Seizure

Virals #2

by Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs

Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack. But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it.

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Paranormal

496 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2011

About the author

Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal and is a frequent expert witness in criminal trials.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (1998): Deja Dead

Reviews

[paige (ptsungirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A ridiculous plan was better than none."

°•*⁀➷

I love this one! Treasure hunting at its finest. I remember when I read this (ages ago) the first time, listening to Jem's down to earth album on repeat. For nostalgia, I turned it on again. It's the perfect album for a fun adventure novel.

I don't remember if I've ever gotten my hands on the third book, but can't wait to read it and find out.

(The Temperance Brennan appearance >>>)

- Paige

[Stella · Rating 2 out of 5]

God this is painful to do.
I have to admit, I didn't finish this book. Granted, I put this in the "I might try this later" pile so maybe I might give this a second chance.

What I did not like about this book:
1. The super cool setting was gone. Virals was successful because of LIRI, the high tech research insititute Kathy has created. Much like the Jeffersonian in her Temperance Brennan books, I loved it! The beginning of Seizure was so focused on what has happened in the time between Virals and Seizure that LIRI was only mentioned and never acutally explored. I don't know if Tory and the Virals ever did go back, but I can't stand where the story is going.

2. School drama. Holy effin' god, I hate the fact that I try to read a sci-fi/mystery that bitchy school drama has to always sneak in to ruin the day. I read and enjoyed Virals because it was mostly "WEEEE LET'S GO ON AN ADVENTURE AND SOLVE THIS MYSTERY" type of thing, but the beginning of Seizure was so Mean GIrls that I wanted to call and yell that Kathy.

3. Tory. I never did enjoy Tory's character but this book was the killer. She has what I call "Extremely Motherly Towards Others syndrome". This disease is transmitted by stupid editors and "literary consultants" who believe teens enjoy reading strong-headed female characters. I laughed out loud when Kathy thanked all the people who made her feel comfortable writing to an unknown audience: The Teen population. Well, I say: SCREW YOU editors of Kathy Reichs. You ruined her fantastic story by putting in what you thought would appeal to young adult audiences. I h8 u && I neva want 2 read another book from u guys again. U guys all think we talk liek tis, rite?

TTYL, xoxo, Stella.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Genre* YA Paranormal
*Rating* 2 1/2

*Review*

This is the sequel to Virals which released in November 2010. The usual suspects are back: Victoria (Tory) Brennan, Ben Blue, Hiram (Hi) Stolowitski, Shelton, and Cooper the wolf dog who is also a carrier of the so called Parvovirus.

All four teenagers have had their DNA forever altered but to what point? 14-year old Tory is hypersensitive in the areas of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch. She is also alot faster and stronger than before being exposed to the virus.

This story, at it's foundation, is about the fact that the Loggerhead Island Research Institute is in real trouble financially after certain facts came out in Virals. Tory and pack now have to figure out a way to make millions of money and fast before they are forever seperated. The problem with seperation is that the teens have no idea how their DNA has been altered, or what will happen if they are split up.

In researching about a 18th century female pirate named Anny Bonny, they somehow stumble into the find of the century when they instead find a very valuable manuscript which is worth...you got it! Millions of dollars. Naturally, the kids aren't the only one's after the treasure and mystery and mayhem are norm for this book.

I'm not really sure what the target audience of this particular series is except to "guess" it's the 11-15 year olds. My kerfuffle in this book was the whole idiotic southern tradition of cotillion and Tory being forced into doing something just because her own father is too weak to stand up to his so called girlfriend Whitney.

Supposedly, there will be a third novel called Code releasing August 2012.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked the first in this series better but still a good read. I'll continue with the series for sure!

[Lemurkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was rather a mixed bag for me. There were parts of it I loved, and parts of it that rather strained my credibility of the plot. Yes, it was a novel written for young adults - but did it just seem that things were a little TOO convenient? A little TOO neat? That Kit would be such an oblivious father that he would fail to notice his daughter disappearing most nights - fail to notice that she and a boy hidden in her room. At times I almost tore my hair out with frustration at how easy it was for the Virals to solve a mystery that had been hidden for hundreds of years, how easily they slotted together every clue and how every time they were right.

Anyhow, let us now discuss the things I DID like. Tory is a teenage girl hanging out with three guys, who are her friends. They are not drooling over her for a date, she is not madly and wildly and crazily in love with one of them or anyone and they treat her simply like one of the gang (well, I suspect one of them might have a wee bit of a crush on her, but never mind that). Reichs has very wisely stayed away from the irritating "teenage love triangle" and the even more ridiculous "falling in love at 16" that so many teen novels fall victim too. Tory is a girl, but because of her nature, she is viewed as the natural leader of the pack. And so it should be. Even if she encourages them to break far too many laws and commit quite a few crimes, without having to face any sort of negative consequence for her actions, except her own personal guilt. Tory is not a good role model, folks!

Someone else pointed out the language. Whilst it is rather more mature than some YA novels, I do not recall any particularly offensive or insulting words - excepting, perhaps, the use of a term meaning "female dog". It is certainly not as bad as can be heard on evening television, or on the streets. I am offending more by the credibility of the plot than by the (slightly) offensive language. But hey, there's no sex scenes and not really that much violence, all things considered.

If you like action, adventure, buried treasure, trapped dungeons etc, this is (probably) the book for you!

