Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Book Review: Virals



A ridiculously long time ago, I went to a Kathy Reichs booksigning. She was in Beaver Creek promoting her young adult series, Virals. At the time, I’d read three or four of her Bones books. They’re good. I enjoy them, but at times they can be a little dry. Still, I was excited to meet such a talented author/scientist.

I bought the first two Virals books at the signing. I just read the first one last week.

I can’t believe that it took me so long to sit down and read it, and even more I can’t believe that these books got so little attention when they came out! Tory Brennan is smart, sassy, and fierce. She’s a leader, self-confidant without being arrogant. She’s interested in boys and clothes, but her life doesn’t revolve around them. She’s an athletic science geek, an adventurous spirit and an animal lover.  
She’s everything that I wish I could have been when I was 14.

Though thrown together by circumstance, Tory forms close bonds with three neighbor boys, the other Virals. These strong, completely platonic relationships give the four of them solid footing when adults prove untrustworthy and they find themselves surrounded by murder, conspiracy, and mysterious burgeoning powers brought on by a science experiment gone awry. Even better, since the books are written by a scientist, they push the bounds of reality just so, making the reader believe that the wild circumstances the Virals find themselves in are possible, even if not probable. 

I’m about 1/3 of the way through the second book right now, and so far there are hints of what might be romance, and the possibility of actual werewolves showing up—science based werewolves, no magic necessary. How often do you see that? Add in some missing pirate treasure, and you’ve got the makings of a sequel that will not disappoint. 

While technically classified as YA, these books will appeal to anyone who loves a good adventure. I’m not generally a fan of sci-fi myself, but these books don’t read as sci-fi and all of the science is broken down into easy to understand bites so that even an art nerd like me with only a limited science background can follow along. 

These are quick, exciting reads that never have a dull moment. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one.


1 comment:

  1. I'm still sitting on the thick end of a David Foster Wallace collection after eight months so I completely understand about 'not getting around to' reading some books. There's no rush.

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