Sever (Chemical Garden #3)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Format: Paperback
Pages: 371
Rating: 7 out of 10

** Spoiler Warning**

Wither (Chemical Garden #1): Review

Fever (Chemical Garden #2): Review

Summary (Goodreads version): With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind 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, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

What I Think: Well, obviously, since I read the first two novels in this series, I must have liked it. I'll keep it short and too the point.

I found that this novel was kind of depressing. I understand that some bad things happened because it furthered the plot and character development. I also understand that one character needed to die to force other characters to take action that became the to the point, if not short, climax of the novel. Sometimes characters need a push before they will do something. It only makes sense for this to be true since it is true in real life also. I was just sad that it had to be who it was. It was very dramatic but sudden too. The suddenness of the death gave me quite a shock. It made me almost cry too. 

Another reason that this novel gave me a feeling of hopelessness is that I felt like it was the other two books in reverse. It was almost like she was going back in time. Things that had already happened to her, came back to haunt her. What she went through was similar to the last two books but in opposite order. I didn't notice this until I was finished. In the end, it doesn't matter that this happened; I just feel like I should point it out.

I must complain: Bowen and Rowen, in the same novel. Worst name choice ever! I kept getting them confused. It sucked. It's really the only thing I'd change. Actually, that's a lie. I thought there would be more action but now, thinking on it, there really couldn't be. Rash action is not how any of these characters worked. They play heavy on the mind games and plotting. Everything is twisted together to make Vaughn the perfect villain. He even manage to convince people that he is good.

I, in part, saw the end coming. In this case, it made me very happy. I got at least one thing I wanted in the end (I got more than one thing...).

To Finish: Read the series but a piece of advice: don't grow attached to any of the characters. Enjoy that fun thought, readers!