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!