Kathy Reichs

The niece of famed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, fourteen-year-old Tory and her three friends are exposed to a rare strain of canine parvovirus that gives them special powers which they use to try to solve a murder.

Virals

Fourteen-year-old Tory Brennan is as fascinated by bones and dead bodies as her famous aunt, acclaimed forensic anthropologist, Tempe Brennan. However living on a secluded island off Charleston in South Carolina there is not much opportunity to put her knowledge to the test. Until her and her ragbag group of technophile friends stumble across a shallow grave containing the remains of a girl who has been missing for over thirty years. The question is, did whoever was responsible for the girl's death have anything to do with the sick puppy they rescued from a secret laboratory on the same island? With the cold-case murder suddenly hot, Tory realises that they are involved in something fatally dangerous. But events take a turn for the bizarre when they escape some would-be attackers by using physical powers more akin to a dog than a human... Could the puppy hold the key not only to the murder, but also the strange changes that are taking place in their bodies?

Briar's Reviews

What was I thinking putting this book off?! It has been sitting on my shelf for years and I never got the nerve to pick it up. That was probably one of my biggest book related mistakes!

Kathy & Brendan Reichs have a real hit on their hand! I have been reading the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs for years and I always wanted to get into Virals. Silly me bought the book and admired it for years, until I finally managed to dust it off and pull it into my reading pile. THANK GOODNESS because this book is a real gem and I need to binge this series. It's just too freaking good to not read!

Now, before I get ahead of myself, readers must remember that this is a YA novel and not an "adult" novel like the Temperance Brennan series. There are fun story lines focusing around being a teenager, and people need to remember that this book was made for a younger audience. I love books like this, because I can get into the fun of a younger book. But, some readers won't be expecting a "YA" novel - you should be!

Off to the races!!!

Tory Brennan is our lead (a distant, grand-niece of Temperance, if I am remembering correctly) and she's just as smart as Tempe! She's also sassy, barrels of fun, and gets in probably too much trouble in this book. She's not a girly girl, she likes hanging with her guy friends and she likes being smart. Seriously, I relate way to much to this girl! Her gaggle of friends get into trouble on an island nearby, rescuing dogs, talking to monkeys and trying to solve murders. Typical teenage stuff, obviously.

I love that this group is smart and for the greater good. I also felt a twinge of "save the environment" themes going on. Mixing in all the fun and goofy scenarios the teens get into... I have to say I like this book. I also really love the terminology that's used in the book. It's not "dumb-ed" down and these kids know what they are talking about. Do they know too much? Maybe. Or they are just really smart kids.

What did I not like?
Mean girl subplots always annoy me because they are so common. I get this is a very typical trend, but I'd love it to see Tory have a girl friend who isn't a total snob. Shockingly, there are some not snobby girls out in the real world! But, there has to be drama in this book so I totally get it. I remember in high school there were snobby girls all over the place too. 

I also think that the introduction of fantasy was great, but it needed a little... more. There are more books in this series, so I'm assuming that the fantasy side will be explored more there. At least, I hope so! The little bits of fantasy just wasn't enough for me! I want to know the ins and outs of it!

Overall, this book is lots of fun and super smart! I really enjoyed reading it and I couldn't put it down! Books like these are why I love reading - I can whisk myself away into another world and just enjoy myself. 

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA with a fantasy twist, loves the Temperance Brennan series but wants a bit more "fun", people who loved Bones (this SCREAMS the fun of Bones!) or if you just want a smart YA novel with fancy terminology (to teach yourself something new).

Five out of five stars!

Adventure is in Tory Brennan's blood. After all, she’s the grandniece of world-famous forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Always up for a challenge, Tory and her science-geek friends spend their time exploring the marshlands of Loggerhead Island, home to the very off-limits Loggerhead Island Research Institute, where something strange is going on. After rescuing a stray wolfdog pup from a top-secret lab, Tory and her friends are exposed to a rare strain of canine parvovirus, changing them--and their DNA--forever. Now they are more than friends. They are a pack. They are Virals. And they're dangerous to the core. But are they unstoppable enough to catch a cold-blooded murderer?

