Fever, by Lauren DeStefano

A fantastic follow-up to the phenomenal Wither.

In this novel, unwilling bride Rhine and house servant Gabriel have escaped the luxurious prison of her husband’s mansion, only to find that the world outside the gilded cage is even darker and more dangerous than it had been inside. With their freedom the only thing they truly have, their struggle to remain free is all the more poignant. After being captured in a surreal and vividly painted brothel/circus, Rhine must use all of her strength to save herself, Gabriel, and a young straggler they pick up along the way. Without giving spoilers, it’s hard to describe more of the plot, but once again, DeStefano’s writing reimagines the familiar ground of YA post-apocalyptic dystopian near-future America, and creates a fully imagined world fraught with danger, but touched by hope. Different in tone from the nearly claustrophobic Wither, Fever is a fantastic sequel that doesn’t feel like “the middle book” at all- while leaving me panting for the next in the series!

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano

This won't be out until late March, but I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this- it was fantastic!!!!!
YA dystopia (surprise), with a polygamous twist. After scientists have used genetic engineering to eliminate cancer and most diseases, the first generation was healthy and long-lived- but after that, males die at 25, and females at 20. Desperate oligarchs have turned to polygamous marriage to try to keep family lines intact, and girls are kidnapped to become brides and childbearers, to widen the gene pool. Rhine, Jenna and Cecily have been brought as brides for Linden, a clueless and ineffectual aristoctrat.
The world-building in this was wonderful, and fully developed characters deepened the high-concept plot. Couldn't put this down, read it in one sitting.