In this dystopian universe females only live to be 20 years old and males live to be 25 before a mysterious virus kills them. Caused by a failed experiment to create a more perfect human race, only those of the first generation are immune to this virus, and live to see old age.

Young girls are disappearing, stolen away to be killed or to become unwilling polygamous wives of wealthy men and bear as many children as they can before they die. Rhine is taken, thrown into a van with several other girls, sedated and transported far from home to live in a secured mansion with four other sister wives.
 

I had a few issues with this book so I will start with some of those. Rhine is not the type of heroine who will fight tooth and nail for what she wants. It was a little frustrating to me when she would simply go along with everything that was happening to her. I wanted her to ask more questions, challenge authority, show some fire.
 

Her husband, Linden, is incredibly oblivious to everything. He was deeply in love with his first wife, devastated when she died, but seemed to move on fairly quickly with three more wives to take her place and warm his bed. Rhine has so many opportunities to help him see what was truly going on, instead she says nothing.
 

Gabriel didn't have much of a personality. He seemed content to simply live out the rest of his few remaining years as a servant admiring Rhine from afar. I can't really say that I was a big fan of his.

I really wanted to learn more about the virus, to understand how and why it works the way it does. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get all the answers I hoped for.

 

On to the things I liked about this book. The story line was different enough to keep me interested. I haven't read any books similar to this lately, so I enjoyed the change. All of the sister wives had interesting personalities, and most were likeable. I enjoyed learning more about them, their backgrounds, histories and what made them all so different.
 

DeStefano's writing style is beautiful, and there is so much that I want to know more about. I hope to see more world building in the next books of the series. When a book is frustrating, engaging, nicely written, and makes me think, I just have to continue on with it to see, where exactly, it will go.