Reviewed by clementine on
As soon as I found out Mira Grant, author of my beloved Newsflesh series, was writing a new series, I was thrilled. I picked up Parasite on sale on Boxing Day and made it my first book of 2014.
And it was good. It was. It was exciting, innovative, creepy, and compelling. I liked the characters; they weren't as awesome as Georgia and Shaun of Newsflesh fame, but they were likeable. I liked that there was no extraneous love triangle plot; I liked that Sal's boyfriend didn't end up being a complete jerk who she dumped, which is such a tired trope at this point. (We'll see what happens, of course - I wouldn't be surprised if something happens to Nathan. If Mira Grant has taught me anything, it's to trust nobody.) I liked the medical thriller angle, and I liked that it's a pretty blatant critique of the medical industry.
But there were two things that I saw coming from miles away: first, that the woman who contacted Sal was Dr. Cale, and then the big reveal at the end of the book. And that's a problem, especially when I consider how the Newsflesh series twisted and turned like no other books. That was a legitimately surprising trilogy. This? Not that surprising.
Did that ruin it for me? Not at all. I really liked it, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next book. But I am definitely hoping that Grant steps it up a little bit, because I'm fully aware of what she's capable of.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 12 January, 2014: Finished reading
- 12 January, 2014: Reviewed