute little Italian.

Ramblings:

This book flows effortlessly. I literally was like 'wow' when I saw I was almost done with it. It's so amazing, you don't realize that it's a book.

Some of the stuff, in the book, did make me go like 'what was that for, are they that stupid?' and this was mostly directed at Mabel, and Teddy. They had Elvi believing ridiculous things, that they had no evidence to back up. If you had read the books in the series before this one, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Lynsay Sands mythology is much different than other vampire books. They can be out in the sun, they do not age, and can only be killed with a stake in the heart. Basically, vampires originated from Atlantis. Nanos, these tiny cells, repair the body, and revise the aging process and those handy things, but they need more blood for the more damage that they have.

End Thought:

I'll be waiting for the 8th book to come into hands, anxiously, and will reread this rest in wait. I give this book a 4/5. Great book for a day in a bed, that's when I read it, while I had the most horrible toothache. You won't regret it.