Parasite (Parasitology, #1)

by Mira Grant

[kimbacaffeinate]

4.5
Parasite is the first in the Parasitology duology and already I am drooling for book two. Grant created a vivid world in the future with medical advancements, but something is going terribly wrong. With fleshed out characters and a compelling storyline, Grant had me completely wrapped up in this tale. Mini review: brilliant, suspenseful and horrifying.

Grant takes us into the future where advances in the private medical field have virtually eliminated the common cold, and allergies. We no longer need to take our medications and illness such as diabetes no longer require insulin. All thanks to the SymboGen shield a genetically engineered tapeworm. It is so successful that almost every human on Earth has one, but the parasites are getting restless…. The tale that unfolds was suspenseful, horrifying and kept me on the edge of my seat! It offered elements of science-fiction, suspense, mystery and even horror.

Grant introduces us to several characters in Parasite. Sally, who prefers “Sal” and Nathan her boyfriend are our main characters. Sal suffered from amnesia after a car accident six years ago, and has had to relearn everything. She is witty, inquisitive and a perfect heroine for this tale. Nathan is her adorable and geeky boyfriend. (picture, tall, dark, lanky with tousled hair and geek glasses..yum) He is a microbiologist, and the two make a perfect investigative team. Sal craves answers and resents how protective her parents and SymboGen are with her. She has a strong sixth sense and unlike some heroines she listens to it, which made her kick-ass in my book. We read publications and are privy to scientist records from the creators of SymboGen. One is the face of the business and the other the scientist, I found them both to be a little disturbing, and it added to my enjoyment. Grant fleshed out the world through them using press releases and recordings. Other secondary characters really helped to bring the tale to life, and added humor. Tracey was one of my favorite; she was hilarious one moment and could totally freak me out the next. I love how Grant gives even the most mundane characters voice and makes them memorable.

The plot for Parasite is incredibly thought out, and Grant does an amazing job with world-building. She fed the geek in me with scientific details but delivered it in such a way that the non sci-fi fan could enjoy it. We learn a lot about the tapeworm and the current problems arising through Sal as she learns. This added to the suspense and allowed the tale to flow beautifully as Grant weaved in moments of discovery, tension, terror and life. What really freaked me out was how plausible she made the implants seem, and lord knows money hungry companies hide stuff from the public. All of it gave me the shivers, and through world-building she shows how people bought into the concept and why. It was bloody brilliant! I love how solid her world-building is, and how she can throw curve-balls and make me believe. Fans of the Newsflesh Trilogy will be thrilled at the ride Parasite has to offer. The tale ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, which is typical for Grant. She loves those last few sentences that make the reader scream, and truth be told it makes the anticipation for book two that much sweeter.

Parasite is a brilliant beginning to another creep-tastic duology by Mira Grant. This fangirl cannot wait for book two, and totally recommends it to fans of science-fiction, horror, suspense and dystopians. As one of my favorite authors Mira Grant is on my auto-buy list and is an author I will recommend over and over again. Full review on blog.