Saturday 31 May 2014

City of Heavenly Fire

18137193

Book Title: City of Heavenly Fire
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #6
Date Started: May 29th 2014
Date Completed: May 31st 2014
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: Five stars
Review:


City of Heavenly Fire was an awesome end to the Mortal Instruments series, and even though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it impressed me, entertained me and made me genuinely feel upset or scared or angry more than once. It's sad that the series is over, but I'm excited for the next Shadowhunter Chronicles.


'I am coming', Sebastian had said. And now, with tensions between Shadowhunters and Downworlders at its height, Clary and the others must find a way to put a stop to the slaughter of their kind and defeat the new enemy born of an old one. But he hides in a place no mortal has ever returned from, and Clary must put the lives of her friends and family at risk if they are to succeed. But it's too late: Sebastian has come.

Clare has a wonderful flow to her writing, and a humorous twist in the dialogue and narration that makes her style unique. I've always been impressed with her skill to entwine various characters and stories together in one neat bundle, and she didn't disappoint this time. With even more new faces than before, City of Heavenly Fire might seem confusing at times, when considering each character and their journey, but on a technical level it can only really be admired.
In addition, the action in this book was awesome yet again, and I was glad to see some more capability from previously quiet characters, and less arrogance from those more skilled. The trust and maturity built between the characters through the six books is clear and realistic, and I really enjoyed that. It also had me literally laughing out loud several times.

I have to say, the first part of this book didn't have me jumping for joy: it was too full of unnecessary romance for me. I might ship Malec, Heline and Sizzy, but I'm not too huge on Clace, and even so I like stories that aren't centered around love.
Having said that, once everything kicked off, I was hooked and literally couldn't put the book down. The middle part of this book was definitely the best; so much happens. I was on the edge of my seat for the action scenes; really getting into the political side of the story; and puzzling over the family ties and parabatai relationships. I think this world has so many unique elements to it, and that's what really gives Clare something to stand away from the majority of Young Adult Urban Fantasy.
On the other hand, I believe there were some genuinely good twists in the story that weren't really elaborated on enough in my opinion. Though these were little things that I suppose wouldn't have impacted on the story, I am still curious as to why they weren't answered, or if they were simply forgotten.
Moving on to the end of the book, the climax came far too early for me. Although it felt like a big deal, I thought there was going to be more events afterwards since it seemed so early, and then when it was over I was a bit surprised. Because of this I don't think I appreciated it as much as I could have, which is a shame. I was also let down by the (slight spoiler) lack of death and destruction to come from a seemingly unstoppable adversary.
Then, with a good sixty-or-so pages left for the wind down, the story started to drag a little. It didn't get boring to read, it simply just felt strange to have such a long, quiet ending to the story. I'm not entirely sure I liked it, though I can't say I dislike it either. However, despite the annoying fact that the characters really need to learn to move on, I did enjoy Jem and Tessa's appearance and everything drew together nicely at the end. It really does feel like goodbye.

Unique characters have always been Clare's strong point in her stories: her way of showing their development and the relationships built between them mirrors that of real life and gives something relatable for the audience to understand as they go into a truly fantastical world.
Clary and Jace, though sometimes annoying, do make a good pair. I have to say I did get slightly bored of them quite early on, and they didn't really develop through the story as much as I would have liked - but at least they got the ending everyone wanted them to have.
Simon was my favourite character at the start of the series, and I partly remember why now. He's the least selfish of the group and is probably the best person out of them. Character-wise there isn't much room for growing opinions, however we all love him anyway.
Alec is undeniable my favourite character of the whole series, and his sister Isabelle has joined him. The relationships they have with the other characters are by far the most interesting, and each develop as people so much every book. The main reason I love these two characters so much is because they're complicated, and they have lots of different sides: they sometimes make the wrong choices, and sometimes they feel neglected. They're the most human of the cast, in my opinion, and I will never tire of their banter and their loveable personalities and their darker moments.
Magnus was, as ever, fabulous. It was nice to see him around some of the older characters for a change - though Magnus is always moving around different people, seeing how he reacted around a reasonably tight group of people was interesting. And then, everyone loves sarcastic Magnus, but I love and admire wise and old Magnus too.
I've grown to absolutely love Aline Penhallow and Helen Blackthorn during this book, and I really hope they're included in another Shadowhunter series, because I think they're really good characters and have a great story to tell. I also loved the new inclusion of Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn. I think they're both adorable characters in themselves, but they also had a very different impact on the story and have a long way to go in a future series.

