Virals (Virals, #1)

by Kathy Reichs

[Rinn]

Also posted on my book blog, Rinn Reads.

I was never particularly drawn to Kathy Reichs' books until last year, when I saw her whilst working at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. After reading the blurb of her latest release, I decided that it sounded just like my kind of crime fiction. And whilst the Virals series is not part of the Temperance Brennan story, it follows a similar vein - and is about Tempe's niece, Tory. It is Bones for the younger generation.

Simply written, fast paced and exciting, I really enjoyed the story. There were a couple of plot twists I managed to guess in advance, but one or two that caught me off guard! I wasn't one hundred percent sure about the narrative voice though. Whilst Tory is a good character - not your 'typical' teenage girl - that is also one of her downfalls. Several times she tells the reader how she is not one of those girls, caring only for clothes and makeup - which is fine, apart from when she claims that all other girls do this. However, she is intelligent and quick-witted, and whilst a lot of her friends and acquaintances felt like stereotypes, they worked well together. And it is nice to have some YA fiction where the heroine claims to be intelligent, and then actually proves it.

The setting of the book sounds gorgeous - isolated in what is first a peaceful, idyllic way, but later becomes a little menacing. I wanted to learn more about the islands, and the research that Kit was doing.

This is definitely very much a Young Adult book though, purely from the style of writing and the way that Tory's internal monologue plays out. I still enjoy YA fiction in general, and definitely enjoyed this one. I actually had no idea when I started reading it that it was more than just a crime novel - there's a hint of the supernatural in there too.

I am aware, from reading other reviews, that this book is very different to Reichs' usual style - so I look forward to reading the first of Temperance Brennan's adventures, and discovering whether I enjoy it as much as I enjoyed this.