Book Review: Fever

Title: Fever (Chemical Gardens #2)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 9/10


WARNING: one mild spoiler. Mild, I say.

Oh dear... Fever has left me tired beyond imagination. I was so sad that for so much of it, Linden was absent, then overjoyed when he came back, then mad at his blindness, then happy again at how much he loves Rhine, and then floored with that freaking cliffhanger at the end. I hate cliffhangers. They're vicious things D:

First of all, I'd like to defend myself. I understand many people don't like Linden. That is perfectly understandable. I will never agree to the whole Cecily situation, but it's not like Cecily wasn't willing, so he's not some kind of creepy rapist, no matter what anyone says. And what I see between him and Rhine is just... beautiful. It's not about sex, or making kids; it's about being there for each other and comforting one another when the weight of their reality comes crashing down on them. I can't condemn him for wanting a friend - he never forced himself on Rhine, and I have no idea why, if because it's just not who he is, because he chose to listen to his father (I hope to god not), or simply because he loves her enough to want her to want him too. I like to think it's the latter. Actually, I've pretty much convinced myself of it.
Regardless, he was missing way too much from Fever, and I thought for sure this book would be less interesting than Wither, since, as much as I realise that Gabriel is a sweet guy and all, I still root for Linden.
Of course, DeStefano had to prove me wrong; There wasn't one dull moment in this book; not one part where I skipped over a paragraph. Everything was well-told, to the point and insanely fast-paced, whis is probably part of why I feel like I just run a 10k marathon.
I loved getting to meet new characters, all of which have a huge amount of depth to them, no matter what role they play, and most of all, I loved meeting Maddie. She reminds me a little of how I was as a child, always lost in my own fantasy world.
Cecily surprised me. I love her to death, but she really should have known better by now. I can't believe what she did to Rhine, and I'm not sure I can look over that one so easily as the first time. Also, for not telling Linden. The poor man was so torn when he found Rhine... *sigh* sorry, I'm rambling.
Anyway, before I go off on a rant again (writing reviews just after finishing a book this good always tends to lead to rambles, but I needed to talk to someone about this), let me just say... THAT BLOODY CLIFFHANGER! I hate cliffhangers. They are evil, evil things that make sure the time just doesn't go by fast enough till the next book. I'm pretty much already putting up a countdown for book 3 in my head. Goddammit.