Wither: to become wrinkled of age or diease

Lauren DeStefano is an emerging author. I found out she resided in Connecticut and was excited because she was in close range. Of course I will more than likely never come in contact with the woman, but that is besides the point. Wither is her first novel, which is to be the first of a trilogy.
Based on ideas from The Handmaiden's Tale, Wither takes place in the not so distant future. There is a disease that shortens the expected lifespan of men and women. Women are expected to live until they are 20, and men are supposed to live until 25. Once the individual becomes of age, they will begin contracting this disease and slowly die within the year.

Rhine lived with her twin brother, Rowan, until she was captured by the Gatherers. These are a group of people who kidnap women and sell them into prostitution or murder them. Rhine is one of the lucky three who is hand picked by the Housemaster, who is a scientist desperately trying to find the cure for this illness. She, along with the other two chosen, are to become wives of his son, Linden. She will be expected to cater to his every desire, bring him children, and stay enclosed in this mansion for the remainder of her live.
Once the sedation wears thin, Rhine is introduced to her sister wives, Jenna and Cecily. Jenna, 19, is beautiful in every way, but very closed off because her sisters were killed in the same night she was chosen to live. Cecily, 13, is young and naive to this world. She is eager to please her new husband and doesn't quite understand why her sister wives seem to be fighting this new chance at life.
Weeks turn into months, and each day brings a new surprise, a new secret, and a new reason for Rhine to escape. She begins to discover that her new husband is clueless to all the horror around him, and perhaps the Housemaster's chilling appearance may bring danger to all of them.
Love, Love, LOVED this book. The concept for this trilogy is very cool. Plus, it was nice to read an emerging teen read that isn't mature enough for middle school. Each chapter held a new secret, a new discovery for Rhine, and it was a great adventure to go on. Enter Gabriel, one of the kitchen staff, and things get more complicated, but the reader discovers her hidden affection for him. He shows her different aspects of history, when the rest of the continents used to exist, but he also keeps her focused on the one thing she truly desires, which is her freedom. In order to receive the potential keys to her escape, Rhine must rely on the help from Jenna and attempt to gain enough of Linden's trust in order to secure her position as First Wife.
I absolutely fell in love with the characters, the mystery, and the writing. All three girls have such different pasts that it was very interesting to see how they would mesh together. I bought this book before I finished reading it because I knew it was one I needed on my shelf, but it was one I could read again and get the same feelings as I did when I first read it. DeStefano's first book really does leave you craving more.