Review: Seeds of Wither

Title: The Seeds of Wither (The Chemical Garden #1.5)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publication date: November 15, 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5 stars

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Discover the world author Lauren DeStefano created in Wither, a riveting dystopian thriller. In the not-so-distant future, fallout from genetic engineering causes all females to die at age twenty, and all males to die at twenty-five. Kidnapped from her home and torn from her twin brother Rowan, sixteen-year-old Rhine is forced into a polygamous marriage and taken to live in her husband’s mansion. She has everything she wants—except for freedom. But her plans to escape and return home are complicated by a devious father-in-law, as well as Rhine’s growing attraction to Gabriel, a servant who works on the estate. Read the first 100 pages of Wither and be captivated by Rhine’s journey.

This eBook sampler includes an exclusive, never-before-published short story by Lauren DeStefano. “The First Bride” reveals the events leading up to Wither, from the point of view of the bride that came before Rhine.

Don't get this for the samples of Wither or Fever. The real gem of this ebook is the short story told from Rose's point of view.

The First Bride is one of those short stories that I wish the author would write an entire book about. Rose was a character that I really liked in Wither, despite her short appearance, and after getting a peek into her head, hearing her narration, I've decided she just might be my favorite character in the series. She was a strong character who has been through multiple emotional trials. In the face of death, she chose dying with dignity even though that wasn't what others wanted for her.
I found the evolution of her relationship with Linden really interesting.

"While I had made up my mind that we would be enemies, it was hard to be hateful once I first saw him. Wiry and round-eyed, he was as frightened of me as I had prepared to be of him."

Personally, I love Linden and Rose together. They're such a good pairing. In Wither, I read about their love story but now I actually got to see it unfold.
Rose's protectiveness of Linden.
Her worry for what would happen to him after she dies.
And Linden's determination to keep her alive.

This short story left me hungering for chapters devoted to learning more about Rose and her relationship with Linden. More than anything though, it struck a chord in me with the big What If? What if things in this dystopian world had been different and these two could have had less tragic ending? This story, short as it was, made me yearn for change and ache for its characters.

"Here on Earth, living is the highest honor we humans can imagine. Death is the enemy, even if it's the only voice of reason."