Rhine and Gabriel have
escaped from the Housemaster Vaughn’s mansion, hoping for a life together, and Rhine
is determined to go home to her twin brother, Rowan. However, horrors they could never imagine await
them in the outside world. First, they
fall into the hands of Madame Soleski, a crazed woman who runs a brothel inside
the remains of a carnival. They get out
of that situation with an added burden—Maddie, an intelligent, but mute,
malformed child, only to have one roadblock after another thrown into their
paths. As an added distraction, Vaughn
keeps showing up unexpectedly, and Rhine cannot figure out how he is able to
find her.
If you are a fan of “The
Chemical Garden” series, you will not be disappointed with Fever. In fact, in many ways, I think it is even better than Wither !
Fever begins right where Wither ends. There is more action in this new installment,
and we learn more about Rhine’s brother, Rowan, and life beyond the mansion.
In Fever, we are introduced to new characters, many of whom are
extremely complex. I am especially fond
of Lilac, one of Madame Soleski’s “girls”, and Maddie, her young daughter. Lilac helps Rhine and Gabriel cope with
living in a strange brothel; she is knowledgeable and strong way beyond her
nineteen years. Maddie, though deformed,
is smart and has learned how to survive in a dangerous environment, despite her
handicap. She has literally beaten the
odds. I love Grace Lottner, who owns
“Grace’s Orphanage”. She is a caring and
devoted woman. The way she dotes on her
charges is both commendable and extraordinary.
Madame Soleski, the twisted,
delusional owner of the “Carnival of Love”, is the epitome of evil. Not only is she controlling, but she is also
conniving, and heartless, only caring what she can get out of the girls’ short
lives. She even has an incinerator built
so she can easily dispose of her dead girls’ bodies. Then there’s Housemaster Vaughn. If you thought he was awful in Wither, just wait! He is even more of a monster in this second
book! The evil he exudes in the first
book cannot even compare to what we learn about him in Fever !
Lauren DeStefano’s lovely
prose descriptions of the carnival, Manhattan, and the orphanage are
stunning! The world beyond the mansion
is dark, disturbing, and desperate. It
is hard to believe that people can actually live their lives in this crumbling,
dying world. Many of the first
generations are also pro-naturalists, scornful of children and teenagers, and
hold disdain for President Guiltree and his ideas to begin experimenting for a
cure for the virus which claim young adults.
Setting off bombs to make a point is reminiscent of some of today’s
terrorists, and that is how Rhine and Rowan’s parents were killed.
Although the book is very
dark, it does the ending does leave the reader with some hope. Fever will
make its debut on February 21, 2012. I
highly recommend it to high school and public libraries!
**The copy reviewed was
received from the publisher at the ALA Midwinter meeting in Dallas, 2012.