Clare's books are always reasonably fast paced with a engaging action scene here and there to keep the reader's attention, but this book impressed me in the way that even the slower, explanation scenes weren't rushed and took their time to allow the reader to understand what was happening. I think this was especially important in this novel since so many strings are tied up to conclude the series.

For fans of Clare's writing, I think this book was a perfect conclusion to the series, and demonstrated just how far the author has come since the first book. The Mortal Instruments is the kind of series where it's important to read the story in order, and I would even recommend getting through the Infernal Devices trilogy before you dive into City of Heavenly Fire, so if you're interested, try the earlier novels, but hold in mind they get far more in-depth and complex.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18137193-city-of-heavenly-fire

Thursday 29 May 2014

Half a King

20726853

Book Title: Half a King
Author: Joe Abercrombie
Series: Shattered Sea #1
Date Started: May 26th 2014
Date Completed: May 29th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Rating: Four stars
Review:

Thanks to HarperVoyager for the Advanced Reader's Copy for review.

I really enjoyed Half a King; being a lover of fantasy, it wasn't hard for me to become fascinated by the history of this new world, and I quickly slipped into the story and was lost pretty early on. Though this book is potentially awesome, for me it lacked that magical spark that sets each fantasy apart from each other and makes them special - however near the end of the book it started to peek through. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series to see that spark really ignite.

Yarvi is the King's son, but he will never been seen as worthy by those around him. But when his father and brother are murdered, and Yarvi forced to take the throne and avenge his family's deaths, he's thrown into the deep depths of war, betrayal and the nature of men.

It’s clear Abercrombie is a fantasy writer right from the start: the old-fashioned phrases and poetic dialogue immediately sets the tone for the world and characters in the novel, and adds to the tense atmosphere.
Something that particularly stuck out to me was the action. It’s common to have the odd battle or two in an epic fantasy book, but rarely are they written in such detail. Abercrombie portrays the movement itself very well, but also the affect that has on the protagonist. Despite the third-person narrative, it was still clear how Yarvi reacted, which consequently made the battle scenes more intense.

The introduction into this world was really good, and little details were being dropped into the story gradually. My favourite part of the book was the world building, because nothing was obvious at the start, but as you went along, you started to understand the history more and more. I hope that the events making Yavri’s world as it is are elaborated on in later books.
Although I was interested in this book very early on, I was completely sold at the first twist. You know a book is good when you have to put it down for a second and just absorb what happened. This occurred about three or four times throughout the whole book, which is really impressive.
The ending to this book was perfect. I mentioned earlier how I only really felt a spark in the story towards the conclusion. What I found so good about the last section of the book was the way it was fast paced at times, but then slowed down to let the reader really understand how everything was being solved. It wasn’t a short-lived ending: while it neatly tied off the necessary strings, it left quite a few more left to be picked up in later books.

Each character in this story was different and grew through the story. Though some were only featured fleetingly, the bonds they made and impressions they left impacted on the story well and keep it driving on.
I didn’t know what to make of Yarvi at first. It was clear he had accepted a life he was happy with, and so when he was forced into one he had been denied and no longer wanted, I did feel sorry for him. The following events enforced that, so by the time it became clear that Yarvi was a good leader and strived for what was honourable, I was on his side. And then Yarvi started making bad choices, and acting like the King he never wanted to be. And now, once again, I’m not quite sure what to make of him. And that makes it very exciting for the next book.

