Review: Trace Evidence

Trace Evidence

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy 

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Arrow! 

Check out my reviews for the other books....here! 

Tory and the Virals have proven again and again that no crime is unsolvable when the pack is on the prowl. This amazing collection includes three short stories in print for the very first time, as well as a brand-new, never-before-seen Virals adventure set after the events of Terminal. 

In “Spike,” Tory and her friends must stop a clever saboteur dead set on ruining Kit and Whitney’s wedding day, whatever the costs. Working with Tory’s famous great-aunt Temperance Brennan, these exciting stories give further glimpses into the Virals' world, and show the lengths the pack will go to when there’s a mystery to solve.

Includes Shift, Swipe, Shock, and Spike.

As some of you may remember, I got to review the Virals series and I completely loved it! I'm still hoping Terminal wasn't the last book and that there will be more because I didn't want to leave the characters or the world behind! So it's just as well that there's this handy novella collection, and I loved delving back in to the world! It's a brilliant collection of stories, each short story fills out the world of the Virals even more, filling things in or wrapping things up. Each is fast paced, but still has plenty of detail and complexity to it, as well as being well written. You're thrown straight back in to the world of the book, the novellas are just as funny, just as full of action and cute moments between Ben and Tory *wink wink* 

Shock

Shock is all about when Tory first came to live with Kit, and ya know..the first time she actually met him! It shows her first arriving at Morris Island and first meeting the other Virals, as well as Whitney. It's one of those missing scenes that I'd been curious about, wondering what it was like for her when she first got there, how she first met the boys and so on, and this novella answers everything. Kit and Tory's first meeting was kind of hilarious because it was so damn awkward, typical Kit really! Although he's a lot more collected when we see him in action with a turtle. We get the first impressions Tory had of the boys, some key places from the other books are pointed out to her, and a certain hideout. 

It was interesting to see the three boys interacting before Tory became a part of their group, and seeing what they where like together and so on, as well as seeing how they acted when they first met her and how Tory viewed them all. Tory and Ben from the beginning though...I love those two! 

Shift

Shift is set between book two and book three, and we get Shelton, Ben, Hi, Kit Tory AND Temperances point of view's. You get to see what they all think of each other, and in the boys cases what they thing of being Virals. You get a front row seat to Tory's relationship with Tempe as well as seeing it from the other's POVs. Not to mention seeing what Ben thinks of Tory! There's a mini mystery to solve as someone has broken in to Lab 3 and stolen equipment, and I liked how the mystery had detail to it, but was nicely wrapped up at a perfect pace. 

Swipe

Swipe is set between book three and book four, and the gang are hanging out at Comic Con. I know it's fictional, but I was still jealous, okay! When a Terminator robot thing (I have no idea about Terminator okay, it was a T-800 whatever that means!) is stolen right from the convention floor, the gang has to solve the mystery. I LOVED how the Bones panel was mentioned, I definitely had a chuckle over that! I loved the setting, it was everything I imagined Comic Con to be *ugly sobbing* We get to see Tory and Tempe working together, and I'm struck by how different book Tempe is from show Tempe. We have another detailed mystery, that's fairly complex considering how short it is, neatly wrapped up without being rushed! 

Spike 

Spike is perhaps the most anticipated of the novellas, being that it's set after Terminal! Whitney and Kit are getting married, and someone is truing to sabotage the wedding. I was genuinely surprised at the culprit as well! Talk about pathetic! ANYWAY, we see how everyone is getting on after the events of Terminal, including Chance. I loved seeing Ben and Tory together, and then the bit at the end! SO CUTE YOU GUYS, SO CUTE! The ending is kind of perfect, some things are resolved, but then...there a couple of things left a little bit open, which gives me hope for another book. I will never give up hope for another book! 

Terminal

Terminal
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

The Virals are back and a month after the events of Exposure they're working with Chance, ya know..the same Chance that accidentally infected himself, using his lab connections specifically, to try to work out what exactly has happened to their DNA and what the future holds for their powers, the answer? It will continue developing and ya know it could kill them. 

But it soon becomes apparent that there's another pack of Virals, rogue ones called the Trinity, created by the same strain that infected Chance, one of them is obvious...Chance's partner, but they need to work out who the other two are. Especially as these new Virals aren't exactly friendly...

