Virals Review (spoiler-free!)

Saturday, December 11, 2010


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.

Taken from GoodReads.

Virals follows the story of fourteen-year-old Tory Brennan living on Morris Island with her estranged father and her three best friends, Hi, Ben, and Shelton. Smart and curious, the three friends have plenty to discover around their hometown, and they decide to explore Loggerhead Island looking for the wolfdogs, a small pack of half-wolf, half-German-shephard dogs living in the monkey-infested island jungle, setting an unimaginable adventure in motion. By saving a puppy, Tory and her friends discover there's something sinister happening on Loggerhead Island, and they've just become a part of it.

Confession: I am the biggest Bones geek in the world. It could have to do with the fact that when kids dreaming of being in the circus when they were little, I just wanted to cut open dead people. I digress (TMI?) Anyway, when I heard that Kathy Reichs was coming out with a YA book, I did a little happy dance and waited impatiently with the rest of you. Virals was so much fun! The nerdlets (Tory and her gang) were so well-defined, and each had a very distinct and well-rounded personality that kept the plot moving along. Best of all though, Kathy Reichs created a story with a conversational narrator, a relatable voice, and a plot with enough intrigue to keep me on my toes the whole time.

That's not to say I didn't have a few qualms with Virals. First of all, I wanted to see more of Kit, Tory's father. I think he added an element to the start of the story that was missing a bit later on. I also think that the actual Virals element could have been introduced a bit earlier on. It didn't appear until about halfway through. And, if I might be petty for a wee moment, every time I saw Hiram's nickname, Hi, I got really confused why someone was saying Hi to me in the middle of the book. I will, however say that Virals is written really uniquely, peppered with sarcasm and fractions just like a tweenager would speak, and it was done in a way that wasn't at all obnoxious to me.

I give Virals a really strong 4 out of 5, and I really can't wait to see how the story continues! I want to see what happens next, and it was so much fun getting to know the characters in the book. I would recommend this to all YA fans, especially those who enjoy sci-fi, mystery, and just a hint of your very own, modern-day Nancy Drew.

27 comments:

  1. I am so looking forward to getting my hands of this book... And it totally isn't weird that you dreamed of cutting open dead bodies (I am totally studying that in school)...

    Have a good weekend!
    ;)

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  2. Mr. Whimsy and I just discovered Bones. We love it so far. (Still in season 1)

    This sounds realllly good! Thanks for the review :)

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  3. A really nice one. Is it a stand-alone novel or is it bettter to start with one of the "Bones" books to get a bit of background?

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  4. Great review Melissa -- love the Hi - Hiram problem, lol.
    Any idea how long a series this is going to be?

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  5. new follower just hopping through :) awesome blog

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  6. There's nothing wrong with wanting to cut open dead bodies (is there?), my mum was in training to be a pathologist/embalmer before she had my sister!

    Great review, I've had my eye on this book for a while, it's nice to see such a positive review on it!

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  7. You're not alone, I know I would have been entirely confused as to why someone was saying Hi to me in the middle of the story as well:) I do love the sound of this one, I'm a huge Bones fan too, it's such a great show! Nice review as always Melissa, I'm excited to try this one!

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  8. I'm a huge fan of Bones as well so I've been really looking forward to reading this one. Though, when I started it a couple weeks ago I just could not get into, but your review has inspired me to give it another chance. :)

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  9. I've been wondering about this one, so great to see your thoughts on it Melissa! I haven't read any of the Bones books but I am kind of obsessive about the TV show LOL (oh the episode this week! So intense.)

    Also, wow, you wanted to cut open dead people when you were younger? When did you decide against that, or is that still part of your career plans? ;P

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  10. Sounds fun! Especially the nerdlets. Oh, and I don't think it's too strange that that was your profession of choice as a child... lol.

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  11. I agree with you, except about Kit. I just didn't like him. However, by the end of the book, I liked him more and want to see him in the next book in a better capacity. Glad you liked it. Love that it's a series.

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  12. I do like Bones, but I tried one book once and so not my genre :( So dunno if I would like this one even if it sounds good

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  13. Hmm, sounds interesting! I didn't even know this was related at all to the Bones books. Interesting! Great review as usual. =)

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  14. 'Modern Nancy Drew' this sounds good! Another great review :)

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  15. I was very enthralled with Virals and will be recommending it for my middle school book battle lest next year. It is a perfect book for this audience, and I am a Bones geek too.

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  16. I've never seen an episode of Bones but have an autographed copy of Virals in my TBR pile waiting to be read. Do you think I'll be okay not knowing anything about Bones while reading the book?

    You wanted to cut dead people when you were little? That's pretty cool and kind of a strange thought to be having when you're little. I'm just imagining a super young child lol but I think you're talking about an age that's older than that.

    Having Hi in the middle of a novel would confuse me too. I fully expect my Hi's to be in quotation marks.

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  17. Great review! I too LOVE the BONES show....for the science AND the relationships. Sounds like this one was a great one indeed....will have to check it out for myself in the near future. Thanks for sharing...and happy reading!

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  18. EEK I love Bones! We must discuss. Stat.

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  19. I loved this one as well Melissa! I agree with you about the Hiram - Hi situation though! It threw me for a loop a few times too! Excellent review! :D

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  20. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm a new follower for you too! Oh and I cannot wait to read this book - I'm part of a blog tour and waiting for this one to come to me. I love Kathy Reichs!

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  21. LOL! You crack me up! And, I don't feel it was TMI, and although I didn't want to run away to the circus, that didn't stop me from having dreams of becoming the master of space and time. However, I do feel your dream to cut open dead people is quite a bit more realistic. This book sound interesting, another for the TBR.

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  22. Melissa;
    Enjoyed your review of "Virals" this sounds like a fun read. I just finished and reviewed "Spider Bones" on Amazon and enjoy the author very much.
    Mike Draper
    mikedraper1042@yahoo.com

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  23. While I'm glad that you liked this, I didn't really get into this one. The teenagers didn't seem as smart as they were supposed to be. Perhaps I was expecting them to act too mature or something.

    I want to check out her adult series. I have friends that love them :)

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  24. I've been wondering what this one was really like. It sounds like it was a winner, especially for a first in a series book. Thanks Melissa!

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  25. I can't wait to read this one! I hope I get it for Christmas too... I love watching Bones and I think Kathy Reiches is just brilliant!

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  26. HAhaha you wanted to cut open dead people? That's...unusual ;)
    Sounds like an interesting book since I'm a (new) Bones fan as well!

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  27. I haven't ever watched bones. (I'm thinking I might have to check it out on youtube now). I keep wanting to get tis book when I go to walmart. Although I decided against it.

    It's not really weird that you want to cut people open. Some have the stomach for it some don't. :) I'm one of those that doesn't. Although it would be interesting to say the least.

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