I fell into Yarvi’s world very quickly from the beginning, and found when I started reading, I couldn’t really stop for quite a while. This did, however, wear off a little throughout the novel. The pacing itself was gradual, and while this built up tension for the climax, wasn’t all that interesting during the actual reading process. But, having said that, sometimes still kept me gripped to keep reading numerous chapters at a time.

Half a King is a great in-depth fantasy for Young Adults, but also for older ages as well. Whether you're a fantasy-fan or are just starting off, this epic adventure is brilliantly written and crafted for the reader, and there's so much further the story is going to go.


Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20726853-half-a-king

Monday 26 May 2014

Howl's Moving Castle

15863391

Book Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Series: Howl's Moving Castle #1
Date Started: May 23rd 2014
Date Completed: May 26th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:

Howl's Moving Castle is a stunning tale of magic, adventure and friendship and, although it wasn't how I remembered it, the story still gripped me and surprised me through its twists and turns. I'm excited to continue the story in the sequels and see where the moving castle moves to next.

Sophie is the eldest of three, so she'll never amount to much. Instead, she'll spend the rest of her days working in her family's hat shop. At least, that's what Sophie thought, until the Witch of the Waste walked into her shop and cursed her with a creaking back, aching bones and a fierce temper. Accepting her fate as an old woman, Sophie ventures out into the world and finds herself in the Howl's moving castle. But Howl eating up her heart isn't the only thing she has to worry about: there's a fire demon waiting for her to break his contract, and a dangerous battle between the two magicians Sophie is caught between looming close overhead.

The writing was really humorous, which was something I really enjoyed, as I isn't often I find an author who can make me smile both through narrative and dialogue. What made it so effective was the fact that everything was just so ridiculous, and Sophie was the only one who could really see that, and expressed it in such an exaggerated way, yet still seemed real.
Another clever element in the book was the opinions given through the text to influence the story. Though the novel is told in third-person, it follows Sophie closely, and lets the reader know her mood and reactions quite clearly through descriptions, as well as her behaviour.

There's so many genres mixed together in Howl's Moving Castle: fantasy, mystery, adventure. Though the fantasy and adventure sides are clearly more enforced, the subtlety of the mystery really impressed me. Though it might not be noticeable at first glance, there's hints being dropped on the story and the connections between characters throughout the entire book. Consequently, the story seems like a collection of little events happening separately from each other, when really they're all tied very closely together.
The little nods to the real world were perfectly done, in my opinion. I think it's risky blending the real world, and a high fantasy one together, because there's the chance that the realism could crash and burn. However, Wynne Jones managed to present the modern world we know sneakily. It was also very interesting to see how the characters from the fantasy world reacted, since they live in a world where magic is constantly around them, and yet our strange objects still puzzle them.
Finally, the ending to the book was a perfect way to finish. Whilst being exciting, fast-paced and heart-warming, the conclusions wrapped up all the loose ends presented through the book and explained other theories I had concocted while reading. It was the ending I was waiting for, yet it still surprised me.

I had a real affection for the characters in this book; though they were wicked, and irritating, and at times very cruel, they all had their loveable sides - as is common in children's books. I think they were perfectly constructed, as were the relationships between them.
Sophie was an amazing protagonist. It was great to have a very different character leading the story, and the fact that she was always trying to do the good thing, but often made matters much worse, was relatable and realistic. Furthermore, the development she went through, from her timid and accepting little self, to the strong-willed, stubborn heroine grew slowly but definitely and brought out the characters of everyone around her, as well as her own.
I love Howl, because he really is a stupid coward who doesn't know how to handle his life. Before we meet him, we're given all these opinions and rumours, and the fact that quite a lot of them are true when Sophie meets him was a great twist to the story. Also, the journey Howl himself goes on is extremely subtle, but actually makes a huge impact on the plot.
Calcifer and Michael were both lovely characters that, again, added to the story. It was important that Sophie had something keeping her with Howl and the castle, and their friendships gave her the conflicts she needed to get riled up and teach Howl a lesson or two.

