Published March 22nd 2011 by Simon & Schuster
358 pages
Series: The Chemical Garden #1
Source: ARC via Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews
Rhine lives in a world seemingly devoid of hope -- men now die at the age of twenty-five and females at a meager twenty. When she is kidnapped and sold into a marriage like countless others, Rhine is determined to revolt against the bonds that secure her to this new husband and somehow reunite with the twin brother who was torn away from her. Even in a world like this, opinions and relationships shift and change. But escape -- escape is always on her mind.
I devoured and simply adored this new YA dystopian novel. There were moments when I found myself engrossed, grasping the little paperback and yelling No at the words squiggling across the pages as the story unfolded around me. The plot is captivating and the writing artfully done. The characters are authentic and contain a certain depth that made me love the book just that much more, as I could relate to the pain they experience throughout the book. There is a slight The Hunger Games feel to the it, which I do not object to at all. This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2010, and I cannot wait for the next installment of this trilogy.
Rating: 3
fairly intriguing
