Fever by Lauren DeStefano – SPOILER-FREE!

*THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS FOR WITHER. You can read my review of Wither here. Also, I have NOT spoiled anything that happens in Fever so you can feel free to read this review without being told what happens! I plan on making a vlog to also review this book FULL of spoilers after the release date. I just have SO much to talk about.

Book/Author: Fever by Lauren DeStefano
To Be Published February 21st by Simon & Schuster
I received Fever for review from the (EVER SO AWESOME) publisher and this did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

Fever by Lauren DeStefano leaves off where Wither ends so thankfully we don’t miss a moment of their story since their escape from the mansion. Naturally Rhine and Gabriel are trying to get far away from the mansions and we know that freedom and finding Rhine’s brother is the end goal. And if you thought that plan sounded just peachy and easy and wonderful now that they’ve escaped…you were way wrong as Rhine and Gabriel encounter some obstacles and people who could prevent them from making it to Manhatten.

Fever did not disappoint…what is the opposite of disappoint? Because that’s what Fever was. It did not suffer any of that 2nd book syndrome nonsense. I felt like Fever was just as strong as Wither..maybe even a little stronger of a story. There is something just truly magical about Lauren DeStefano’s writing, her characters and the world in which they live…a world that I so strongly get a sense of through her perfect descriptions and the way the characters interact with the world. She just doesn’t tell us about what this world is like, we see it through the way the characters move throughout the story in all the various situations they witnessed. I truly felt the despair of a world that doesn’t understand why this genetic mutation is and the effects it has had on their way of life and the sense of fear it has created.

In Wither, we mostly saw the world as it was in Linden’s home which really left quite a mystery as to what life was like outside of it. We got little bits and pieces through memories Rhine had about the way her and her brother needed to protect themselves. The outside world is such a contrast to living inside the mansion. While we know how horrible it was for Rhine, you began to see that maybe freedom doesn’t always make you actually free. It’s just a different kind of cage – one of impending and certain death and being forced to react accordingly to the way the virus has made society tick. Lauren DeStefano did a great job making you feel the contrast between Rhine’s life in the mansion and Rhine’s life after breaking free and makes you unsure of which one actually is better…the same struggle that starts to pulse through Rhine from time to time.

As always, Lauren DeStefano’s writing is breathtaking and mesmerizes you to the point that you are SO sucked into the story that audible gasps and sighs are just something that anyone near you is just going to have to get over. As much tension and suspense as Wither has, Fever has just as much and I’d say it was even heightened. The plot is perfectly paced for me and twists at all the right places with ample surprises and breaks your heart along the way. I was ravenous in every sense of the word and finished this VERY quickly as the story just keeps getting better and better and the level of emotional investment in these characters is tenfold!

Oh and let’s talk about the heart stomping number that Lauren DeStefano renders on my heart. Or we could talk about the end and how I was left with my mouth wide open and reeling from all the action that led up to it. INTENSE! I have given my heart over to these characters. I am so beyond invested now and I think Fever really developed them into even more vivid people and validated many of my thoughts about these characters. Oh and Linden. He is one of the best characters of the series in my opinion and I just loved him so much in this one. I remember going through intense hatred for him in the beginning of Wither, to feeling sorry for him, to actually liking him, and then my heart broke for him when Rhine left…and this book….oh Linden. That’s all I’m going to say.

My Final Thought: Go mark it on your calendar, set an alert on your phone, add it to your Goodreads list, tattoo it on your face, etc. Do whatever you need to do to remember to go out and get this when it comes out on February 21! As a much anticipated sequel, Fever did NOT disappoint me in any way and the wait for the next is going to be agonizing. I think I experienced a full range of emotions and I am currently plotting to kidnap Lauren and will only let her go under the condition that she tells me what happens next. Lauren DeStefano is on auto-buy for sure for her beautiful writing, her ability to tell a story and the way she makes me have strong feelings towards characters. I can’t wait to see the conclusion to this trilogy and see what else DeStefano writes after this!