Though the pace of this novel might be lacking in some places, it does have purpose: the slow development adds to the atmosphere and really emphasises just how far the story has come from beginning to end.

I would recommend Howl's Moving Castle to anyone who enjoys old-fashioned fantasy and fairytales. There's a classic feel to Wynne Jones' story, and a solid plot to enthral any age. It's easy to get lost in Howl's world, and likely to make the reader want their own little door that could open onto anywhere.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863391-howl-s-moving-castle

Saturday 24 May 2014

The Spiderwick Chronicles

6352688

Book Title: The Spiderwick Chronicles
Author: Tony Diterlizzi & Holly Black
Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles #1-5
Date Started: May 19th 2014
Date Completed: May 22nd 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: Five stars
Review:

The first proper fantasy (except fairytales) I ever read was The Spiderwick Chronicles, and it introduced me to my favourite genre, so revisiting the series a few years later was a bit daunting, in case it wasn't quite as magical through more experienced eyes. But I didn't have anything to worry about, and the Grace children's adventure continues to be one of the most influential stories I've ever read.

The creepy new house in the middle of nowhere was not what Jared, his twin Simon and big-sister Mallory were expecting when their great aunt offered to house them and their mother after their father walked out. But scratching inside the walls and a mysterious hidden library is not all that's odd about their new home: possessions are disappearing and strange rhyming notes are being left for the children; and when Jared finds an old book written by his great aunt's father containing details on faeries and other magical creatures, bad things start to happen around him, and he starts to regret ever turning the first page.

The writing is great, especially for a dually-written novel: in my experience, when two people are creating a story, it sometimes becomes hard to combine the writing styles into a good-flowing narrative. However, Black and Diterlizzi do so amazingly.
Furthermore, the descriptions are wonderful - something that's especially important in such a fantasy novel where the reader is constantly introduced to creatures and objects that they would never even have dreamed of before. The words really bring everything in the story to life, and creates an atmosphere that reflects the story perfectly.
Another thing I should mention are the illustrations: Diterlizzi is not only a talented artist, but also presents an amazing array of creations to the reader through his pictures, that develop the story even further and help emphasise the imagery to really make the magical creatures real.

The Spiderwick world is unlike any other: it introduces the reader to a completely different, curious, vivid fantasy world that I wouldn't mind existing in my back garden. The way everything was woven into the modern world made everything more believable and let me really understand what the Grace children were going through.
The plot itself is beautifully original and different, though it may come from the typical origins of a character moving to a new house and discovering something amazing. Though the first two books are fairly reserved in explaining the world and situation to the reader, the third and fourth start to explore the greater reaches of this fantasy, and the fifth just tears down everything you thought was real and replaces it with a new, beautifully terrifying idea of the world.
The main thing that I don't think I noticed when I was younger, was the mix of genres used in the book. Though the fantasy element clearly sticks out, there were a lot of contemporary issues that balanced out to make the story relatable for readers. Though the biggest of these was the separation of the children's parents, the relationships between the siblings themselves and how they developed was also really important for the story because it created another conflict for Jared and his brother and sister between the real world and the one they had discovered.