....it started with warnings. Really specific warnings, and soon it becomes clear that this new group want to be the dominant pack and want Tory's pack gone. They'll stop at nothing to get rid of them. Destroying everything and setting them up to be caught by a shady government agency who has just started coming after them. 

Did I not already mention the shady government people? You know...stealth helicopters? Enquiring about them from acquaintances? Pretty much trying to capture them all to poke and prod at them? No? Yeah well that's happening and the other Virals are determined to turn Tory and the pack over. 

But Chance has been hiding something, a cure for being a viral, and with the net closing in on them from all sides, a shocking revelation later, and a trap gone wrong....Tory and co are going to have to make a very difficult decision.....

Holy shit! This installment though! It was so tense, the entire way through, there was one point where I was holding my breath as I was reading and there was never a moment when I wasn't totally glued to the page, totally engrossed in what was going on, I couldn't put this down for anything, not even eating.

The book starts so incredibly, creepily perfect. We get a mysterious surveillance report, detailing a conversation between Tory and Chance, then the creepy prologue and it's the perfect start to the book to be honest, it sets up the tone for the book, a problem and intense danger both at the same time. This time the stakes are even higher, this isn't them facing a killer or following clues, this is them fighting to not be kidnapped and never seen again, secreted away in a lab and dissected.

This book had an entirely different tone, it was tense from the go, and majorly creepy with the suited guys following them about, the stakes where higher than ever before. It's like a mysterious book, with hints of war in it, because seriously, there where some serious tactics going on in this, and then it was like any alien film or book you've ever read where something alien or different or supernatural is hunted and then locked in a lab to be taken apart. There's no clues, no treasure to follow and find, this is pure survival and it was...well...intense. It's the only word.

I've gotta say, I liked the creepy surveillance reports, it kept the book fresh and it was interesting to see what was going on that they didn't know about, what others knew about them, I mean they talked to Hannah and the Gamemaster and other various people, and it was interesting to see how some of them where doing, what became of them and what they saw that they shouldn't have. The first one reminded you of the events at the end of Exposure, and set the tone like I said, the rest added intrigue and a hell of a lot of it.

One thing I have to note...Madison being nice. I love it. She's on the football team with Tory and wants to be friends, and I enjoy the fact Tory could be about to have another female friend, even though at the end of the book she was kinda keeping her distance because of something Ella did, but still. She didn't even tell the MIB's what she saw, and we all know she saw Tory's eyes. Although her and Jason...didn't see that coming, I still find it a bit weird, and I'm unsure if we'll see less of Jason at this point?

The entire group's dynamics have changed at this point, Chance is working with them, trying to solve how what happened...happened, and what's likely to happen next. None of it good, they might not be done evolving and then they might die. But anyway, Ben and Chance don't really get along, and the gang have trust issues with Chance. As much as I like Chance, I had trust issues with him, I mean when the agents nab them? I sat there for 5 minutes thinking I'd pegged him wrong the entire time, then carried on reading and was like "as if the author just played my emotions that easily!". 

Whitney continues to tick me off, but she slightly redeemed herself in this book. I mean, what annoys me most about her is her making Tory do this cotillion gig, then not even letting her do the project she wants to do, like I said before, I can't stand being forced to do things I'm not down for, and it grates me seeing it happen in the book, especially as Kit goes along with Whitney, oblivious to his own kids discomfort. Like seriously dude? I was so gutted when they announced they where getting married, but then when Kit dropped the moving bomb, Whitney surprised me, it was so...un-Whitney.

This book was a bit of a shocker character wise. Chance said he's in love with Tory, and seeing as I ship them, I was all "awwww" and super excited, Madison, Whitney being surprisingly not stupid for once, but most importantly Ella.

This book had SO MANY twists I did not see coming. SO MANY. Cole. Jason and Madison. Chance.  Ella. Most importantly Ella. I seriously did not see it coming, but I got the most sinking feeling ever at the description of the third member of the Trinity, I just didn't want to believe it. Like wow. She REALLY hated Tory and I was SO gutted, so so gutted. I love their friendship and I love Ella, she's one of my favourite characters! But it was all good in the end, and look at Tory being all forgiving and yeah. I'd be hella mad if things hadn't been resolved but it's all good.