[Scarletstories · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was chomping at the bit to read the sequel to VIRALS, and Kathy Reichs did not disappoint. It was every bit as action-packed, funny, exciting and thrilling as its predecessor, a worthy sequel. I think what I like most about Kathy Reichs' writing is that, despite the fact that her main character is a relative of TV's beloved Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Tory Brennan is not as sheltered and scientifically-minded as Bones, while at the same time she's as intriguing and likable as her fictional relative.
Another thing I liked is the pacing of the series overall. The Virals are still getting used to their new abilities and discovering new things about themselves. It's not just "boom, we're superpowered mutants, yay", it's a "this thing takes time and we're still figuring it out". The pacing is extremely well done. The fact that the abilities are evenly distributed between the four is also marvelous, as they have to work together to be at their best.
I also still enjoy the subplots involved--namely, Tory's debutante activities, continued friction with the snobby girls known as the Tripod, and Tory's constant refereeing between the popular stud Jason and her best friend and fellow Viral, Ben.
Overall, this series has got me, hook, line and sinker, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Daenerys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book after someone abandoned it in a box at my uni with a bunch of Scandinavian thrillers. Given the contents of the box and knowing who Kathy Reichs was I assumed this was about a forensic anthropology investigation of some sort and decided to give her books a try. As it turns out, it wasn't. Of all the Kathy Reichs books I could read, I happened to find one from her YA series, with no forensic anthropology involved.
In Italian we would call this a libro da spiaggia , or "beach book". Is the kind of thing you take with you on holiday when you just want to relax. Unfortunately, I'm not on holiday, but I needed to relax and this book served its purpose perfectly. It is a quick and easy read and recaps on what happened in the previous book (which I didn't know existed) providing quite a lot of detail.
As for the story, it is very simple: it's practically The Goonies , just this time the kids are "genetically modified", Spider-man style. I don't really like books about viruses and genetic experiments, so maybe it's good I didn't read the first book. Also, having seen The Goonies about a hundred times I could predict most of the plot twists, but the book still gets three stars because I really enjoyed it anyway and I have a soft spot for stories involving pirates and treasure hunts.
The main weak points are:
- the writing style: yes, it is quick and easy to read, but every time a historical fact is related or a landscape is described it feels like something copied and pasted from Wikipedia
- Tory Brennan: the protagonist's quite cool, but she goes from full-on teenage drama scenes to describing skeletal pathologies using all the right anatomical terms, without looking at a book. Even with an aunt who is a forensic anthropologist, there is too much contrast between her behaviour in the rest of the book and the one scene where she diagnoses club foot on a skeleton. With only one look. In an underground tunnel.
- One of the front cover recommendations says "If you watch Bones , you'll love Virals ". I've never seen Bones, but what does this book have to do with a series about forensic anthropology? Nothing. That recommendation is so misleading, I'm not even sure the guy who wrote it read the book.
That said, the book is enjoyable and a nice light read for the summer, but I won't bother with the rest of this series.

[Lark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the first one. Ok. 2nd, not worth the time.

Group of teens steal priceless artifact from museum, break out a mental kid from mental hospital, repeatedly trespass & either destroy or damage other priceless artifacts, risk their lives repeatedly with little forethought.
Why, you ask ?

So they won't have to move.

This group of random teenagers finds a treasure that intelligent and creditable people have been searching for without success for 300 years. They just 'have a feeling' and -boom- 2 weeks later, it's all wrapped up.

Every time I saw Reichs' favorite catch-phrase, "We had no choice" it was in a situation where they had many choices and without exception went for the stupidest, most risky one.

The ends justifies the means in this situation - the kids have no consequences for the various illegal and violent things they did, don't have to move & end up insanely rich - and the bad guys end up dead effortlessly for a nice tidy ending....

Bleck. No more Kathy Reichs for me.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely thrilled that I bought the first two books in this series together, because I NEEDED to continue this series. The first book, Virals, was an absolute hit for me and Seizure continued the insanity!

This time around Tory, Ben, Shelton, Hi and Cooper are off on another adventure.... except... get this... PIRATES. The loss of LIRI absolutely sucked because the loss of potential science plots devastated me. So I was reading it, hoping that somehow these authors had some cool science-y plot to follow and NOPE! But they got the next best thing - pirates and treasure!

LIRI is going to be shut down, so the Virals need to acquire some funds to try to help their parents keep their jobs. Otherwise, all of them will be moved around the continents and might never see each other again. This is a big problem since they are Virals with their crazy powers. In walks a famous myth about a female pirate and her treasure. And, of course, she buried it near the home of our lead characters! Our Virals decide to go on a treasure hunt, and get in LOTS of trouble along the way. And I mean A LOT.

I loved the sense of adventure in this book! I was hooked to every word and it was really difficult to put the book down. There's a good mix of 75% action and 25% goofy, high school drama. Tori takes on Madison in this book and the drama is hilarious. I've never considered these books to be "serious" or "realistic" books (come on... Tori's eyes turn yellow and she has magical powers), so I absolutely loved the angst that was added in this book. Also, cue in potential love triangle? Or square... Either way, I see one coming. It's a YA book, you KNOW the romance is gonna be thrown in there eventually.

So, what are my cons?
1. Kit seems mighty dumb in this book. Did he really not notice Tori sneaking away so much? I know he works a lot and is busy... but dude. Kit is related to Tempe and he's this dumb?

2. The bad guys were predictable and also dumb. I'm honestly not sure how Kathy could change this (I don't have any constructive criticism about this, to be honest) but I have to say it. It was one of my cons.

But along with the cons, I have some mighty pros:
1. This series isn't focused on romance like most YAs. There is a pinch (and I mean a PINCH, like a pinch of salt. Very little) but the story mostly focuses on friendship and adventure. That makes this book way more fun when you're not worried about who's gonna kiss who.

2. Riddles, myths and legends make everything more interesting. Some of the riddles are easy to solve, but some of them were a little more difficult.

3. This book has comedy in it! There's some seriously funny quotes lined in this book that made the action and adventure just feel more fun. I'm tired of mopey YA books, we need more positivity in this world!

4. This book is super knowledgeable. Various animals species, the Gaelic language and more science-y info is shared with the reader. Kathy Reich's books are always smart! It's just another reason to love this series.

Overall, this book was AWESOME! It was a fun read for me and I really want to continue this series. It's closer to PG-13 mainly because of the language (a couple swears) but the fun could easily be read by middle grade.

Five out of five stars!!

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stelle e mezzo.

“You'll start talking, and pretty soon we'll all start nodding, and then the next thing you know, I'm hang gliding off the Eiffel Tower at night, being chased by ninja vampires.”

Non aspettatevi una recensione lunga perché su questo libro non c'è poi così tanto da dire. Ho letto "Virals", il primo capitolo della serie, l'anno scorso o quello prima ancora e mi era piaciuto tantissimo. Io, d'abitudine, tendo a non allungare mai le mani sui libri di questo genere perché non sono una grande appassionata e solo alcuni catturano veramente la mia attenzione. "Virals" è stato uno dei pochi fortunati. Kathy Reichs è un'esperta del genere e viaggia in territorio sicuro: sa di cosa parlare, sa come farlo e lo fa bene. Anzi, lo fa alla grande. I suoi misteri sono sempre intriganti, pieni di suspence e quasi irrisolvibili. Dissemina indizi per tutta la storia, piccoli come granelli di sabbia, che il lettore riesce a cogliere solo a fine lettura quando l'intrigo viene svelato.
Purtroppo però "Segreti" non mi ha convinto pienamente.

