Publish Date: February 12, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0909-5
Pages: 384
Series: The Chemical Garden, #3
Source: From publisher for honest review
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
My Review:
So much is revealed in Book #3, who Housemaster Vaughn really is, what Rhine was really running from and what happened to Linden's previous wives and so much more. We meet again with characters from the previous 2 books and we are introduced to some new and crucial characters.
We pick right up from Fever and get right into business. Rhine has escaped and has been through so much more, but isn't any closer to freedom, or so she thinks. Rhine is still set on finding her twin brother, Rowan and showing him that she is still alive. In order to do this, Linden gets the help from his Uncle Reed. He's an eccentric man who hates his brother, Vaughn. Together with his help and Cecily's, since she is adamant in staying with Rhine, work on finding the truth and discovering what is actually happening the the world that appears to be falling apart, and finally bringing Vaughn down. Along the way they will encounter fears from their past, reveal secrets for their future and learn the truths in the present moment.
Lauren DeStefano has created a world in which Rhine's time alive is getting shorter and shorter and she will stop at nothing to find answers and her brother. Cecily is slowly starting to discover the whole truth and is starting to feel the wrath of such a short life. With her new son Bowen, it's even harder for her and as a reader, I felt sorry for her. She's so taken with her son, but understands that his life is only just beginning and she will do anything to make his life a happy one. She will stop at nothing to protect him from the ones trying to hurt her family. Their relationship, while others are changing and developing, is probably the hardest to come to terms with because of this.
The cover of Sever is amazing, I really like how it fits right in to complete this amazing trilogy. The cover, along with Wither and Fever foreshadow so much and it was very interesting to look at the cover once the novel was finished and seeing what each picture revealed and just what it meant, Not only are the covers gorgeous, DeStefano is a great story teller. She can really pull you into the book, and hook you with her descriptive writing, and characters that are well developed and easy to connect with.
Though it's sad to see this series come to an end, it was relieving to get all the answers. Throughout books 1 and 2, there was so much happening and so many little secrets, and we finally get the conclusion that we have all be anxiously waiting for.