I am, however, still incredibly gutted about the bunker. Like where are they going to meet now?! How could you destroy it?! Nooooooo! It's one of my favourite locations in the book, and always makes me jealous that I don't have one!

There was romance in this book guys, in between the action and danger and shocking twists, subtle romance, but it was there. So like, I ship Chance and Tory, and he said he loved her and she was having some feelings and there was a kiss that was described as waaaaay better than her kiss with Ben, but whatever. My ship sunk. She chose Ben, so don't worry there's no love triangle. I was gutted, especially when Chance was all moving on like 5 seconds later with Ella. But whatever. Ben and Tory are quite cute I suppose. We just need to find Shelton and Hi someone now muahahhaaaa

Terminal is everything I have come to expect from this series, slick, engrossing, action packed, funny, intriguing, fascinating, I learned some cool science things, the book took a different spin than the others keeping it fresh, and it was genuinely enjoyable. The books just keep getting better and better to be honest, there's always a new twist, a new element, a new take, and the virus is ever evolving. The books, Terminal being no exception, are always unpredictable and full of shocking twists you don't see coming, and they always have killer endings.

I've had a prowl on GoodReads, and there's no other book listed. Now things have been wrapped up quite nicely....mostly....if you don't count the fact Tory's eyes where glowing blue at the very end. I'm assuming there's another book, if there is, I'm even more excited, because clearly they aren't as Viral free as they thought, and it's changed or something and who knows what the hell happens next! On the other hand, if this was the last book, then that's cool, it's been wrapped up quite nicely, the blue eyes thing leaves you hanging a bit, but it's also pretty obvious what has happened, and it's equally as fun to imagine for yourself what might happen next, or become of them. It's a strong series, and if this is the end, then it had a strong end, if it's not, then I look forward to another awesome instalment, but I can understand if the series has come to a natural end with no other way forward.

This week has been a bit of a journey and I can't thank the publisher enough for sending me not just Terminal, but the first four books so I could read them all. I've read all the books back to back and been on quite the journey with Tory and her friends, and I was hooked from the first page of the first book, never wanting the adventures to end, and I'm quite sad now I've finished the final book in my possession. It's fast become a favourite series of mine, each book incorporates some element I find intriguing and it's such a fresh series, serious, full of danger, but with some laughs courtesy of Hi and Shelton!

So yeah....Virals week is officially over. Whether this is the end for Tory or not, I'm gonna be re-reading this series for a loooonngg time! 

Code & Exposure

Code
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

The gang is back and things are quite quiet over on Loggerhead, no-ones shooting at them and trying to kill them, but we all know that won't last for long and it doesn't. See Hi has got a new hobby, it's called geocaching, and Hi and the gang find the only geocache located on Loggerhead. The cache contains a mystery box, and inside the mystery box is the start of a game, a very dangerous game.

The gang have to follow the clues to the next locations and it soon becomes apparent that this isn't an innocent  hunt, soon the gang are being put in one impossible position. Follow the rules of the game, win the tasks, find The Danger, or innocents are going to get hurt. They have no choice but to play the game, a game that's trying to kill them and those they love.

Tory and the gang have to solve the puzzles while working against the clock and keeping everything a secret, while trying to hunt down the Gamemaster. But that's not all they have to worry about, Chance is out and free, and he's on to Tory's little secret...the question is...will he work it out?

Okay, so again, this book is different to the first two books, this one was almost like a treasure hunt, but it was more intense, and more serious. The creepy "I'm watching you vibe" was very PLL and the overall vibe was quite junior NCIS or something similar. This book had a whole different levity to it with the consequences if they fail and so on, the stakes where way higher!

We got more of Jason in this book, which was interesting, as we didn't see him much in the first two books, you got loads of him and got to know him a bit better in this book, I'm still curious about him though, he still seems a bit mysterious.

This book gave us what we've all been waiting for as well.....the confirmation that Ben has a thing for Tory which was obvious at one previous point in the book, and it's all like screeching and wooing and omging, because like....FINALLY. It's now a case of what happens next....where will it go? If we do get some romance, I'm certain it's going to be secondary to the main plot, and very subtle, like it has been so far.

