Wither

The Chemical Garden Trilogy

By: Lauren DeStefano

Narrated by: Angela Lin

Lauren DeStefano makes a stellar debut with this chilling tale. The first installment of a planned trilogy, Wither introduces listeners to a bleak world where a mysterious disease kills most women by the age of 20 and men by the age of 25. Like many girls her age, 16-year-old Rhine has been captured and forced into marriage in an effort to keep the population growing. But, despite her new husband’s wealth, she wants nothing more than to escape her servitude and return home before time runs out.

©2011 Lauren DeStefano (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

A little strange, but I could not put it down

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wither?

The most memorable moment to me was the first few pages.... They grabbed me right into the story.

Which character – as performed by Angela Lin – was your favorite?

I think Cecily was my favorite character. Angela Lin really made her sound like the kinda person she was.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes...., I almost did. It was actually 2 sittings on the 1.5 speed. I just needed to find out more and fast. And what can I say? I do loooove the speed option and am kind of addicted to it. LoL

Any additional comments?

Linden was just a wuss to me. I really did not like him.

Enjoyed more than many reviewers

I enjoyed Wither from the very beginning. It is light listening that does not require a lot of thought. I generally listen to sci-fi and fantasy and was looking for something just like this. I intend to listen to the entire series. It is a bit predictable but that did not take away from my enjoyment one bit. The protagonist is reminiscent of president Snow from the Hunger Games--evil to the core! It has a solid place in the teen dystopian genre.

A creepy and fun favorite!

I have listened to this book from another source before I have added it to my Audible library, I own the last 2 books in this trilogy and got tired of borrowing this (the first one), which I have loved since I first read the book! The narrator is fantastic for the main character, she gives a flawless performance. I actually prefer the audiobooks in this series to reading the physical copies.

The story? It’s a weird dystopia. But just so fun to listen to. I would say the flaw is that the logic of “how” all this works is not explained very well. You have to suspend disbelief and logic and reason for this premise. There’s a little bit of shock value- girls kidnapped to be sister wives, and the youngest character, Cecily, is soooo young for what happens. It’s a crazy ride and you have to keep remembering, this is a dystopian world and time is not on their side, and that’s the whole deal with the book, these girls are in a seemingly bleak, hopeless world and have no control over it.

I just wish the science was explained better. I highly recommend this book if you want a fun read. This is better than sparkling vampires.

Slow going

This book is very slow; it has a good story line, but not a lot happening.

Highly recommended!

Easy read, engaging and entertaining. I will highly recommend to young and old. Great book.