3.5
Sever
ByPublisher Description
Rhine is caught between her unquiet past and her uncertain future in this third book in the riveting, New York Times bestselling dystopian young adult trilogy reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Time is ticking down until the virus takes its toll, and Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed, and she takes refuge in his dilapidated house. But the people she left refuse to stay in the past—while Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.
Meanwhile, her twin brother Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. And what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future and for the past her parents never had the chance to explain—forcing Rhine to reconsider everything she thought to be true.
Time is ticking down until the virus takes its toll, and Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed, and she takes refuge in his dilapidated house. But the people she left refuse to stay in the past—while Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.
Meanwhile, her twin brother Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. And what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future and for the past her parents never had the chance to explain—forcing Rhine to reconsider everything she thought to be true.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesSever Reviews
3.5
“ℕ𝕃
Heel fijn om deze trilogie uit te lezen - en opnieuw dankjewel aan Uitgeverij Lannoo en Best of YA Books voor de prachtige exemplaren!
In Sever, het laatste deel van de Chemical Garden-trilogie, wil Rhine eindelijk antwoorden. Na alles wat ze heeft moeten doorstaan bij Vaughn, vindt ze een veilige plek bij zijn broer Reed. Cecily weigert haar te verlaten, en Linden blijft worstelen met zijn gevoelens voor Rhine én met de geheimen van zijn vader. Rhine wil haar tweelingbroer Rowan vinden voordat hij nog meer gevaarlijke stappen zet. Maar onderweg komen er heel wat geheimen aan het licht - over Vaughn, Rowan, Cecily, Gabriel en zelfs over Rhine haar ouders…
💭 Dit boek vond ik persoonlijk het leukste van de drie, samen met boek 1. De verhaallijn is duidelijk, goed te volgen en geeft mooie afsluitingen aan personages, plaatsen en verhaallijnen uit de eerdere delen. Je voelt wel dat dit boek meer richting YA geschreven is, maar ik heb er echt van genoten.
De vriendschap met Cecily blijft een belangrijk onderdeel van de trilogie. Ik vond haar niet altijd de leukste, maar ze is nog zo jong en moest tegelijk veel te snel opgroeien. In dat opzicht begreep ik haar wel. Toch had ik Rhine soms een echte beste vriendin gegund.
Ook de plot rond het karnaval en Madame vond ik een geslaagde toevoeging! Al had ik opnieuw - zoals bij veel personages - gemengde gevoelens over hun motieven en morele grijstinten. Maar dat maakte het ergens ook net interessant.
Overall: een leuke YA‑trilogie die ik met heel veel plezier heb gelezen. En deze artistieke covers met hun felle sprayed edges krijgen absoluut een mooi plekje in mijn kast.
𝔼ℕ𝔾
It’s been a real pleasure to finish reading this trilogy – and thank you once again to Lannoo and Best of YA Books for the lovely copies!
In Sever, the final instalment of the Chemical Garden trilogy, Rhine is finally seeking answers. After everything she’s had to endure at Vaughn’s hands, she finds a safe haven with his brother Reed. Cecily refuses to leave her side, and Linden continues to struggle with his feelings for Rhine and with his father’s secrets. Rhine wants to find her twin brother Rowan before he takes any more dangerous steps. But along the way, a whole host of secrets come to light – about Vaughn, Rowan, Cecily, Gabriel and even Rhine’s own parents…
💭 Personally, I found this book my favourite of the three, along with book 1. The plot is clear, easy to follow and provides satisfying resolutions for characters, locations and storylines from the earlier instalments. You do get the sense that this book is written more with a YA audience in mind, but I really enjoyed it.
Her friendship with Cecily remains a key part of the trilogy. I didn’t always find her the most likeable, but she’s still so young and had to grow up far too quickly. In that respect, I did understand her. Still, at times I would have liked Rhine to have had a proper best friend.
I also thought the plotline involving the carnival and Madame was a successful addition! Although, once again – as with many characters – I had mixed feelings about their motives and moral grey areas. But in a way, that’s exactly what made it interesting.
Overall: a lovely YA trilogy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. And these artistic covers with their bright sprayed edges will definitely be given a special spot on my bookshelf.”
About Lauren DeStefano
Lauren DeStefano is the author of The Internment Chronicles and the New York Times bestselling Chemical Garden trilogy, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever. She earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. Visit her at LaurenDeStefano.com.
Other books by Lauren DeStefano
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