I don't think I've ever read such believable and developed characters in a children's book before. The children really do start off not trusting or believing each other, and even when they're shown the truth, they deny it, or look for other explanations, because that's probably what anyone would do in that situation.
Jared is one of the best protagonists I've ever read: he's not a 'bad' kid, but he does things that might put him in that category. The way we're introduced to Jared makes us feel sorry for him, and believe him straight away, yet we can still see all the attitudes other people have towards him despite the fact that he's rarely to blame. This depth isn't really written about much, and even less often from a character of a younger age, so this by itself was enough to make me love the book. But then there's the courage and stubbornness Jared has to do what's right and protect his family that continues through the whole book, that was also just amazing.
Mallory probably developed the most through the story, because she doesn't get on with her little brother at the start. You can still tell that she cares about him, but she blames him for things that have happened, maybe because she's the older sister of two twin brothers, so she feels a little isolated. But as the story goes on, she starts to realise what she has to do to look after her brothers, and herself. Plus, Mallory has a sword - and who doesn't love a kick-ass sword-wielding heroine?
Simon is the sweet, demure one of the Grace kids. He looks after the animals, he always wants to do what's right and sometimes doesn't know how - again a very realistic portrayal of a young kid. I partly love Simon because he's almost the opposite of Jared, yet they still have a really close relationship.

The pace was perfect in this series. Since each book is very short (and I happen to have a bind-up for all five), I read the whole series in one go, and I think it let me get into the story a lot more. Although the pacing is good in the context that there's always something important happening, it becomes a bit hard to get into the world as each book is only around a hundred pages long and the pauses in between each story lets you forget some details. However, marathoning the whole lot let me get into the story as if it was one big book, which made the development from the plot and characters even more obvious.

I would recommend The Spiderwick Chronicles to everyone, because this series can enchant anyone, no matter what age you are, or if you've read a lot of fantasy before. It's a beautifully diverse, fantastical, exciting adventure for anyone and it takes the reader on an amazing journey that doesn't quite leave you the same afterwards.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6352688-the-spiderwick-chronicles

Friday 16 May 2014

The Undrowned Child

7022371

Book Title: The Undrowned Child
Author: Michelle Lovric
Series: The Undrowned Child #1
Date Started: May 12th 2014
Date Completed: May 16th 2014
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Historical, Romance
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I began secondary school, five years ago, reading this book. And now, as my final exams are in progress, I wanted nice reread, and this book seemed the perfect end to my secondary school career. When I began, I was scared that the book wouldn't be as amazing as I had found it years ago, but it had me captivated from the beginning. It was even more magical than I remember.

Teo has felt drawn to Venice her whole life, but when her trip starts as mysterious volume with a moving picture on the cover falls on her head, she predicts that her visit might not be what she expected. Soon after, she is overcome with terrible headaches and sent to a local hospital. But when she wakes up in the middle of the night to a grotesque moving statue she's thrown into a world full of fateful curses, ancient conflicts, slang-speaking mermaids, and discovers the secrets that have tied her to the floating city since she was born.

The writing in this story was absolutely stunning. I've always been a fan of beautiful description, so this book was always going to be a favourite of mine. However, not only the imagery was amazing: the exploration of this alternate history is a hard task for anyone creating their own world, especially one as vivid as this. But Lovric expertly navigates through her descriptions and releases parts of this magical world bit by bit through the novel so there's always something new to learn.
Another point worth mentioning is Lovric's perfect impression of the enchanting floating city itself. Venice has always been a wonderful place, but it really comes to life when Lovric paints it.

The plot of The Undrowned Child takes the basis of everyday adventure, fantasy stories and turns it into something different and darker. For a children's story, it really takes a creepy twist on history. These twists and turns occur throughout the whole book, and by the end the reader has been introduced to an entirely transformed world, from where there had first been a reasonably similar historical Venice to the one we know today.
There was more romance in the story than I remembered, yet Lovric still wrote it with a beautiful subtlety and sweetness that only really exists in stories intended for younger ages.