Ofelia

** spoiler alert **
           
Avevo sentito parlare piuttosto bene di questo libro, ed ero stata anche piuttosto attratta dalla trama quindi quando ho iniziato a leggere "Virals" sono rimasta incredibilmente delusa.
Parliamo dei personaggi, o meglio del personaggio perché l'unico personaggio almeno un pochetto approfondito in questo libro è la protagonista Tory. Che ovviamente non può essere semplicemente una nerd, deve essere anche bellissima e talmente profonda nei suoi sentimenti da interessarsi a tre ragazzi diversi nel corso di tutto il libro, per motivi molto profondi ovviamente ovvero passando sempre a quello più bello e più ricco di volta in volta (felice che alla fin fine non finisca con nessuno, chi troppo vuole..).
Il contagio con il virus è una confusione pazzesca, soprattutto contando che doveva essere la parte centrare del libro, con gli amici di Tory che hanno vari attacchi uno più imbarazzante dell'altro (con tanto di amico ciccione che va in diarrea per una settimana) mentre lei come sintomi ha si e no il fatto che ha sensi super sviluppati, ovviamente lei è troppo perfetta per andare in diarrea.
La motivazione dell'omicidio poi.. davvero non era possibile spostare un nido di aquile? mi state dicendo che era più facile uccidere una ragazza, uno scienziato poi, nascondere le ossa, comprare un killer professionista, ecc. ? Mica dovevano ucciderle quelle povere aquile, bastava spostarle e nessuno avrebbe detto nulla andiamo! E che fosse stata Hannah? davvero, qualcuno non c'era arrivato? 
Tory ci prova con il ragazzo più bello e più ricco della città, lui però ha ovviamente una ragazza che è bellissima e perfetta.. ovviamente va tolta di torno, altrimenti la povera Tory dovrebbe accontentarsi di uno dei altri due ragazzi con cui ci provava prima, e come potrebbe mai evolvere la storia allora? Insomma, l'unico colpo di scena non era un colpo di scena.
Libro noioso, da evitare.

Eleanor Luhar

Virals is the first book I have read by Kathy Reichs. The majority of the story is written from the viewpoint of 14-year-old Tory Brennan, the niece of Bones star Temperence Brennan, with a few chapters following a different character (or group of characters).

Tory and her friends face a series of challenges after unearthing some incredible mysteries on their beloved Loggerhead Island - where many of their parents work at LIRI, an animal research facility. At first glance, this book may seem like a typical kids-solving-problems kinda tale, which I feared at first, but it turned out to be far more. Due to the young gang of characters that lead this story, many younger readers will be able to relate to their troubles in the way that they are fed up of being looked down on by adults, with their revolutions and discoveries always being deemed as "childish ideas" or somewhere along those lines. The teen female protagonist also brings a lot of relatable content in the form of her language, actions and thoughts. However, Tory may be too young a protagonist for some readers.

One thing I really liked about this book was the scientific element. I've recently developed a love for crime novels and forensics, and this book has elements of both. It includes a decent amount of terminology and information rather than dumbing it down for "kids". For some, this may not be such a good thing as it may be harder to understand or become emerged in, but I personally appreciate it. (Plus, I managed to use it as an excuse for reading instead of completing schoolwork. I mean, I was technically learning stuff, right?)

Another debatable aspect of Reichs' writing style is the modernism. Again, I think this will appeal to the younger generation as they are accustomed to it, but there may be some readers who are not so keen on the modern terms and descriptions.

There were a few typos and mistakes that I noticed, but nothing hugely terrible. The writing is mostly quite to-the-point, which I wasn't sure about at first, but it did grow on me as I read on. There were also some wonderful details and descriptions, though some aspects seemed a little repetitive. (I don't know, maybe I'm just picky.)

Overall, Virals is a gripping, adventurous book that any science-nut or crime-lover should surely enjoy. It's quite long at 454 pages, and the plot-line definitely thickens with each chapter. Seemingly individual story lines entwine later in the book to create a complicated, exciting scenario full of twists and surprises. I'm giving this book 3.5/4 stars out of 5, and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Seizure.

(https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/)

Katrien

I love this book! The first time I read it, I was suprised by how great it was written. Now it is one of my comfort books, every time I feel sad or frustrated I read this book and start to lose myself in this fictional world. 
The friendships are exactly what I’ve always wanted and it just makes me feel safe.
I highly recommand reading this book!

Fantastic new series of novels from the Sunday Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs

Siobhán

I want to thank Random House Publishing for sending me a paperback copy for review.

This was my first Kathy Reichs novel. I have seen the TV show Bones and I love it. However, I never really had an interest in the book. Until I was offered Virals for review. I read the decription and it sounded so interested and I jumped at the chance. And I wasn't disappointed.

Virals is about Tori (Temperance Brennans Neice) and her friends as the embark on a journey to solve a mystery cold case as well as revealing secrets that change their lives forever. At first I found the book hard to get into. I honestly don't know why. Sometimes book just don't grab from the start. However, about 50 pages in I was hooked.

Tori is such a breath of fresh of air to read about. Even though she is fourteen she was mature for her age and she didn't shy away from the danger her and her friends encountered. In fact she was the one coming up with the crazy plans and wouldn't rest until the mystery was solved. She really does remind me of Temp from the TV Show.

Once I got into was very fast moving and very excited. I never know what was coming next. There is twists and turns, murder and mayhem. A great Young Adult Mystery with some Sci-Fi thrown into the mix. Looking forward to seeing where Kathy takes ouryoung Heroine and her buddies next.