Virals

Courtney

I’ve read this series so many times yet it’s still my favorite. I love how it takes real life and meshes it with this fantasy that could very well happen. I just love how close the friends are and their character progress throughout the series.

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!

Jamieson

Virals is such a good series! It's a YA book but honestly is probably targeted more at a younger audience. Despite this I love these books. Tory is an interesting, and fun heroine who isn't boring or annoying at all. She's a natural leader, passionate and has a good sense of humour which makes her interesting to read. 

The other characters are equally interesting. I do think, however, the relationship between Tory and her father is not explored as well as it should be, especially since it holds such an important place in the series and in Tory's characterisation. 

These books are fast paced, twisting and exciting. They are never boring, or the plot too obvious. I do think sometimes the descriptions can become a bit vague, and that it is cliche at times but I can excuse this. 

These books were ones I have to my sister, and though she doesn't read much she devoured them. They are fast paced, hard to put down and at times even a little scary and creepy. I'd definitely recommend these books !!

Stefanie  Uwah

I thought this book was okay. There were a lot of moments that I liked but many things annoyed me! Tory's emotions didn't seem real to me. At the beginning of the book, you would have never guessed that her mom died a few months prior. She wasn't very emotional about that. Then it seemed as though the author realized she forgot some emotion and write in some, "I could relate to_____ losing her parent because I lost my mother as well." I also thought the pacing of the story was a bit slow. It took FOREVER to get to the part of the story that talked about the parvo virus! There were also many plot turns that I thought were unnecessary, especially at the end. It was too much like a ScoobyDoo ending! It was an okay adventure and I may read the sequel.

Watch my review here

Elizabeth Neill

Amy Grieve

Normally I would have added a plot summary here, however for Virals this wouldn't be just. You see, there is actually so much that happens that I would be here for at least a week trying to put it into words. All I really can say is that the promise on the cover that stated 'Mystery, Fantasy, Forensic Science... And Heart-Stopping Action' was fulfilled and then some. 

Kathy Reichs writing style was one that was filled with suspense and was straight to the point. She didn't waffle on about unnecessary things like a lot of writers tend to do at some points. 

I suggest that ANYONE read this! I'm practically itching to buy Seizure, the next book in the series. I really do hope that there are many more Viral books to come as I don't think that I will have enough of Tory and the gang.

Lonneke

Like a 3,5?

The plot was like most YA books in the 2010's, entertaining, but the solutions come a little too easy for the characters. While the author tries to give some explanation for the virus in five sentences, it isn't really believable? You just have to go with what the author is telling you and not think too much otherwise you'll start realizing that shit doesn't work this way. If you are able to just go with it, it's quite entertaining though. I really liked the idea of a group of characters being infected with a virus which was why I picked the book up, but the execution is just so-so.

I read the Dutch translation which wasn't great and sometimes read more like middle grade. It had a lot of words that were kinda out of use nowadays. I actually think they were already out of use in 2011, so it was already an oldschool translator. Can't say if this is the fault of the translator or if the original book also has this problem.

It wasn't a bad book and I will probably read the second one since I already own it, but it isn't very memorable.

Jessica Nottingham

Let me first say that I've yet to watch an episode of Bones, and haven't yet had the opportunity to read the Temperance Brennan series either! So when I found out that this book was based on that series I was a little worried. Would I be lost? Would there be allusions to things that I wouldn't understand? From the moment I opened the book these thoughts plagued me. I'm happy to announce that I shouldn't have worried one bit. Virals only pulls in a very small reference to Kathy Reich's other work, and is its own amazing story. It has an edgy science fiction feel to it, and I'll be honest when I say that it drew me in right away.

We meet Tory Brennan, Temperance's niece. Right away I fell in love with her personality. She's one of the boys! Not that living on an island gives her much of a choice, but Tory doesn't seem to mind one bit. It was refreshing to see a girl who could hold her own in a group of guys. The wit and sarcasm that effortlessly flew out of her mouth had me giggling, and I was intrigued by her love of science. Truthfully, I see a lot to love in Tory and I'm sure other readers will as well.

What I loved most about this story was the focus on the science fiction aspect versus the paranormal aspect. The story revolves around what the kids feel as they gain their abilities and how they learn to use them. At no point is there a reference to what they've become, in terms of supernatural beings. Again, I use the word refreshing. It was nice to read a book that references what the kids could actually do rather than heavily focusing on what they had become.

The mystery deepens as the story progresses, and I was impressed with the layers of intrigue that this book puts forward. It might seem odd to say so, but to me this is what I like to call a "smart" book. It's a story that doesn't assume that young people don't have prior knowledge. This is a book for all those nerdy girls/women out there (like me) who love to feel like a book is challenging us instead of talking down to us.

Virals is definitely the start of something great! I cannot wait to see what happens next, and this book has prompted me to find more of Kathy Reich's work to read. Amazing. Plain and simple.