We got more of Chance this book as well, I like Chance, I really do, and I spent the whole book praying he wouldn't be a dick, then there was a point when I thought he was and I was like omg no but he wasn't, but he was totally shady for most of the book, and then right at the end of the book I was like dammit Chance, you're gonna be a dick aren't you?! I can't even. I want to know more about Chance, I really do like him, and I slightly ship him with Tory, not gonna lie.
His mole at LIRI is going to be interesting to watch play out as well. I hope he gets found out soon.

Like with the other books, our characters developed more, their bond strengthened...sort of, we saw more locations in the books world, and got a nice vivid image of them, the book was fast paced, just as slick and full of action, and it was incredibly hard to predict what was going to happen next. I always think I've pegged my suspect, or pin pointed what's going to happen next and I'm always wrong, and I love it.

Which is why the plot twist with Ben hit me like a truck. I did not see that coming. I thought the thing he was hiding was his thing for Tory, but no. I'm constantly shocked and surprised by every single plot twist in these books, and this was the worst so far. Like I can't even. I'm wondering how much it's going to change with his relationship with Tory, and how much it'll change the dynamics of the pack. Not to mention what will happen next with Ben himself.

I love how each book has a prologue that draws you in, and this was the creepiest one so far! I also love the little chapters in between the main narrative that are from a different POV, of someone who's a suspect, or from the bad guy, that all add huge amounts of intrigue and a nice dose of creepy.

It was interesting to see how things played out from the second book, everyone is closer, Kit now has an enemy within his own workplace, what things have changed in LIRI, douchey security for example. I quite liked Anders, I hope we see more of him! This book has taught me to be a bit suspicious of new characters, so I was mildly suspicious about him while hoping he was just a normal person haha

Now the suspense and the tension oozed off the page in this book multiple times, half the time it was like a physical thing, and it totally engulfs you. I was on the edge of my seat, nail biting, and generally freaking out when they where doing the challenges, and don't get me started on the scene under the ballroom! Couldn't put it down even if I tried. 

This series gets better and better, each book brings a different element, keeping the series fresh, there was still science in this one but there was a lot of cool puzzles as well. I love how there's still more to learn about their powers, especially with the new source of info they found, and I'm always excited to see where their powers are going to take them, what new ability they'll develop, I mean Tory is all mind reader, mind speak right now and it's so awesome!

I'm very excited to see what happens in the next book, especially after the last chapter!

Exposure
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

It's been 5 months since the events of code, and we join the gang in the midst of the Gamemaster's trial as it's coming to it's conclusion. While the Gamemaster pretty much seals his fate, two of the gang's classmates go missing, twins to be precise. So of course Tory and the gang decide to investigate, I mean....weird, creepy card left as a clue? How could they not. But when they stumble across blood, and lots of it, things get a whole lot more serious...and then when Tory's friend Ella goes missing? Tory becomes hell bent on finding the missing students before anything bad happens. Well...worse than being kidnapped. 

However, they have a bit of a problem. While investigating they have to deal with Ben, who's flaring all the time, in public, and the fact that their flares are becoming are more unstable, to the extent they can't flare without pain at some points or flare without realising. It's getting harder and harder to keep their secret. Which is crappy timing, considering Change is not just suspicious of them...he's on to them. He has a theory and he thinks he's worked out what's going on with them....he's also commissioned some secret project at his new place of work....Candela Pharmaceuticals. 

As the threat of exposure gets higher and higher, the evidence surrounding the students disappearance gets more and more confusing, and when Tory herself is dropped straight in to danger...the Virals are going to have to risk themselves and their secret to save the missing students. 

So in this installment, we jump in 5 months after the little game the psycho master had them playing, and I loved getting to see how it all played out, what happened to the Gamemaster and how the events effected everyone involved, we got to see the previous storyline conclude pretty much perfectly. 

