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yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Ms. Riechs, really wrote an intelligent YA novel. The characters are teens and take teen chances, being invincible and all that, weren't we all ? They are friends with all their flaws and drama involved in a normal life. The story takes place in South Carolina and it's islands. They live a life on the outside of the privileged, living in a remote area with their families.They follow a wolf dog pack on one of the research islands, and search when a pup disappears. This leads them to breaking into a lab to save the pup from terrible experiments, unlawful ones and the being of their new existence. This course of action will change everything for them and drags them into some horrible revelations.
This is a YA mystery/sci-fy book, there is no smut, no romance, it is just a really good story. The main character was 14 and was worried about real life issues not who her love interest was. I enjoyed it very much and it was a quick read. I am not a fan of her adult books too many details.
This is a YA mystery/sci-fy book, there is no smut, no romance, it is just a really good story. The main character was 14 and was worried about real life issues not who her love interest was. I enjoyed it very much and it was a quick read. I am not a fan of her adult books too many details.
sarahp85's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 more than 3 stars. Really enjoyed it. It was like Enid Blytons the 5 series but then in a YA way
bookph1le's review
3.0
I have really mixed feelings about this book. I haven't read any of the Bones books--yet--but I am a fan of the series, which is what led me to pick this book up in the first place. Still, I have no real basis for comparing this series to the Bones books, so I won't attempt to do so. Instead, I'll review it on its own merits. Some spoilers to follow.
At first, I thought seriously about adding this book to my DNF pile. I really didn't like the writing style as the constantly fragmented sentences irritated me. I don't know if this was an attempt to make the book seem young adult, but I think the book was better when the sentence fragments were minimized. Of course, this is a personal preference, but I just felt the structure made the book feel too much like shorthand at times.
I didn't really like the way the villains played out in this book. There was an element of the old Scooby Do "And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" Karsten, who is the villain for most of the book, has an abrupt change of heart that I would have found more convincing had it developed a bit more slowly over time. And the real villain was unfathomably stupid in a lot of respects, which was another thing I couldn't credit. I'd think someone who'd successfully covered up a crime for forty years would be better at finding ways of cleaning up the mess when his involvement threatens to come to light.
There was also a big math fail for me when it came to Chance Claybourne and his father. I estimated that Hollis would have had to have been around 48 when he had Chance. It's feasible, but it does make some aspects of the novel questionable, and I wonder if this was considered thoroughly when the book was in edits.
As for the characters, I thought they were okay. Tory, however, needs to get over her bad habit of constantly name-dropping her aunt in a variety of situations. It feels cheap, like it's a crassly commercial effort to capitalize on the popularity of an entirely unrelated franchise. The other characters aren't all that developed and can be more or less boiled down to their particular attributes: the tech geek, the science geek, etc. This is a problem that could improve over time, given that this is a series, so I am inclined to give the author the benefit of the doubt here. There are hints that there are other underlying story lines being set up.
What I really liked about this story, and what ultimately convinced me to give this three stars rather than two, is the concept. I feel I'd have to read more in the series before I could make a firm judgement, but the idea of them becoming virals and using their powers to solve crimes is an intriguing concept to me. I'm not much of a fan of vampire and werewolf novels, but I find that I do enjoy books about exactly these types of creatures when there is a pseudo-science viral explanation offered (I Am Legend, this series, Justin Cronin's books). Go figure. At any rate, I'd be interested in seeing what the characters do with their newfound powers and whether the series matures.
At first, I thought seriously about adding this book to my DNF pile. I really didn't like the writing style as the constantly fragmented sentences irritated me. I don't know if this was an attempt to make the book seem young adult, but I think the book was better when the sentence fragments were minimized. Of course, this is a personal preference, but I just felt the structure made the book feel too much like shorthand at times.
I didn't really like the way the villains played out in this book. There was an element of the old Scooby Do "And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" Karsten, who is the villain for most of the book, has an abrupt change of heart that I would have found more convincing had it developed a bit more slowly over time. And the real villain was unfathomably stupid in a lot of respects, which was another thing I couldn't credit. I'd think someone who'd successfully covered up a crime for forty years would be better at finding ways of cleaning up the mess when his involvement threatens to come to light.
There was also a big math fail for me when it came to Chance Claybourne and his father. I estimated that Hollis would have had to have been around 48 when he had Chance. It's feasible, but it does make some aspects of the novel questionable, and I wonder if this was considered thoroughly when the book was in edits.
As for the characters, I thought they were okay. Tory, however, needs to get over her bad habit of constantly name-dropping her aunt in a variety of situations. It feels cheap, like it's a crassly commercial effort to capitalize on the popularity of an entirely unrelated franchise. The other characters aren't all that developed and can be more or less boiled down to their particular attributes: the tech geek, the science geek, etc. This is a problem that could improve over time, given that this is a series, so I am inclined to give the author the benefit of the doubt here. There are hints that there are other underlying story lines being set up.
What I really liked about this story, and what ultimately convinced me to give this three stars rather than two, is the concept. I feel I'd have to read more in the series before I could make a firm judgement, but the idea of them becoming virals and using their powers to solve crimes is an intriguing concept to me. I'm not much of a fan of vampire and werewolf novels, but I find that I do enjoy books about exactly these types of creatures when there is a pseudo-science viral explanation offered (I Am Legend, this series, Justin Cronin's books). Go figure. At any rate, I'd be interested in seeing what the characters do with their newfound powers and whether the series matures.
lookeeitsmc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Good YA fun! Kathy Reichs through and through
hopefully86's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emmaswain37's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
jenn_the_unicorn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
holly_keimig's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't sure what to expect from Kathy Reich's first foray into teen literature. I was pleasantly surprised. Aside from the fact that Reichs is my favorite author and I am usually a bit biased in my love for anything she writes, I was skeptical about the science fiction aspect of the novel but it was well done and added to the heart-pounding mystery story. Tory Brennan is convincing as a main character and heroine and it is nice to see a female leading around a "pack" of her teenage boy friends. This book is great for fans of her work or for a good light introduction to her style of mystery writing. It is a fast read even though it is 454 pages. I will definitely read Seizure (the sequel) soon. Age-wise this book is good for teens but has enough action and interesting plot to keep adults engaged too. I recommend it! :)
icalyn_13's review against another edition
3.0
A bit slow to start, but kept me guessing to the end. Will absolutely read book #2 of the series.
day_fisher's review against another edition
4.0
A classic YA novel with a 'I'm not like the other girls' main character who gets into trouble and avoids the debutante Southern expectations. But do I like this type of book? Yes! It's very easy to get into and an easy read and I would happily watch it if it was a tv show (think Outer Banks vibes). Looking forward to reading more.