La questione è questa: ci sono alcuni elementi che hanno funzionato, altri un po' meno. La cosa più "catastrofica" di questo romanzo è stata la storiella un po' troppo bambinesca per i miei gusti. Alla ricerca di un tesoro nascosto dai pirati? Ma veramente?
Mi ha deluso un po', ecco.

“I’m adding ‘canine’ to my searches,” I said. “And ‘instinct.’” “Whatever. I’m adding ‘lunatic.”

Tralasciando per un attimo la trama di fondo, devo dire che tutti gli altri elementi mi sono piaciuti moltissimo. Lo stile di scrittura della Reichs è particolarmente scorrevole (infatti ho divorato il suo libro in poco meno di due giorni nonostante la lunghezza), particolareggiato, molto descrittivo e, cosa più importante, accurato. Niente è lasciato al caso e le spiegazioni e le analisi scientifiche sono presentate nel dettaglio al lettore. E' un aspetto che arricchisce molto la storia e che contribuisce ad un coinvolgimento maggiore, almeno da parte mia. Quando leggo mi piace anche imparare e la Reichs è un'ottima insegnante.

Anche l'ambience che dipinge è estremamente dettagliata. Ogni palazzo, segreta, angolo buio, grotta umida e viottolo sterrato risulta interessate se descritto da quest'abile autrice. Ha la capacità di rendere spooky e creepy ogni ambiente su cui mette le mani. Mi sono piaciute davvero molto le descrizioni delle trappole (e che trappole!), dei manufatti antichi, delle isole sperdute... che dire, Kathy Reichs sa creare un'atmosfera coi fiocchi!

“Observing Ben’s struggle, Hi scratched his chin. Glanced at me. Shrugged. Then he quietly slipped around behind Ben. And, without ceremony, kicked him in the ass. Hard.”

I personaggi li vedo abbastanza cresciuti dall'ultimo romanzo, hanno un'intelligenza e un'astuzia che solitamente non si vedono nei ragazzini della loro età. Il loro gruppo, o meglio "branco", è un connubio di diverse nazionalità, religioni e personalità. Sono un mix molto ben assestato e lavorano benissimo insieme, sono una vera e propria squadra. Non ce n'è uno di loro che non mi piaccia o a cui non mi sia affezionata, perché sono tutti estremamente caratterizzati e possiedono delle qualità che io, come persona, apprezzo tantissimo.
Hanno un senso dell'umorismo molto acuto e tagliente, un'ingegnosità invidiabile e coraggio da vendere. A volte si spaventano e perdono il controllo, ma trovano sempre il modo di risolvere i problemi ragionando. Penso che siano davvero un buonissimo esempio per un pubblico giovane, o anche per uno un po' più adulto.

L'aspetto paranormale del romanzo e dei ragazzi, poi, si fa sempre più interessante. I loro poteri sono ancora un mistero quasi (e spero si scopra un pochino di più nei prossimi libri della serie), ma questi ragazzi sono così dannatamente intelligenti che sono sicura siano già prossimi alla soluzione. E' davvero molto interessante vedere come i poteri mutino da Viral a Viral, come si siano sviluppati in maniera diversa a seconda del loro codice genetico. La situazione si prospetta sempre più complicata e mi intriga parecchio scoprire come evolveranno le cose!

“Did you smell her?” Hi asked.
I nodded. Downwind, I’d picked up Whisper’s scent at thirty yards.
“Amazing.” Hi stripped off his shirt, wrung it out “Score one for your honker.”
“Thanks, I think.” I cocked my chin at Hi’s substantial midsection. “Nice abs.”
“Yeah, I work out twice a month. No exceptions. But stop hitting on me, it’s embarrassing.”

E ora è arrivato il momento di parlare della trama. Mh. Non mi ha convinto fino in fondo, e di questo mi dispiace. C'è da dire che è stata strutturata benissimo, piena di intrighi e di indovinelli, ma purtroppo c'era qualcosa che stonava. Forse sono troppo cresciuta per questo genere di cose, ma mi è sembrata molto giovanile, troppo fanciullesca. Per quanto possa essere affascinante il mondo dei pirati, credo che la sua sia stata una scelta molto azzardata.
Era prevedibile in qualche modo, sia il mistero che gli antagonisti, e non so, davvero, non ne sono convinta tuttora.

E' stata una lettura piacevole, piacevolissima. Come ho detto, lo stile di scrittura della Reichs si divora, i personaggi sono meravigliosi, l'ambientazione molto misteriosa e coinvolgente e la storia, nonostante l'apparente banalità, molto intrigante a modo suo. Però c'è qualcosa che ha stonato, almeno per me. Che sia stata la "banalità" del soggetto o la facilità con cui ho risolto l'intrigo e scovato i "colpevoli" delle malefatte? Non saprei dirlo.

Sono molto curiosa di leggere i seguiti e spero vivamente che siano meglio di questo. I libri della Reichs, ho scoperto, non annoiano mai, ma se devo essere del tutto sincera questo qui mi ha fatto un po' passare la voglia di proseguire con la serie. La mia curiosità però, lo so, mi tradirà e finirò col recuperarli e divorarli tutti. Ma, per il momento, sto bene anche senza.

[Marguerite (M) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 4.25 stars

So not realistic.
So entertaining.

Remember Tory and her crew of really smart kids ? Well, they’re back and they’re planning on discovering a hidden pirate treasure.
Yup. The treasure that everybody has been looking for the last centuries.

Will they find it ? Probably, they’re the freakin Virals.


I have a feeling that the 10-years-older-me will sigh looking back on my appreciation of this book. Well, you know what, future-me ? Fuck off. This book’s awesome, and you just have no taste.


Imagine an island with pratically nobody and animals everywhere. You sail to go where you want, it’s sunny and beautiful and magical.
I want to go there.
Please, I want to see Whisper and her family and have an adorable puppy-Coop.

