You Won't Get Sick of "Virals"


 Title:  Virals
Author:  Kathy Reichs
Format:  Audiobook
Length:  9 hours 41 mins.
Publisher:  Penguin Audio
Age Range:  Mid-teen
Rating:  4 stars
Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.




Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They are virals.  -Goodreads


Don't Call Her "Bones"
Victoria "Tory" Brennan may be the daughter of a marine biologist and the niece of Temperance Brennan; but the mystery and intrigue in which she finds herself and the way that she deals with it are all her own.  
Readers will find themselves falling in love with her no-nonsense way of dealing with almost all of the situations that her and her three partners in adventure experience.  I would have said that she handled all of the situations well, but there were a few incidences that involved a certain boy that left much to be desired in the charm and grace department.  (She is 14...so that was just cute on her.)

As with a great many YA novels, this books major downfall was the lack of parental involvement.  I mean this girl and her friends manage to stumble upon and become irrevocably altered by an illegal experiment, uncover the corpse of a long dead girl by first unearthing and researching the ownership of found dog tags, and let's not forget to mention the "killer" powers that she and the guys deal with while the parents are off in "la la land".
I know that parents are busy, but there are several times within this read that these kids could end up in jail or dead and the parents have not the foggiest.

I am not saying that the parents should have their kids tied to their legs at every moment, but some of the situations that were in this book were let's just say NC-17 at least.

This is a great read for the teen mystery/thriller buff who loves the strong female lead, super powers, and the happy ending.
Audiobook Review
Cristin Milioti did a wonderful job in the narration of this story.  I loved the way that she was able to voice the Southern accents.  I would recommend the audio version of this book over the written any day,


1 comment:

  1. I really enjoyed Virals and loved following the adventures in Seizure.

    Thanks for the great review.

    ReplyDelete

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