We also got to see how the plot twist from the third book played out, and the answer is, not well for Ben, the gang's kinda fractured when we join them in the book, they aren't a pack and they aren't working well together, Tory and Ben haven't spoken in months and Ben has this weird addiction to the flare almost. I will admit, for the majority of the book, Ben was being kind of a douche, and at points I really wanted to punch him in the face and didn't particularly like him much. I am Team Tory and always on her side, so yeah. But then eventually the gang got back to working well together and fixed themselves and Ben actually came across as quite sweet at one or more points, rather than his usual stoic self, so it was all good. But for a moment I was worried I was about to have issues with one of them! 

I'm beginning to have vibes about Tory, there's a lot unresolved, with her mother's death, and I'm slowly convincing myself it wasn't an accident, and I know it's probably because I watch too many crime shows but still. Also with each new book, Whitney annoys me more and more. As someone who doesn't like being forced to do things, or told what to do, Whitney really grates, as does Tory just taking it and go along with whatever she wants, I'm hoping it'll eventually come to a head and Tory will finally get Whitney to back off and stop trying to make her in to her, because to me, Tory is a strong character, and she seems quite independent at times, and her just going along with Whitney for the rest of her life doesn't mesh with the sense of her that i have as a character. Or ya know....Kit could finally dump her. Whichever. 

An intersting point of this book was that, we didn't have a creepy bad guy POV until we knew who the bad guy was, I was sad, because they're my favourite, but at the same time, it really added more intensity and foreboding and danger to the book as well as intrigue, we did have the creepy first chapter though! More importantly we got the POV of Ben, Shelton and Hi, briefly towards the end, which I liked because it gave you a sense of each character a bit better, and made the whole disappearance thing even more heart pounding, as they raced to put everything together and find her and so on. I don't know, I love Tory and her narrative, but it made it more interesting than just being from Tory's POV and then finding out what the boys did.

I gotta say, I love Hi and Shelton more with each book! They really do crack me up and stop the books from being all dark all the time. I particularly enjoyed how they where all heroes after the events of the third book and even the Tripod decided to creepily be nice to Tory! 

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the boys, really I do, but I LOVE ELLA SO MUCH. Seriously. She's a fantastic addition to the cast, she's the friend Tory needs, and it's so great to see her interact with a female friend who can make the fancy events she's forced to go to less boring. It's great to see Tory finally have someone other than the guys to talk to about stuff, and with the whole Ben thing, I think she's gonna need her. I was so devastated when she was kidnapped, not to mention also slightly gutted cos I started to think she had something to do with it all! These books have taught me to be suspicious of all new characters added to the mix! 

There's less of Jason, but there's more of Chance, and even a little Chance POV to give us an insight in to what he's doing and why, which was interesting, because at one point I really thought he was going to be a huge, "I'll kill you all" crazy person problem, but I can see where he's coming from and his determination to find out what the hell was going on, as can Tory, I think. He's clearly up to something dangerous that he then realised was dangerous and then the ending? Man I'm excited for the next book to see how this plays out, I had my suspicions about the "weird feeling" Tory was getting and it is the ONLY thing in these books I've ever worked out right! But yeah....interesting to see what changes. 

So I always say how I like seeing their powers change and develop rather than being a stagnant thing that they just have, and this book shows how potentially unstable their powers are. Either they where out of whack because of Chance, or Ben's theory was right, or they genuinely are dangerous and could kill them, but it was interesting to see them take a sinister turn. The Flare snapping off randomly, not being able to Flare, intense pain trying to Flare, it's going to be interesting to see what's behind it in the next book and what's going to happen with it next. 

This book, again, had a different vibe to the other books, they where looking for their classmates, while the noose tightened on them from Chance's investigations. It was kinda like a junior Criminal Minds or something, I don't know, but it was cool and a different take to the other books.

The creepy calling cards where suitably creepy, and I will admit, I found all the stuff about the Zodiac really interesting, so interesting I looked it up to check on my star sign, but I'm still narrowly a Pisces! Not sure whether I'm pleased or not to be honest! Speaking of the Zodiac, we see another corner of the world in this book, from the fairy shop to the huge estate with plenty of interesting history to it, I'm always interested to hear what historical tidbit about the area will be revealed!