And imagine you’re a very smart kid who do not enjoy video games or TV much, and you find a painting of a female pirate that looks exactly like you.
And you hear about a hidden treasure no one has ever found and coincidently, due to lack of money you will have to move out of your paradise that you call home.
And remember, you’re very smart and you have an advantage no one else has : you’re a Viral, something between human and wolf, but without the furry-clawy-were part.
Now tell me you don’t want to go teasure hunting.

I must tell you, life of a Viral seems pretty exciting. You pick locks, steal from museums, lie to your parents, get shot at, resolve puzzles, dig hole on almost-secret islands, help people escape from mental hospitals, and do that most of the time at night, when you have to suffer classes the next day.
Awesome.
And there is the part that you can see much farer than anybody, you can smell emotions, lift ten times your weight and hear the heart of the guy across the road beating.
That is cool.

What ? You don’t like the getting shot at ? Then do not be a Viral, it seems it happens every book. Tory and her friends certainly have a gift for making ennemies.


Seizure is very action-paced, with a handful of deduction and mysteries, lots of friendship, a little bit of drama, a good amount of breaking curfew.
It’s entertaining, enjoyable, not boring for a minute, and I can’t help but root for those kids and their adorable wolf-dog. They can be annoying, a little too smart, and probably filled with too many good sentiments, but I enjoy their adventures very much !

[Water]

This book a mix of mystery crime and fantasy is so unique and creative. An exciting sequel to the first book ( Virals ) the author manages to touch on the cliché idea of treasure hunting but make it her own through the special abilities and characteristics of her characters. Her story is amazing and intriguing with endings nobody would think of.

[Marie Loughin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tough one to rate. This series has so much potential -- cool science stuff, adventures, a wolf-dog. I really wanted to give it more stars. And yet I almost didn't finish this book.

First, the kids in this book act irresponsibly. I can't go into detail without spoilers, but I do NOT consider these characters to be remotely good role models for young teens. (My daughter read this book and has pointedly not asked to read more. I think she's disappointed in the the main character's poor judgement. Not hero material, at all.)

Second, the kids are stooopid. They are supposed to be on the high end of smart, but they wouldn't know a clue if it got shoved up their noses. The fact that they are young is no excuse. The clues just weren't that hard to figure out, especially if they watch movies like Indiana Jones.

Finally, the main character was unlikeable. She is self-centered, has no respect for adult authority, bullies and manipulates her friends, uses people, and whines a lot.

The only reason I finished this book was to see if the kids faced any repercussions for their actions. Suffice to say, I won't be reading another. In fact, I'm rather put off from reading Reichs' adult books, too.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the second in the series. I really resisted it because so much of the first part refers back to the first (giving necessary background information). I usually like Reichs, and maybe that's part of the problem because my high expectations weren't met: much of the plot REALLY stretches credulity, both about how a teen with such powers really would act and react AND the whole basic plot of "pirate's treasure" and searching for it (and the stuff the kids get away with and the predictable and unbelievable complications).

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I really enjoyed the first book in the series and was keen to get into the next book in the series, however I was a bit disappointed in this one in comparison. It took a lot for me to get into this one, although it did pick up as the book progressed. Some of the storylines stretched belief too much and I feel the book went on too long. That said I did still enjoy it overall and will look to continue. Hopefully book 3 will be back to the standard of the first one.

[『 ᴋʀɪꜱ ☕︎ 』 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmmm I'm too lazy to write a review-

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was waiting for some interaction between Ben and Tory, and it wasn’t long in coming. Tory goes to a cotillion and Ben offers to drive her in his boat. He comments stiffly that she looks nice, and he’s mean to Jason, the popular guy that seems to like Tory, when he’s waiting for her on the dock. I ate that up, cuz it led me to believe that he’s jealous of his attention on Tory. I also liked when Ben tells Tory to give him the map so she won’t get busted if they’re caught stealing it.
I liked when Tory asked who sold the pawn guy the box or pirate stuff and the man told her to piss off, and Ben said hey, watch your mouth! and started for the counter. It was so sweet he was sticking up for her.

In the last novel I was overall pleased with Tory as a female lead. She took action and held her own in a group of guys, and I love a tomboy as a main character. She was smart and gutsy, and stubborn and determined. But in here those qualities were morphed into something not likable. On so many occasions she lured the guys into doing something they didn’t want to do, like stealing the map at the museum, using their powers in public, and going to the tunnels at night. She led them down the wrong path, heedless of trouble or danger, all because she wanted the treasure. She used the guilt trip on them, bullied them into it, and made them feel bad that the group would be splitting up if they didn’t assist her in looking for the treasure. It was all very manipulative on her part and I didn’t like that at all. Also, she could be a brat at times. Like when Kit tells her he may have to take a job somewhere else, she yells at him, and that was unfair because it wasn’t his fault he was losing his job.

The novel got off to a slow start in my opinion, and I expected the action to happen sooner. I tried to be patient while they figured out the Anne Bonny stuff, and boy did it take them a while to do that. When she finally learned of the treasure, they spent page after page being skeptical about the concrete evidence they had. They questioned the letters, and the verses on the map, and the location of the dungeon, and the spot where the treasure could be. I was getting so exhausted and impatient with them having to prove that everything was real. It was quite ridiculous that they had to both smell the documents and get them certified by a man who specialized in signatures. Whew.

Once they believed they were real and actually started the search, things picked up a little. I was put out with the multiple threats though. The old butler thought the treasure was supposed to be his, because his brother had died searching for the treasure, and it had been a part of his life too by association. Then Shelton spilled the treasure secret at the pawn shop, and the guy there sent two of his relatives out after them. I didn’t like that part, and I didn’t like reading from their perspectives either.

The scenes in the cave were very much like the Goonies. In fact, it was so similar all I envisioned throughout the entire thing was the movie. To be fair though, as soon as I read the description about pirate treasure and booby traps, I made the connection, so it stayed with me through the book. But immediately into the caves they come upon the body of a searcher who had been killed by a booby trap, exactly like in Goonies. And she searches for his wallet, and goes through his stuff. In here he didn’t actually have a wallet like Chester Copperpot in the movie, but she recognizes his identity by his club foot. Too close to the movie for comfort. And Tory even finds this key with holes through it, and a triangle wedge coming out, very similar to the medallion the kids found in Goonies that was used as a key in the caves. Another similarity is that they were going to all have to move away from each other because their parent’s homes and jobs were being threatened, and the pirate treasure was a way of preventing that, just like in Goonies. There is even a place in the stone where the disc she found fits, as a key, that must be turned. That was wayyy too close to the movie. It was a complete rip-off. Then they have to find the correct bridge and if they did it incorrectly the portion they were standing on would crumble, which was like Andy having to play the correct tune so the bridge would be lowered, and when she did it wrong the pathway crumbled. I can’t believe the copying here. And Hi dropped a comment that what they were experiencing was like the Goonies, and when you reference something like that, it's a dead giveaway that you're going to be copying that source.

