Seizure, by Kathy Reichs

This is Reichs' second YA book in the "Virals" series (and her overall second YA book).  I'm enjoying her efforts.  Reichs' has established herself as an adult author.  Her books have also be the foundation of the TV series Bones.  Both have some rough connections to her own work as a pioneering forensic pathologist.  I would be certain to guide any adolescent reader to her website:  http://kathyreichs.com for career connections. 

The Virals series is a new effort.  There is little of "forensics" in either novel, however the main character is the great niece of Temperance Brennan, the main character in most of her adult novels and the television show.  The series has more of a "crazy science gone wrong" premise.  In the first book the main characters and her "pack" are infected with a virus being researched by a scientist working on the university owned, island research facility where all of their families live and work.

In Seizure, the main character Tory, and her friends/pack are once again navigating a complex teen social scene, their supernatural powers, and a specific mystery (with some additional side-plots such as Tory's father's love life).  My readers know that I value YA books that allow for investigations of a variety of themes/topics.  The center piece of this story is a female pirate, Calico Jack, and her buried treasure. There are opportunities in this book to explore wolf pack behavior, realistic teen life (well--except for the super powers of the Virals), adult-teen relationship complexities (appropriate--not perverse or sexually inappropriate), pirates and privateers, biology of the flora/fauna of the South Carolina coastal region, and the history of Charleston, SC. 

Reichs is a proficient writer and as always tells a good story.  I think her first attempt, Virals, was just a little awkward.  Learning to write for the YA market is not necessarily easy, even for the most proficient adult fiction writers.  This book feels much more like a strong addition to the YA field.  It would not be necessary to read the first book in the series to appreciate this book, but would fill out the background of how these adolescents acquired these mysterious powers.  (And I believe the mysterious powers are a metaphor for the biological changes that adolescents experience and to which they need to come to grips.)

This book would be a nice companion to the Maximum Ride, series by James Patterson.  It offers opportunities to discuss the ethics of science as well as some specific scientific concepts.  (And I trust, better founded in actual science than are the Maximum Ride books.)

Vampirates:Tide of Terror, by Justin Somper

I enjoyed the first book in this series greatly. This second book was somewhat disappointing. At first I thought I was, perhaps, less engaged with the book because I listened to it on CD. But once I turned to the reviews I saw that I am not the only reader who was disappointed. The first book in the series was exciting and pulled you easily into the world of vampire/pirates who were generally good. This book sort of lost its direction by having too many threads to the plot.

I expect there will be some devoted readers of the series--Somper is now up to book number in the series. It's a series I would recommend only to readers who are obsessed with either pirates or vampires--but even so I would be cautious. I try to recommend books that I think are quality literature, even within a fantasy genre. I don't think this really fits.

Somper has tried to work in a mystery--who the Vampirate Captain actually is. I think I know the answer--but am tempted to read the rest of the series to discover the truth. Somper is from the UK and some readers may be able to detect the language and cultural differences. The series appears to be quite popular with kids.