Exciting new dystopian teen fiction. Genetic engineering gone wrong has lead to a radically different population structure and teenage girls are forced to breed to keep the human race alive. The second in the trilogy finds 17-year-old Rhine Ellery beginning a new and dangerous life after a daring escape from a suffocating polygamous marriage. The sequel to Wither.

Synopsis

For 17-year-old Rhine Ellery, a daring escape from a suffocating polygamous marriage is only the beginning! Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago -- surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness. The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous -- and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion!by any means necessary. In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano's harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price -- now that she has more to lose than ever.

Reviews

Praise for Wither:

'A harrowing debut ... DeStefano has an observant and occasionally pitiless eye, chronicling the cruelties, mercies, and inconsistencies of her young characters... It will be intriguing to see how DeStefano develops [the larger world] as this promising trilogy progresses' - Publisher's Weekly starred review

'Lauren DeStefano crafts an all too believable future. I loved the world, the romance, the writing -- exactly the kind of book I've been craving to read'
Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH

'[A] thought-provoking debut, reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale with a touch of 'Big Love' ... Rhine's fight for freedom against the clock- and the dissecting table -will leave readers eager for the sequel. Give this one to fans of The Hunger Games trilogy or Ally Condie's Matched.' - Kirkus

'[Rhine] proves herself to be a heroine who faces her situation with spirit and cleverness. The trapped bride and mysterious husband are straight out of Gothic romances. By stirring in elements of sheer creepiness with dystopia and the hot topic of polygamy, DeStefano creates a story that should have broad appeal' - School Library Journal

'This absorbing page-turner may remind some readers of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games with its fearless heroine, sinister villain, bleak landscape and poignant romance. Wither is less violent but is in many ways even more terrifying as DeStefano proves herself a master of plot, setting, character and psychological suspense' - The Buffalo News

About the Author

Lauren Destefano earned her BA in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut in 2007. Wither is her first novel.   Author photo © Ali Smith More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation