Infected

by Sophie Littlefield

The race-against-the-clock feel of TV’s popular show 24 meets the action-packed romance of the film Run Lola Run. This high-concept teen thriller sends readers on the race of their lives.

Carina’s senior year is spiraling downward. Fast. Both her mother and her uncle, the only two family members she’s ever known, are dead. Their deaths were accidents, unfortunate results of the highly confidential research they performed for a national security organization. Or so she’s been told.

She’s not buying it.

After finding a unique code hidden beneath the stone in a ring her mother left to her, Carina goes straight to the only family she has left: her boyfriend, Tanner.

The people Carina loved kept dangerous secrets. Secrets that make her question the life she’s been living up to now. Her life is on the line, but more importantly, so is Tanner’s. And if she fails? He dies.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fiction, Teen, Thriller, Fantasy, Young Adult Science Fiction

245 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

Called a “writing machine” by the New York Times and a “master storyteller” by the Midwest Book Review, Sophie Littlefield has written dozens of novels for adults and teens. She has won Anthony and RT Book Awards and been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, Macavity, and Goodreads Choice Awards.

Sophie also writes under the pen name Sofia Grant.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know Sophie can write. I can remember reading this author's first debut book, A Bad Day for Sorry. The first of Stella Hardesty books. I could not stop raving about the book and the author. The next Stella Hardesty I gobbled down so quickly.

This is not the first young adult novel I have read but I have to say that I like this author's adult novels better. The characters are stronger and the stories really grab me and pull me in. I can get lost in those books. This one barely got my excited. The action was mild and the characters uninteresting. Also Tanner seemed more like he was along for the ride as mortal support and did not really bring anything to the able with his presence.

[bookfan81 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sophie Littlefield is a favorite author of mine. Her adult Aftertime series is magnificent, and her YA Banished series is a winner too. Her other books have been hit or miss for me, and I'm afraid INFECTED leans more to the latter. This face-paced thriller begins with some promise but devolves pretty quickly into a convoluted and rather redundant YA book.

The premise is fun and there isn't a single line of down time in the whole book, which makes it a very quick read (the whole story spans less than two days). And I liked the clues that pulled the characters from one action-packed scene to the next (though I wouldn't have minded having some of the cryptography explained instead of identified and solved in Carina's mind. Perhaps if the book had been written in 1st person instead of 3rd, that could have been done).

The 3rd person POV also contributed to the detachment I felt with both Carina and Tanner. I never became as invested in them as I had hoped. Neither of them had enough depth to feel real, not even with the handful of flashbacks to show how their relationship developed. Tanner especially felt flat. Really, you could pull out any line of dialogue of theirs and not be able to identify whose it was.

Overall, the book was meh. unremarkable characters, equally unremarkable romance, and a plot that moved swiftly but dully. Littlefield has written much, much better books.

[Violetinkpen · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste of paper and ink. SERIOUSLY! Does this book have any redeeming qualities? Compelling characters? An interesting plot? Great twists? A killer ending? Um....no. The whole thing was so unbelievable and cheesy. Every plot twist was just a crappy excuse to move the story along and seemed either thrown together or rushed. There was nothing in this book that made it feel like it was written by an intelligent adult. Rather, it felt like the musings of a child with no clear line of thought. The whole thing was pathetic and I spent the whole book rolling my eyes at the stupidity of it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an okay book. Overall, I did not find it thrilling. I had attempted reading this several times when I first received it as a Christmas gift a few years back. The whole inroduction seemed a bit elementary to me in some way. Starting off talking about how Carina was alone and trying to make it through her uncle's memorial just didn't seem to fit. And then I felt too much emphasis was put on Carina's relationship with Tanner rather than what the story seemingly was meant to be about-an infection. While I did enjoy the story, I felt it could have been written better.

[Tamara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I lost interest in this book. The idea was interesting, but I didn't think the execution was that great. I got between halfway and two-thirds of the way through it and then skimmed the rest just so I could find out what happened.

I'm not sure what it was about the book that just felt lacking to me. It reminded me of Shannon Hale's Dangerous, which I didn't like that much either. (I finished that book, but that might just be because I've gotten over my need to finish every book I start.) One reviewer commented that Carina's and Tanner's dialogue were basically interchangeable, and I completely agree. None of the dialogue felt very character specific.

I don't know.

How it ended: Baxter was the leak, apparently because he wasn't content with his life. He killed Sheila, who was actually trying to help Carina and Tanner. They got the antidote, obviously, and graduated high school. Carina moved in with Tanner's family until school ended, and then she was going to start community college until she could transfer to Berkeley, where Tanner was going to be. She finally got over her fear of saying "I love you" and told Tanner how she felt.

Note: Some swearing. Non-graphic talk acknowledging the occurrence of sex prior to the start of the book. (And honestly, it could easily have been replaced with making out for the purpose of the book. Carina have Tanner the virus when they had sex, but because it's transmitted through blood and saliva, the sex was unnecessary even though it felt like the author was trying to make the sex a catalyst or big plot point or something.)

[Kayta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about Corina and her boyfriend Tanner. It starts with Corina trying to keep it together at her uncles funeral. She describes how she regrets the distant relationship she had with him and her dead mother. Just when she tries to have a private moment with Tanner, she is pulled aside and told that she is in danger because of the highly classified work her uncle and mother did. She and Tanner go on the run and find out that they have been infected with a virus that increases their senses, strength, and agility. They also happen to be very active in the several athletic programs in their high school, so they adjust easily to their new abilities. The problem is that, whatever they're infected with, will kill them 36 hours after infection.....BOM BOM BOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!

This is, at first glance, a very interesting plot and it surprises you by not having anything to do with zombies. The problem is that it's all so cliche. Of course the main characters are beautiful, athletic people, and they are both very intelligent(Corina w/crypograms and Tanner with computers and technology) otherwise it'd be too difficult to explain them living through their ordeal. The ending really disappointed me......SOOOOO CLICHE!!!!

[Tez · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are times when characters in love are necessary to the story. This is not one of those times. Carina unknowingly infected Tanner via saliva with a killer illness. The plot does not require them to be in love. Carina could have gone on the run with anyone she may have kissed.

This takes place BEFORE the book begins, so we're told right from the start that Carina and Tanner are in love. And we're repeatedly reminded throughout the novel, often bordering on border prose. It's TELLING, rather than showing. Because we haven't seen them face struggles hooking up, it's hard to care for their love. I don't ship it. Neither of the characters stands out on their own, or together. Which means you'd hope to be invested in the plot instead.

Alas, no. The thing with thrillers is that you can change location, and go on the run as many times as you want. But if the story doesn't advance, and it's just an extended chase sequence... *shrug* Albanians are the antagonists here, so it's not sterling rep for that country's people.

I'm not sure how a story with a dangerous, life-threatening infection could be so shrug-worthy, but here we are. I've read much better books by the same author - try Garden of Stones instead.

[P.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was all right. The characters didn't do much for me nor did the plot.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery/sci-fi novel moved at a quick pace and have enough surprises to hold my interest. The characters aren't extremely developed and a few characters show up for a remarkably short time that could have had more of a part in the story line. However, I enjoyed the read about a virus that had the potential for good (or evil) and as such was in peril of falling into the wrong hands. 4/5 stars.

[Rachel Estep · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted this book to be better than it was. It felt very Shallow to me in a lot of ways. It was so fast paced that a lot of things weren't explained of given nearly as much depth as they could have been. The main love story felt very superficial but also was given more attention than I think was necessary. like saying "oh any btw they're in love" insert some story "Did I mention they love each other?" Good plot ideas, poor execution

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong plot line, good character diversity, but it honestly just could not hold my attention

[Jane Pettitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved very good read

[Kirothemackvanireader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many plot twists and will definitely keep you on your feet while reading through it. Loved the book.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I wish the author continued into a series.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... fine, I guess? I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I immediately forgot everything about it afterwards.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Infected by Sophie Little field tells the story of Carina and her high school love Tanner running for their lives. Carina grew up around her mother and her uncle. Both of them worked on a project that was much bigger than Carina could have ever imagined, and the job ended up causing the mother and uncle to die and Carina to be left on her own. This project was a virus that would heighten the senses of soldiers leaving them superhuman for a time period, but the side effect was basically death. All of this led to Carina being the target of foreign mobsters who wanted their hands on the virus. The story was extremely captivating, and I found myself flicking my eyes to the end of the page to get a hint as to what was going to happen. Suspenseful is an understatement for this book, but in addition to that I did find myself caring greatly for the main character and what was going to happen to her. Also, a major pro to this book was that it was not extremely predictable, and there were some major plot twists that I was not expecting at all. As riveting as the book was, it was almost too suspenseful. There were no lax moments in the story allowing the audience to catch up with what was happening. Going along with this, the plot was farfetched at times. Also, for a young adult book there just seemed to be too much killing just for the sake of killing, and at times a lot of the decisions to create suspense seemed unnecessary. Also, a major story that underpinned the whole book was a love interest between two high school seniors, and it was unnecessarily intense at times. For example, 20 pages into the book they had sex, and simply put, it was not necessary for the flow of the plot. As far as using this in my classroom, I am not sure I would use it because of how much it talked about sex and how quickly it was talked about. Also, a lot of the book talked about revolving your whole life around a boy and making all decisions based that; so, it was not the greatest example of decision making. On the flip side, those same facts could stimulate great discussions and help students examine those decisions in their own lives. Also, Littlefield does give examples of math in the world, and both the main characters are going to college to pursue math related careers. This would be great in a math classroom because it could show math in the real world, and it would be great to show that there are math related careers that are interesting and worth pursuing. Overall, the plot definitely caught my attention and caused me to read as quickly as I could, but there seem to be a lot of decisions that did not have clear purpose in the advancement of the story.

[Danny Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danny Doherty
Ms. Carteaux
English 1 H, F
21 September 2016
Fiction Book Review Rough Draft
4/5 Stars
Infected by Sophie Littlefield is a suspenseful and action packed story. The book was concise, but well written. Infected is about a virus that makes the user more alert, faster, and smarter, but it kills them after 24 hours. Carina and Tanner are the protagonists in the story, while Sheila is the antagonist. This book has multiple themes. The main one is that people can be deceiving. This theme is displayed many times in the story, an example being when Carina receives a letter from her uncle, that was written right before he died. The note read, “You must be careful around Sheila Boylston” (Littlefield 60). Carina thought that Sheila was like a mom to her, so this obviously came as a surprise. The novel was well written, and it had lots of action, so it was hard to stop reading. The unpredictable outcome of the story mixed with the writing style of Sophie Littlefield resulted in a marvelous book. Infected is worthy of a 4/5 star rating.
One factor that made this book interesting was that it had a certain truth to it. In the background of the story were corrupt governments trying to get the virus, which was a performance enhancing drug. The problem with the virus is that it would kill the patient/soldier within 24 hours of being infected. This caused the governments to test the virus on innocent people, which Tanner and Carina, eventually exposed. This is interesting because there are a lot of current events that can relate to it.
The things that made Infected a book worth reading is the structure of the story, the plot, and the theme. Sophie Littlefield did a great job of explaining the story without going into too much detail. This book is not popular, but it should be. Infected is a book that kids from ages 12-16 would enjoy

[Bethany Miller]

Student Review by Jalya (11th grade)

Grade range: 9th-12th
Genre: Mystery
Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Okay
Recommendation: Optional Purchase

Infected by Sophie Littlefield begins with orphaned Carina Monroe attending her Uncle Walter’s funeral. Carina has to deal with the reality that the only family she’s ever known is gone. After the funeral Carina, along with her boyfriend Tanner, read a letter written by Walter before he died. The letter warns Carina not trust a woman named Shelia, whom Carina has been staying with since Walter’s death. Soon Carina and Tanner are on the run from Shelia, as well as a foreign organization, who believe that Carina is the key to getting Walter’s research: a virus that changes people into super human soldiers. Now Tanner is the only one whom Carina can trust. It’s a race of time for Carina and Tanner to find clues left by Walter before it’s too late to stop the virus.

This book isn’t as exciting as the description makes it seem. Since there’s a limited amount of time, I expected action but it wasn’t very exciting. There wasn’t any tension during the fighting scenes, and the characters weren’t that interesting. I can’t really name any traits that I liked about Carina and Tanner, despite them being the main characters. Although it was mystery all of the puzzles that were shown involved knowledge about computers, which made it boring to have Carina solve them quickly and without explaining them. This book could have been a much better thriller, but it’s possible that people who are into computers and enjoy reading action books might still enjoy it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

 Super "soldiers" to the rescue...

INFECTED was another fun Sophie Littlefield read. I've enjoyed her adult and her teen books and have read most of them.

Carina and Tanner are the teen protagonists in this story. Both are still in high school and are boyfriend/girlfriend. When Carina's mother and her uncle both die, she feels untethered, adrift. She doesn't trust the woman she's been left to live with. In fact, the only person she does trust is Tanner.

Secret dangerous projects (that her mother and uncle worked on before dying), codes, large foreign men with guns, more codes, and strange powers that Carina and Tanner are infected with - are all tied together in an exciting fast-paced rollercoaster of a thrill ride.

I don't necessarily agree with the recommended age the author is showing on this book. It shows it is written for ages 12 and up. 12 seems young to me. There is profanity, hints of sexual activity and plenty of graphic violence in the book.

But I do strongly recommend this tale for older teens and adults.

NOTE: I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Liz Friend · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story: Carina's uncle is dead, and now she's an orphan. Even worse--she's infected, a result of the top-secret research that killed both him and her mother. Before she knows what's going on, she's passed the infection on to Tanner, the only person left to love in her life. As they track down the pieces to the mysterious puzzle that Uncle Walter left for her, they realize things are even more dire than they thought: there's a deadline. And if they don't meet it...they're dead.

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG-13 (not onpage, but the teens have just finished having sex the night before, which is how Tanner gets infected); Nudity PG; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (being orphaned, government conspiracies, murder, betrayal) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: Looking for a thriller? Here you go! (However...probably more for 8th-up. In my opinion.)

[Glenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carina's life has recently been filled with tragedy. Her mother committed suicide almost a year ago and her uncle has just died after a car accident. Both her mother and her uncle worked for Calaveras National Laboratories where they worked on secret projects that her uncle told her were modernized K rations for the military. Carina never knew anything about her father, so she is now an orphan. Her guardian, appointed by her uncle, is also a worker at the labs.
During her uncle's funeral service, Carina begins to feel a little feverish and light-headed. She also discovers that underneath the stone on a ring her mother gave her is a hidden code. While she is sharing this discovery and a letter that she found hidden at her uncle's with her boyfriend, events are set in motion that send Carina and Tanner out in the city of San Francisco racing to uncover more clues and to find an antidote for a virus that they have both been exposed to.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was SOOO close to being great! It had all the elements in all the right places, but it just didn't quite make it. At least not for me. I did appreciate the fact that the author let the boyfriend be a genuinely good guy. There are so many truly good men in literature these days, so Tanner was a nice change. Carina, though, well, she suffered from stupid-girl syndrome, a common problem in literature these days where the protagonist feels the need to never tell anyone what she's going to do because it would keep her from getting into random troubles and make the plot less exciting. It's a trend. Annoying, but I don't really blame the author. Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I don't think I'd read it again.

[Jory · Rating 2 out of 5]

One piece of very good news -- this was a stand-alone! It had all of the set-up of another trilogy, but then it just left some mystery lingering (a very teensy bit, at least) at the end. Yay! Go YA! Thank you! (And it was also in third person -- a few surprise gifts here!) This book had a little romance, was action-packed (chase scene after chase scene), was despotic, and I easily read it in a sitting -- but I do have so many questions. Like: what was Sheila's deal? And what was really in it for Baxter? And the final paragraph was a bit too schmaltzy, even for me. :)

[L.M. Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out okay, but it got progressively sillier and more far-fetched. There was plenty of action, which I appreciated, and I liked the relationship between Carina and Tanner. Several explanations throughout the story were glossed over though, which seemed like a cop-out to me, and there were a lot of cheesy moments. Perhaps this would appeal to the younger end of the YA range, although there is some swearing.

[Ruby O'Hagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an action packed book that will leave your heart racing. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters problem solved and were able to do inhuman feats using their altered senses. Towards the end of the book, things really didn't flow as well. Since Infected takes place in present day America, the technology was too high-tech and the government was too post apocalyptic. Not the best book I've ever read, but not the worst.

[Kelly Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay SCI-FI thriller. I am not sure if I like the fact that the main character was more concerned over her boyfriend being sick, versus... I don't know everything else that is going on in this book. And it was too quick. I like the fast pace, but at the same time the author could have really explained things and made it more of a thriller with a little bit more time.

[Jill Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh, I wonder if the main character and her boyfriend will manage to get the thing they need in the limited time they have available? What tension!

Actually I did not wonder, and there was zero tension. Reasonably well plotted and written. There are ways to get tension in reaching a predetermined ending, but very few YA authors can figure out how.

[Paula Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the author's Aftertime series. This was a YA and not near as good in my HO.

[Kami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some swearing but a good , quick read.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this on my list for a while. It was a solid story with some decent characters. The plot had some interesting twists. This is not a zombie survival story by any means.