While it’s not as well-known as most of the other books I’ve featured on the blog so far, Virals was one of the first YA series that I fell in love with. Written by crime writer and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs—and her son Brendan Reichs later in the series—it’s full of mystery, action, humor, and cool real-world science that adds up to an all around fun summer read.

So let’s dive into it!

Virals by Kathy Reichs Overview

Virals follows Tory Brennan and her three friends Hiram, Ben, and Shelton as they work to solve a cold-case murder—and learn to understand and control the strange powers they unlock along the way.

Tory and her friends live on the isolated Loggerhead Island, where their parents work as scientists at the Loggerhead Island Research Institute. They spend their days exploring the island’s native marshlands.

It’s while they’re out on one of their little adventures that they discover an old dog tag and decide to try to identify the owner. Their light-hearted investigation, however, takes a dark turn when it leads them to an unsolved murder and a top-secret lab hidden in the marsh, where they find and rescue a stray wolf-dog puppy that they name Cooper.

Little do they know that Cooper is infected with a rare strain of canine parvovirus that quickly passes onto them, altering their DNA and giving them wolf-like powers.

The mystery thickens, and it’s not long before danger lurks at every turn as they get on the institute’s bad side. Will they manage to solve the mystery and learn to master the strange new powers that have been unlocked within them? Or will their abilities be discovered, leaving them to become lab rats in the institute’s laboratories?

Personal Thoughts

This is definitely pretty different from most of the other stuff I’ve recommended so far on the blog but, as I mentioned before, this was a favorite of mine when I first started on YA, so I thought it was worth a post. If you’re into action, humor, mystery, and stories about a group of friends going on an apparently-lighthearted adventure together, this is a great book. 

One of the things I liked the most about this book—and the series as a whole—was the dynamics between Tory and her friends. Not only are they funny, but they’re also all a bunch of science nerds and are all smart too, which leads to lots of entertaining interactions. 

Well, that’s about it for this month’s recommendation. I hope that I’ve convinced you to check it out—or, if you’ve already read it, feel free to look into some of the similar titles I’ve listed below. They’re not all YA, because I haven’t read much YA like this book, but they’re worth looking into if you’re interested.

Until next time, happy reading!

Books Similar to Virals

• Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
• Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Glowing Eye by Carolyn Keene
• Also Known As by Robin Benway