I liked when Ben was concerned about the blood streaked on the ground as they crawled through the small tunnel, and that he checked her skinned elbows out. And when Tory tells him to jump off the swaying ledge, he tells her to go first. And I liked when Ben voted Tory to go through the underwater tunnel first.

It was strange and just unnecessary to have Tory the descendent of Anne Bonny. And they looked exactly the same, both had red hair and green eyes, and their personalities were mostly the same. Even their handwritings were the same. Okayy, that’s taking it a bit far. We didn’t need any one of them to be a relative to Anne Bonny. Just looking for the treasure was enough. It was completely unnecessary and went overboard, and the story would have been more tolerable and plausible if that wouldn’t have happened, because it just stretched the realm of credibility. But I’ll give it to the author, at least it was original and none of the kids in Goonies were related to One-Eyed Willie.

I also liked when Ben didn’t wanna leave Tory alone with Chance, and when Chance yells at her Ben starts to come back in. And when Ben drops Chance and Tory off at her house, he glares at Chance and asks if Tory needs anything.

I’ve been so sick of Madison, Ashley and Courtney, “the Tripod,” running over Tory and her and just letting them get away with it. She’s so spunky and outspoken in every other area of her life, and it was strange and out of character that she couldn’t stand up for herself. She finally gets a backbone and puts the girls in their place at the cotillion, taking Chance’s advice to have no fear and attack back. I was so glad she’d conquered them and gave it right back, like she should've been doing the whole time. Then all that’s ruined when she takes it too far by showing her glowing eyes to Madison. I was just waiting for her to make that slip since the beginning, but was disappointed that she did it at such a miniscule moment, just so she could say “boo” and scare Madison away. I expected better restraint when it came to things like that. And Chance offers to be her date and Tory snaps at him that why would she go with him so he’ll just disappear when she gets attacked or something like that, which was unfair considering he didn’t know it was happening, and rude and bratty, which she has a tendency to be.

The cross was used in exactly the same manner as the medallion in Goonies. It aligned with the landscape and pointed to where they should start looking for treasure. I was astounded when I read that, because it’s just a complete ripoff. I wanted to see where Reichs would go with pirate treasure, but I see she stayed with how it had already been done. What a disappointment and annoyance.

I kept with the hope that these intense and exciting scenes were on the horizon, and that the treasure was going to be an awesome find, but it was so incredibly disappointing I can barely put words to it. They lift up a rock slab and just pull it out from under the floor. It was so boring there was hardly any interest on my part. And don’t even get me started on the treasure. Welp, too late. I already am. Pages from the Book of Kells?! Well that’s well and great, but I want freakin gemstones of priceless value, jewelry, and gold to fill a bathtub with. Ugh! What a major letdown!

And the bad guys. Oh boy. I hate when authors have it be the least likely people, ones I didn’t expect at all. It just throws me for a loop and I can’t come to terms with it. The only thing it does is surprise me, but it’s not the good kind of surprise. Chris and Sallie were kind people excited about history and pirate lore, and then they turned to coldly murderous and I didn’t go for that transition at all. Same with Mr. Short, the manuscript expert they turn to to authenticate their documents. He was just an old man interested in handwriting and all that, and he turns just as cold and accepting of the idea of cold-blooded murder that it was just crazy. And the pawn shop owner’s two sons just had no business being in there in my opinion.

The only good thing was that Tory and the gang decided to give Rodney Brincefield, the butler whose brother had died in the quest for the treasure some of the coins. That was fitting and a nice thing to do. They also gave Chance some of the money, and I thought that was really nice too, considering what they had done to him and how he had helped them. Tory did make the right decisions there, and again when she kept the coins for her and her group. It made it worth it that they got to keep some of the money for themselves.

The language Tory used was really disappointing and off-putting. On several occasions she used GD, and she said damn and hell a lot, and for a young teenager especially that’s harsh language. I do like not GD at all, and I can tolerate some language when the situation calls for it, but it was just too much in here. It’s like the author used her own language in here, which doesn’t work when you’re writing as a character so young. I spent the entire book thinking Tory was 16, only to find out at the very end that she was actually 14. Wow. Just wow. It’s incredible the language and words this girl uses and the knowledge she possesses at such a young age. It stretched my believability in the novel even more so.

The story was quite monotonous, and the action was pretty tame. It didn’t make me lose my breath or make me anxious for their lives, which I expected. It was underwhelming, and that was a disappointment. The parents of the others were basically nonexistent, except to ground the boys, and Tory’s father, Kit, only showed up when Tory was supposed to get mad at something he said or did. They spent the novel looking for clues, going back home, looking for clues, going back home, looking for clues and going back home. I mean, come on! It was kind of tedious to read through.

Another thing that annoyed and surprised me were the reactions from the characters. They had people stalking them, literally, following them around and tailing them wherever they went, and they didn't even care. They just decided to ignore it and stop talking about it rather than dwell on it. The same went for the attempts on their lives. People shot at them and held them at gunpoint and none of them wanted to talk about it; they just wanted to pretend like it hadn't happened. And they had this blasé attitude that they were used to people shooting at them, and so didn't really seem to mind that it was happening again. Are you freakin kidding me? How about a little fear from these kids? The only ones that acted afraid were Hi and Shelton. Tory, "the fearless leader," never displayed fear, and that bothered me. She's just not realistic or that likable. And they didn't even try to capture the bad guys, not once. Instead, they let them go free, only to come and attack them again. It was the most senseless and careless thing I've ever heard of. And I really didn't care for when they left Chance alone on the island for the rest of the night, saying it couldn't be helped and they had to save themselves. This screw everyone else, it's all about us and our lives mindset is really messed up. Chance was afraid, and they could have just went after him, explained things to him, made up an excuse, or even convinced him he was seeing things, anything to get him to come with them. Instead they leave him on an island in the middle of the night, with two murderers on the loose, not to mention the gators and wolves. Nice.

