Wither by Lauren Destefano

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Genre: Young Adult - Fantasy/Science Fiction-ish
Rating: 5 stars

Review: As you probably know, I had the case of an awful reading slump the past couple of weeks, and needed a fresh new book to cure it. Thankfully, I was able to pick up Wither from the library. First off, can I just say how much I love the plot line and its premise? It is so original and new, and it makes this story such a refreshing read. And the way the author executed the whole thing, I thought was simply flawless. The pace was on-point, the development was perfect, the writing was beautiful and flowed so well, and the entire setting was so great to learn more about and explore.
As for the characters, I really liked getting to know about them more. They aren't made up of stereotypical personalities and characteristics, which in itself, is a huge plus. But what I loved about the most was the narrator (the main protagonist). This may sound weird, but I actually didn't see her as a fictional character. Instead, it seemed as if she was actually me. I felt like I was in her situation, feeling all these kinds of things, going through all this stuff. It truly made the whole story realistic and believable, despite the fact that it's fantasy and science fiction.

So yes, I loved it. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and rooted for the characters all the way. I like the way it exudes 'darkness and sadness' in a very subtle (instead of contrived and forced) way. All in all, I just thought it was a very intriguing world to live in, even for a few hours. I highly recommend this to YA fans and readers looking for an original and fresh story line.

9 comments:

  1. I'm glad you liked this one Jillian. I started reading it and thought the writing was amazing but the story didn't grab me as much. I guess I just like heaps of action in my books :)

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  2. I am happy that you liked this one and that it helped you out of your reading slump :)
    Can't wait for Fever to come out!

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  3. I have this on my TBR, and now I can't wait to read it. judging from your review it is a very good book, and I like it when I can identify with the character. I'm glad you made it out of you reading slump. Great review!

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  4. Mixed reviews on this but I'm very curious on this. Glad you enjoyed it Jillian ;)

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  5. I love it when a book comes along and lifts me out of the slump! I really want to read this!

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  6. I'm a big fan of this book and of the world DeStefano has built. Want want want the sequel.

    Very nice review my dear.

    I've been looking for a copy of The Lover's Dictionary ever since you mentioned it. My library had a copy but it was *gasp* stolen. So the search is still on. I love that one quote you posted enough to hunt it down.

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  7. I just ordered this from the library - I've been in a slump as well. Hope this one does it for me too!

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  8. I'm so jealous that your library has books like this. We're lucky if we get any YA that's been published in the last three years!

    Wither has been on my wishlist for a while though, as yours isn't the first favourable review I've read.

    Glad you're out of your reading slump :)

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  9. Great review! I sooooo need to read this one ASAP. & glad it helped with your slump. I hate when I fall into one of those.

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