The ending though...holy wow. It's like a punch in the freaking face. I was literally sitting, totally stunned for a good few minutes. Then I was freaking out and then I was thanking my lucky stars I can move on to the next book straight away. Props to the fans who've had to wait however long after that bombshell. I can't even. So many interesting paths have opened up, I can't wait to see what's going to happen next! 

Virals & Seizure

So guys this is looking to be a Virals week!
Tuesday and Wednesday are still going to be the regular meme days, so TTT and WFW, but on my review days I'm going to be doing the Virals books!
I got asked if I wanted to review the latest book by the publisher, and seeing as I hadn't read the other books....they where kind enough to send me the first four, so I've been trying to work out what to do and this is the plan I came up with! So today I've got the first two books for you!

Virals
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the Publisher

Tory Brennan, the niece of forensic science genius Temperance Brennan, has been sent to live with her father, marine biologist Kit, after the death of her mother. Not only does she have a long lost father, but it turns out he lives on an island off the coast of South Carolina where his work is stationed. Kinda cool huh? Tory and her band of sci-philes pretty much only have each other, what with all the kids at their school being super rich and super snobby.

It's on one of the gangs trips to a neighbouring island that they make a discovery that will change their lives forever. They find a dogtag, and it's the group's determination to find the owner that leads to them breaking in to a lab, rescuing a dog caged for medical testing in an illegal experiment and being exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that gives them.....kinda awesome powers.

Oh, and leads to them finding the skeleton of a girl who's been missing for 30 years. In order to solve the cold case murder, and stay alive while doing it, the gang are going to have to work out how to use the new gifts the virus gave them, heightened senses, animal quick reflexes and so on, because the murderer has a lot to lose if their crime is discovered, and will stop at nothing to make sure the past stays buried.

Okay so, I've never read any of the Bones books, but I do watch the TV series, always have, and so I was squealing at all the references to Tempe and just generally being a fangirl to be honest!

This is a fantastic start to the series, it sets the ground, establishes everything easily and with as much  info as possible without slowing down the pace or sacrificing the plot. I was drawn in from the beginning, how could you not be!?

When reading I constantly wanted to know what happened next, I couldn't put the book down, you're trying to put all the puzzle pieces together along with the gang. I was constantly shocked and surprised, there where so many twists and turns I didn't see coming!

The setting was vivid, I could picture everything, and felt like I was there with the characters, and to be honest I wouldn't mind visiting! The book was written very atmospherically and cinematically, it could totally be a TV series (hint hint). I just loved all the ominous little comments made in the narrative, it kept you reading, and kept you interested.

The narrative was totally engaging, to came across as kind of chatty, helping you start to get to know Tory before anything actually happened! I loved Tory, I connected with her instantly, the book gave me a real feel for her as the story went on. I'm willing to bet her mum's car accident may not have been an actual accident, but then again, maybe I just watch too many episodes of Bones!

Each character was well written with depth and dimensions and you want to know more about them, particularly Ben! You kinda get a feel for him, but he's quite stoic so you're still left wondering. I loved each of the other members of the gang, they're each different, with their own distinctive personality, and I loved everyone, I mean....how can I not?! They all fit together perfectly, they're funny, they're super smart and yeah...they're a great group of characters!

Secondary characters are also well written, Kit, poor clueless Kit, I dislike Whitney, she's annoying and I protest the fact that Whitney is forcing Tory in to doing something she doesn't really wanna do! But yeah...she's irritating. Jason is interesting....it's going to be intriguing to see where the two of them go, and I'm also intrigued by Chance, his life is hinted at, but it would be interesting to see him more! I actually became really attached to the characters in the book!

Virals is action packed, the world sucks you straight in and you're totally engrossed in the book and find it impossible to put it down. There's plenty going on in the book, there's never a dull moment, which is what draws you in as much as the characters.

Virals has this cool blend of science, forensics, crime, mystery, and then like....I'm not sure how to phrase it cos it's kinda science, with the whole DNA merging with theirs, it's kinda like supernatural or fantasy or something, it's this blend of fact and fiction and real and imagined, and it's so well done and so totally awesome. This is like a crime/episode of Cold Case but with a cool twist to liven it up a bit!

Excited to get cracking on the next book!

Seizure

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy 

Source: Copy courtesy of the Publisher!

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.