There was some humor thrown in, nothing hilarious that made me laugh out loud, but enough to make the book enjoyable. And I liked the individual and unique personalities of each character. They’re completely consistent throughout the book, and I like reading about the group. I just wish this had been as good as the first one, and it had delivered the excitement and adventure that it promised on the inside cover. I also wished for a little more interaction between Ben and Tory. I wanted a little romance, but Tory was more interested in Chance, who looks like a model. And she thought when he was in her bedroom that it was easy to get a lot closer to him, and she’s thinking about her appearance. She only had one thought about Ben, that she asked herself which one do you prefer, Ben or Jason? And that was it. I want a little love in this thing! It would make it so much better. Also, someone better be having a birthday soon, because I can’t stand reading a book where the main character is 14 years old. It makes me feel old. The only good thing is that the mentality level is much higher. Way too high for a 14 year old, but it lets 20 year old me read without getting my intelligence insulted, so that’s a plus. It was just good to be back with the gang again, and I just hope the next book is better and gets back to the basics instead of getting sidetracked like this one. I feel like this was a waste and was just leading up to the next book anyway.
The only thing that was better in this book was the adventure. It was a legitimate quest looking for treasure, and there was more action than in the first.

[alvie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 45%. 1.5 stars.

This is so disappointing!! I am so sad that I couldn’t enjoy this book more; the original plot was fantastic! I wish I had the tolerance for more teenage stupidity and ignorance.

When I first picked up Virals, I was expecting a hard-core sci-fi novel, not a mystery. It is important to find who killed Dr. Annoying! But...there was the swearing. And the plot. And the characters.

(By the way, this is partly a review for book one, so just a heads up! :) )

So Tory and her friends, all of whom are overly stereotypical, break into the lab where their parents work so they can *gasp* solve a mystery. Then they hear a poor lil puppy barking. Tory is angry that said puppy is being used for an experiment, so they steal the dog. Said dog is sick. Said dog was going to be euthanized because of this, but why not break the law? Why not interfere with some scientist’s experiment, illegally poach a puppy out of a lab, and then get infected with some dog virus?

Rational, right?

So then they get superpowers that give them dog instincts. This was actually my favorite part of the storyline! Still, I felt like the authors could have done so much more with this. Instead, they had these same four teenagers try to compete with adults in the solving of some murder mystery. Like I said, totally rational.

And then the go on a big adventure, and then there was a HUGE plot twist at the end. Which blew me off my feet.

So there was the happily ever after ending, and then in book 2 these teens with dog instincts go on another “rational” mission: find pirate treasure so they don’t have to move!!!

Sorry. This is a very disorganized rant, but the main point that I have not mentioned yet is as follows:

This was the plot of a children’s book. It had the same immature characters, but it was mixed in with WAY too much profanity, an overload of crude humor, and too many instances of teenagers trying to prove that their parents are dumb by breaking laws numerous times. For “good reasons”. It was not a pleasant read. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this series to anyone. If the plot had been reworked into something enjoyable, these books could have been, in another world, some of my favorites.

I’ll go read a book where the characters do irrational things for rational reasons now. See ya ;)

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Trigger warnings: violence, mentions of murder, description of dead bodies
Content warning: biphobia, racism

Definitely not the best Virals novel, but still good.

The action in this second opus is a bit over the top. And when I say “a bit”, I kinda mean “a lot”... The whole pirate treasure thing is already a stretch, but the amount of people after them was way too much. Only counting the ones who seriously risked the Virals safety, that’s 5 people. And that doesn’t include other greedy people connected to them. I feel like Reichs over complicated this story for the sake of having more to tell.

Because in the end, this second novel just isn’t all that interesting. There were a few inconsistencies once again blurring the place this series hold in the Temperance Brennan world that could have easily been corrected in editing.

I appreciated the development with Chance and the pack’s powers, which sets the atmosphere for the next books. Apart from that, it’s really not my favourite Virals book.

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

titular sentence:
p33: This seizure will no happen.

name:
p3: Never one to shy away from a challenge, Tory Brennan, great-niece of famous forensic anthropologist Tempoe Brennan, thinks she's devised the perfect plan: find the lost treasure of famous she-pirate Anne Bonney. Legend has it that Bonney hid her fortune somewhere near Charleston, but in nearly 300 years no one has found it.

breaking the fourth wall:
p13: Or you've already decided I'm nuts and are slowly backing away from this book.

redundant:
p31: My computer screen restructured into four quadrants.

?:
p320: Marlo ratcheted back the slide on his piece.

A distinct switch from anthropology to archaeology. This should have massive appeal to the scientifically-inclined juvenile audience.

I've lost at least 3 days prioritizing other stuff over this book.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Virals have just finished doing time (grounded not jail) for the escapades of the first book, when the news is broken that the University is out of cash, which means the projects on the island are going to have to be shut down. Which means our gangs parents are going to be out of jobs and homes, and it looks like the Virals are going to be scattered unless they can come up with some serious cash.

So it's just as well that while at a fancy debutante party, Tory comes to learn about famous pirate Anne Bonny, who pirated the seas in the 1700's....and more importantly...her treasure. The location of the treasure has never been found, but Tory is convinced this is their only shot at saving their home, so a pilfered pirate treasure map later and the gang are off deciphering riddles and following clues.

However, someone else is looking for the treasure, someone who's following them and who's willing to leave a trail of bodies, can the Virals find the treasure first? Before the island is sold? And can they cope with their ever developing abilitites?

Okay, I can't get enough of this series, as I type this I'm about 60 pages in to the third book, and I can't even. So far each books has been drastically different, I'll explain more in the next post on Thursday, when I do books three and four, but so far this series is one you can re-read again and again.

Each book has a different vibe, the first book was like a murder mystery, with a cool twist, with all the powers and stuff, like an episode of Cold Case, this book is full adventure/quest, heavy on the history and had total Goonies, Relic Hunter/National Treasure/Indiana Jones vibes going on. Like seriously!

This book goes further back in time than the first book, and this book had way more history. The first book was kinda historical, but it wasn't that far back in time, and it was more about finding a killer and solving a case and so on. Whereas this book went further back in history, and was more heavier on the history, you learn loads about this particular pirate, and man I loved it! This was like the kinda book I long for! History, cool quest, and action and adventure.

