Wither by Lauren DeStefano

   Summary: (from book jacket) What if you knew exactly when you would die? Thanks to modern science, every newborn has become a ticking genetic time bomb- males only live to age twenty five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. When sixteen year old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape-  to find her twin brother and go home. But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Review: There were both good and bad things about this book. The world that was created was so detailed and believable. Although, the basis of how the virus came about is explained I wanted to know more about what happened to the world, and how everything came to be the way it was. I also thought the plot moves extremely slowly. the book was 358 pages and there was so little plot or character development I found myself bored a few times throughout the book. The main things that kept me from giving up on it really was the fact that I was sucked in to a vivid new world full of very real characters. I thought the Rhine's thoughts and emotions given her situation were so realistic I couldn't help but sympithize with her. I really liked her as a protagonist. To be honest, Rowan was in the back of my mind the entire time I was reading. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he didn't know where his sister was despite his best efforts to keep her safe.  The other characters were just as well fleshed out and real. Jenna was a really strong character that I liked, and I couldn't help but feel just a little bit sorry for Linden. I will be interested to see if the next book contains a little more action. Despite my boredom I am ready to give this world another chance.