Something I love about the characters in this book are their ability to be both capable and intelligent, and also vulnerable and unsure at the same time. Too often in books, especially ones aimed at younger ages, characters are one-dimensional in the way that they are always sure of themselves, or always unsure. The way the people in this book slip between the two makes them far more realistic and is something I think should real bye more common in children's books.
Teodora was a perfect heroin because she embodied all the elements that the whole book is about: book loving; awe of the unknown and magical; an innocent desire to just explore and learn. She's brave, but she's scared at the same time, and she's adamant to do the right thing. She also accepts that for this to happen, she has to do things she doesn't want to do and accept things that never seemed real to her before. I also loved the ideas of the ability to see people's speech above their heads and to read other people's hearts.
Renzo was also amazing, especially because of his character development. We first see Renzo portrayed as an arrogant, somewhat posh Venetian who looks down on those not as clever as him. Yet by the end he has real feelings for Teo, and has learnt a lot about not judging people and how he doesn't need to always know everything to seem powerful. Again, I think it's an important message for a children's story.

I feel in love with this book very early on, even though the plot is a little slow to start off. It was the beautiful writing that had be immersed in the story and the world. Although the pace became slightly stuttering towards the end, for the majority of the novel the story is always growing and heading somewhere.

Although this novel is really a children's book, I think it can enchant any age. It mixes together the dark edges of old fashioned fairy tales with a completely new and magical plot, while taking the read on a massive adventure with the characters.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7022371-the-undrowned-child

Wednesday 7 May 2014

The Winner's Curse

19415228

Book Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Date Started: May 5th 2014
Date Completed: May 7th 2014
Genres: Romance, Adventure, Action
Rating: Five stars
Review:

The Winner's Curse has been getting a lot of hype on booktube recently, and though it's not the typical genre I would be interested in, the recommendations intrigued me and finally attracted me to read it. I have very glad I did.

Kestrel is the general's daughter, and as such is expected to be a solider. But despite her strategist's talents, she despises the idea of war. Then, when she visits the market and impulsively purchases a Herrani slave, her options become more complicated, and the fragile trust built with the boy she can never be with is shattered in betrayal.

Rutkoski's writing is so easy to get lost in. It's rare that I read a book and deliberately slow down to enjoy the story and writing and avoid the inevitable last pages. The flow of words was so natural that I didn't even notice until finishing the book how hard it had been to put it down.
Another thing the author does very well is to create such genuine characters: the cleverness and sly nature of the people in this book surprised me, and convinced me that Rutkoski herself must be quite like her characters to be able to portray them as she does.

The first thing that grabbed me about this book was the fantasy-style world it is set in. Although there is no fantastical element in the story itself, the historical, exotic kind of setting let me slip into the story much faster, as I've always loved those places.
A brilliant element was the politics involved in the story. It was unavoidable when having a plot involving slaves and a recent war to not have some slivers of politics in the book, but having the main character almost at the heart of the military really brought out a chance to explain and explore what this society had gone through. I thought this was really key in setting up the reader for what happens throughout the book, and added a nice part to make my mind work as I was enjoying the main story.
The gradual development on the love was one of the biggest successes of the book for me. I'm always dubious, when reading a romance novel, at how easy it is for the romance to overpower the rest of the story, but actually the balance was perfect. It was great how the trust between the two characters improved and then get worse, then better and then was shattered, and then grown again etc. It was realistic and enjoyable and I loved it.
The ending wasn't at all what I expected it to be, and that was partly what made it so amazing. I was really happy that The Winner's Curse was it's own book, but will be followed by two sequels, because the story has so much further to go.

The characters in this book were realistic, had completely understandable and relatable emotions and developed incredibly over the course of actually quite a short book.
Kestrel was such an amazing protagonist. I connected with her almost instantly, despite her situation being very different a lot of other stories. I loved her torn choices between the way she has been brought up and her own culture, and then what she actually wanted. But, by far her best quality, was the fact that she was adamant she didn't want to fight and was still an incredibly strong character. It shoved the female stereotypes even further back with a character that wasn't kick-ass still wouldn't let anyone push her around.
Arin was another amazing character because he had so many different sides, some good, some bad and was realistic and wonderful and lovely and I think I have a new favourite male interest.

The pace was perfect for me as the development grew gradually. Rutkoski wasn't afraid to take her time with the story and the balance between action, romance, politics and climaxes was well thought-through.