I loved reading all about the history of the area the book is set in and the pirates of the area, and I actually didn't realise Anne was a real pirate until I googled something, and then I was blown away at the pure amount of information stuffed in to the book, that actually fit in there, and didn't overwhelm the book. The information was inserted in such a way that you wanted to learn more and weren't bored by it. For instance, my Amazon basket now has a crap load of pirate books!

The clues where great, the background and the history was true and it was very exciting and the life and story of Anne Bonny was expertly woven with the clues leading to her treasure, it all made sense. Every clue left fit with Anne and it just made sense that if she had left treasure and a map then that is a clue that she would have left. It was believable, you could believe every word on the page even the ones that weren't actually historical and where fiction.

The plot was complex, lots of little clues threaded the story, not just ones to the treasure but ones as to who is following them, there's plenty of suspects presented to you and it's fun to work out who it is, as well as trying to work out the clues to the treasure for yourself. And ya know...fail because the series continues to be full of twists and turns and surprises, and totally impossible to guess.

The complex history of the pirates and the map, the cool clues, all of it was all thought out, and like I said the logic fit together so well with the historical figure of Anne that it was such a draw when you where reading. You where drawn in from the first atmospheric page, standing on that ship with Anne, and from then the book was impossible to put down because you had to solve the clues and you wanted to know what happened to Anne.

Our characters are still as awesome as ever, I enjoyed that they didn't get their powers and that's it, end of that thread, they use them for good and so on. I LOVED that this plot thread is left open still, the gang are still learning about their abilities, there's new traits developing, in Tory's case she can smell people's emotions, and the flares are changing, and things are still evolving and it's another point of intrigue, waiting to see what's going to happen next with the powers, what other cool things they can do.

Chance was back in this book, and while he was a bit of a douche at the end of Virals, I'm actually glad because his character interests me. He clearly has had a crap childhood, and it was nice to see more of him and get to know him better and I hope he pops up again, because he could be a fun addition to the group!

But most importantly, there was a cameo from Bones too! I LOVE Tempe and I was so excited to see her and Tory interact, and it was so awesome and oh my God. Perfect.

So far both books have been very slick, with the writing, easy to get lost and disappear in, with engaging narratives, and complex plots, each different from the other. Seizure is a blend of history, mystery and action, with an adventure quest type vibe, and a heavy dose of history that's fascinating and exciting to read about. I'm interested to see which road the third book is going to take! I'm totally addicted to the series so far.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting but a thrilling adventure nonetheless.

[Two Bookalicious Divas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seizure is the follow up to Virals, which is an YA series but the bestselling author Kathy Reichs. The Virals series is about Tory, Tempe Brennons Great Niece, who after her mother was killed is sent to life with her father Charleston. In book one she befriends three teenage boys and they all just clicked. However, they contract a parvovirus that gives them new strange powers. Almost Wolf like senses and thus bonding them into a pack!

In Seizure, Tory and the boy are still trying to figure out how to work their powers and what they do with them. They are closes than ever, however, due ot college the lack funding Loggerhead Island Research Institute is being forced to close down and they are faced with the possibilities that they will all be split up. Tory comes up with a plan to to go on a crazy treasure hunt of the famous pirate Anne Bonny to try and save Loggerhead and friends from being separated. However, they soon discover that they aren't they only ones after the buried treasure. "Can the Virals survive their toughest Challenge yet?" - Cover tagline.

What an fantastic thrill ride of the book this was. OMG, Kathy Reichs had be glued from page one like I knew she would. I have missed the Virals. They are such a refreshing change of characters that are in YA just now. They are all smart kids and would stop at nothing to protect themselves and there little world, even if it means almost getting killed. Tory is only 14 year old and they is no doubt that she is the pack leader. They boys; Ben, Hi and Shelton all look up to her and she her as their Alpha. Even though at times they all think she is insane coming up with crazy ideals but they will follow her to no end. All three boys bring something different that just makes the group likable. They al stand up for each other and all love each other. Hi is probably my favourite, he gets some really good funny lines. However, Shelton got to shine in the books. And he gets the best and funniest quote in the book:

"You'll start talking, and pretty soon we'll all start nodding, and then the next thing you know, I'm hang gliding off the Eiffel Tower at night, being chased by ninja vampires"

So yeah, I adore them. They are probably becoming my favourite characters in a YA series. :)

Now they story itself? well, what can I say that can do this wonderful book any justice? Probably nothing, It was just so freaking AMAZING. Yeah, Amazing!!! Lately, it's been taking something really special for to me fall in love with book. And this has. I think it was the fresh and unique (to me ) plot. Hunting down pirates treasure in a nail biting treasure hunt. I was loving every minutes of it. There wasn't ever a dull moment. Between trying to work out the clues to running for lifes, I was gripping to the edge of my seat. The thing that I really did love was at some scenes in the book it had a Goonies feel to it and I love the goonies. It's full of twists and turns and the mystery of who the bad guys are.

Seizure feels more of a companion to Virals as they are completely different. I would recommend reading Virals first though for two reasons. One: to get to know the characters better and how they become "Virals" and Two: because its bloody amazing as well!!!

I am now really looking forward to seeing what new dangers and adventures Kathy takes are young characters on next, if it's anything like Book 1 and 2 then its going to be Epic!!!

[Beth_Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently reading this one aloud with the kids just for shits and giggles. We all really enjoyed the first one.

This one seems to have an even more far fetched story line than the first one did, but that's kind of the point with tales that have a paranormal element.. and we're still enjoying it so far.

There are things that bother me about Kathy Reichs' young adult series, but nothing big enough to prevent me from enjoying it whole heartedly.

Once more we see a "smurfette" style protagonist. To Reichs credit, Tori is at least smart and bold and not just there to support the male characters in the story. There are smatterings of teen angst; it is after all written for the teen market and is a story primarily about a group of teens, but there is no coupling of characters in the book and frankly, that's kind of refreshing. (And one of the main reasons my oldest son cites for loving the series.)

It's the blending of history and science with large lashings of fiction that really sell this book. It feels well researched. It reads mostly true. The search for Anne Bonny's treasure by a group of teens is only unrealistic if you believe teens aren't capable of doing big things. The science fiction/paranormal aspect of the book is so well written, you believe it really is plausible. Of course there are wildly impractical and improbable things happening, it is fiction after all, but with a well written book, those things don't tend to matter.

