Jenn's Review: Seizure

 Summary:  Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack. But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it.

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble . . .  ~blurb


Review:  I love Kathy Reichs novels and I love paranormal YA, so the two things together?  Total no brainer.  Seizure is the second book in Reichs' new Virals series, and while the first one is my favorite, I also enjoyed Seizure.

Many of the reviews for Virals compared it to a modern day Nancy Drew (even I made the comparison (my review)), I think the similarities are far more prevalent here, from the cover to the topic to the plot formula. Not that that is a bad thing, (think of how many lives that series touched!) but it's a good starting point of comparison. Really, it's Goonies meets Nancy Drew with a sci-if twist. It definitely had an old school feel to it with good dose of Kathy Reichs typical quick wit. There are no huge plot twists in this one and even though searching for pirate treasure sounds a little hokey, it was still an entertaining, fast-paced read. At times I was frustrated when pockets of plot exposition slowed things down a little, but the Virals are so smart it's easy to forget they're kids in their early teens... and so is the target audience. With that in mind however, as a Mom I was concerned because Tory was far more reckless in this book. I understand her desperation, but she took some crazy risks, completely disobeyed her father, and broke several laws. While Shelton came off as whiney kill-joy at times, he really was the voice of reason that all the Virals ignored. At the same time I appreciate the fact that without Tory's aggressive impulsiveness, there would have been no story. Were they able to solve things a little too easily and was the tale a little tall? Sure, but it was done beautifully. I also appreciated the brief but relevant Temperance Brennan cameo.


As I mentioned when reviewing Virals, I think this story works for male or female readers (a theory I intend to test on Kids Just Reading soon) even though it's told from Tory's point of view. It helps too that there is no heavy romance foisted on these early teens. I love the concept of this series and I can't wait to see where Reichs and her son Brendan take this. They've made sure to start Tory off young so the series can age with her, which is good. Their isn't anything else out quite like Virals and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Final Take:  4/5