Book Review: Fever

Wow, where do I begin. Depressing. That would a good word to sum up this book. So why did I keep reading? Undercurrents of hope that pop up in the midst of some pretty awful things.

That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, I just had a hard time trying not to cry. Rhine's world is bleak, real, dangerous, and ugly. ***SPOILER***: So at the end of Wither, Rhine and Gabriel escape the confines of the 'compound' and the father-in-law from hell, Vaughn. And now, well, things aren't going much better. Kidnapped and forced into the red district, Rhine becomes the object of ...interest/ creepy affection to Madame, the woman in charge. Don't even get me started on poor Gabriel. He's spent most of his life in servitude and hasn't really faced the realities of their world outside of the house before. What he endures is completely unfair, but also totally expected considering the world they live in. Then there's the ending. Gah! Lauren Destefano's writing captures the heartless nature of the future so well and it kept me turning the pages. It is poetic and grim. I do have a few gripes, like the prose. Although well done, it can be a bit much at times. And I also want more character development for Gabriel. So far I'm not as connected with him as I want to be. All in all, I'm looking forward to the next one because I REALLY need to know where the heck it's all going and how it's going to end. Hopefullyit won't be as tragic as I think it will be.