Tori and friends are well developed characters. But they aren't done yet. And nor should they be. As the virals continue to learn about their powers and as they grow to maturity, their characters will deepen and grow. In fact they already have. From the first novel in Virals, to this one, the group changes and dynamics constantly shift, each have their own talents and unique qualities that add to the group and these abilities and qualities are forever transforming. Reichs' has done this well.

Each of my kids have their own personal favourite character. And although Tori takes centre stage as our narrator, she does a good job at giving voice and depth to all the main players.

Not really a stand alone book, you do need to have read Virals first to understand the true nature and depth of the virus the teens carry. But this one has more turns and twists and adrenaline pumping moments than it's predecessor. Strap yourself in. If pirates, science and loot are your thing, then you're sure to like Seizure.

[Jessica Buwalda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I liked the first one in the series and was keen on reading the second one. This one was a little better than the first. Why? Pirates. That should pretty much sum it up. Although like the previous novel there was still something missing. I think Reichs is just not yet use to writing for young adult readers. Still it was pretty cool learning some of the lessons in this book, and the history was overall pretty awesome to learn too.
Basically Tory and her friends are starting to get a grip on their powers, although they still have no clue what is going on with them, or how it will change in the future but they’re trying. To top everything off they are at risk of being split apart so they go through all the hoops possible to save their pack.
And Tory is working on her debut…which, I find completely hilarious. But she also finally gets some good licks in. I’m just worried that the power that she continues to feel increasing inside her with every flare, the same power that makes her pack leader, will make her loose control
Good:
Tory: She’s smart
Hi: Also very smart and very very funny.
Sheldon: Dido
Ben: The muscle of the bunch. He’s tall, dark, and silence, probably will a little bit of anger issues. Poor Ben. Always having to get kicked, slapped, or insulted to be able to flare. Oh p.s I’m only guessing but I think he likes Tory. Hence why he hates Jason so much. Ahh…teen angst.
Bad:
A little slow and a little long. Sometimes I found that I was over powered with information and lessons that I felt like taking a break but then I also just wanted to blaze though and get the book done.
Overall (Writing style, story line, and general):
Overall I found some of her writing in this novel confusing. She doesn’t mention their moments very well so sometimes I question how they got from one point to another. And when dealing with four main characters there seemed to be confusion with regards to who was speaking and their individual thoughts, even what they were referring to. Causing me to have to re-read something things to make sure I got it right. Overall though I loved the story and characters. But I do question how these kids can get away with so much and their parents never seem to notice until the absolute end. Lucky…

View more of my review and others at my blog: www.mynotsovacantshelf.blogspot.com

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I mentioned in my review of VIRALS, the first in the series (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78...) Reich seems to redefine the role of YA reading, on many levels. One other reviewer commented to me that he felt YA books were geared for the 11-15 year old fan base, which fits with what I presumed myself. Taking SEIZURE's storyline, that fits. However, Reichs appears to place too much stress on the ADULT side and not enough on the YOUNG when she introduces the text of her book, dropping things that no child of mine (11-15) should be reading or hearing in a means of library entertainment (especially labelled and geared for that age group).

While I doubt Ms. Reichs reads these types of reviews (and with CODE already at the publisher for August 2012 release), perhaps we can telepathically send her some advise: KATHY, tone down your language for the younger reader or make the plots more mature and toss them at the 16-22 crowd, a la TWILIGHT. Perhaps, being a new parent, it just gets to me. That said, I do wince at James Patterson's MAXIMUM RIDE series for their 'gosh golly geez' dialogue.

The story was decent, at least for the age level. A little adventure, no romance and some good old teenage joshing around. I can see this working as a good tv series or movies for teens (keep Reichs from writing the screenplay without reading this review first). Add some pirates (without Mr. Depp) and you have a decent tale for all to read.

I pushed through this one and found a nugget, something I always like, a crossover moment when Tempe entered her grand-niece's story. Will we see young Brennan enter the fray of some adult books soon? She has the quasi-potty mouth for it.

Good stuff Ms. Reichs. I wonder where CODE will take us, although I suppose I have to wait until August to find out.

[Monnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in a while I'm clueless. When I started reading the book, I didn't realize it wasn't the latest installment of the Bones series. When I did, I looked it up and gulped hard - it's actually a book for young adults (as it turns out, the second in a series that started with Virals. My first thought was oh no - and then I remembered how much I loved all the Harry Potter books and two of James Patterson's series featuring Maximum Ride. What the heck, I said, I'll give this one a try too!

And I was glad I did, every page of the way. Like Patterson and J.K. Rowling, Reichs doesn't treat young readers as if they had no brains and words of more than one syllable are beyond their comprehension. Had the main characters in this book not been barely teenybopper age, I'd never have guessed that it was written for them. No matter what your age, if you like a good action-packed adventure novel with a bit of fantasy thrown in, this one's definitely worth reading.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would've liked this a lot more if I were 13. As with the first book, it's basically the Famous Five With Attitude and Superpowers go on a treasure hunt to find a female pirate's hidden booty, in order to save the research centre and Island where they live from being shut down due to budget cuts. They lie, steal, break into places and damage property without a care for their own ends, considering themselves entitled to the loot so that they can stay together forever as pack, ignoring the fact that at 14 they have a few years together left at best before they grow up and leave home.
The adventure was OK, the bad guys predictable, the over-reliance on coincidence and serendipity typical of Reichs' novels, with some bitchy school-girls and the inevitable incipient teenage love triangle thrown in. Serves me right for reading teen-fiction, but normally it's not as childish as this.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seizure (Virals #2) by Kathy Reichs

I LOVE this series! It’s like Nancy Drew meets Maximum Ride. Seizure is the second book in the YA Virals series by Kathy Reichs author of the Temperance Brennan (Bones) novels. This series is inventive, intelligent and fun.

In Virals Tory and her friends are infected with a genetically altered parvo virus that affects their DNA and gives them special powers.

In Seizure the gang is still trying to get the hang of what is happening to their bodies as well as searching for Anne Bonny’s pirate treasure.

I truly cannot wait for the next installment.

[Dionne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Goonies i thought for a moment. Too far fetched and the characters are too squeaky clean for me to bond/empathise with.