I would recommend The Winner's Curse to anyone who enjoys romance, but also anyone who appreciates character development and fantasy-style politics amongst other plot lines. I loved the whole book, despite the main genre being romance, because it's very well written and developed.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19415228-the-winner-s-curse

Sunday 4 May 2014

Exposure

17999135

Book Title: Exposure
Author: Kathy Reichs & Brendan Reichs
Series: Virals #4
Date Started: May 2nd 2014
Date Completed: May 4th 2014
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: Five stars
Review:

Exposure was a new level of the Virals novels for me, and I enjoyed the development of the plot and characters, as well as the adventure they had in both this book, and their continuing story in the series.

After the shuddering events of the last few months, the Virals pack is split; Ben expelled from Tory's trust after his part in the Gamemaster's scheme. But when their powers start to become unpredictable and dangerous, and they're thrown into solving the disappearance of two school students, Tory and her friends are forced to rejoin and overlook their disputes to keep their abilities hidden.

Reichs' writing has always been great, though the scientific explanations can get a little confusing at times. However, this really adds to the story and the realism throughout - and can be fascinating. I also love all the geeky references and sarcastic comments that brought out the characters.

The story started off with a little too much about the previous book, especially when it impacted on the plot with all the court sessions. It ended up not really impacting this story, so dragged out the beginning a little bit for me - though I do understand it would have been hard to develop some parts of the story without it.
On the other hand, when things kicked off, I thought there was a really good balance between the mystery, sic-fi and relationship sides to the story. Even though I would have liked a little more action, the combination of all the troubles the group was going through really made the characters sort out their priorities and showed a few sides to them we haven't experienced before.
I also enjoyed the new relationships that have finally emerged. Right from the beginning, Reichs includes some realistic emotions from loads of characters about what happened in the past book and how they're dealing with that - the conflicts Tory was facing particularly stood out to me. And, after a long time coming, we finally get a adorable little romance. Though the down side of this is that the 'everyone is in love with Tory' element was unrealistic and irritating at times.
But that ending I was not expecting and the whole Virals universe is going to be turned upside down for the next book and I can't wait.

I love the characters of this series, even though they sometimes don't understand the gravity of the situations they get into. They're definitely the kind of people I would be friends with in real life, which helps me care what happens to them very quickly.
Tory is a completely awesome heroine, who won't let anyone push her around and entirely owns the fact that she leads the group and is often the one the boys turn to when they're in a sticky situation. Although her age of fourteen might be slightly unrealistic when thinking about her advanced intellect, Tory accepts the balance of the girly situations her dad's girlfriend pushes her into, and the forensic science she's so passionate about. She's just an amazing character.
Ben has always been my favourite out of the Virals, and I grew to love him even more in this book. Even after his past mistakes, Ben tries his hardest to make amends, even though he hides it pretty well to keep up his reputation.
I'm probably most like Hi overall, so I always love his sarcastic comments and obsession of geeky things. And then Shelton is the computer genius that the group couldn't live without, as well as the sweetheart.
I really liked the development of Chance in this book. It's been coming from a long time, but now he's actually put his foot down and won't let Tory and the group slip away from his suspicions. He can really be scary, and I think poses a real threat to the group. I'm also really impressed by how far his character has come to now be in this position, as well.

The pacing was spot-on, as usual. We're thrown in pretty much from the start, and something important happens in every single chapter from then on: whether it's cleverly explained plot details, action scenes or sarcastic comments thrown at Tory's stubbornness, there's always something going on and driving the plot forward steadily.

I would recommend Exposure to any fans of mystery, as there really isn't enough in the Young Adult market at the moment. The great thing about the Virals books is that each one is enjoyable on their own without feeling forced to read the series, though they work really well together and things are starting to play off previous events more and more. It's got great characters, awesome action and funny references throughout the whole thing.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17999135-exposure