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.)

Greyalker Series, by Kat Richardson

I've blogged about several of  the Greywalker books in the past.  Overall, I greatly enjoy them and think that many older adolescents would as well.  However, in the last book, Downpour, there is a fairly explicit sex scene (the only one in the entire series) that makes recommending any of the books in the series to adolescents more difficult for me. I expect I'd just warn them that their parents may be disturbed by the content of the last book.  That they shouldn't read it if it's going to get them (or me) in trouble.

With that warning--I'm going to have to say the Downpour was a great read.  Much of the action is set on the Kitsap Peninsula, where my mother lived in the last fifteen years of her life.  I know some of the settings, but am going to have to plan a trip back to Hurricane Ridge and other localities for the summer.  Richardson has certainly piqued my interest in specific camp spots and locations.  For students who are Twilight fan this is also close to La Push (Jacob's home).  There are also, as is usually true, some historical background that got me digging a little into the history of Washington State.

The rest of the books in the series are great paranormal reads, with a minimum of romance and enough substance and inventiveness to keep me reading.  Also on my desk today, about to return to the library, is Poltergeist.  Talk about your science experiments gone wrong! A university professor gets a group together to recreate an experiment in which a group of subjects were able to "create" a poltergeist.  Richardson creates the Pacific Northwest University which was founded by "fire breathing Calvinists."  I can't help but think she's talking about Pacific Lutheran University, where my step brother works.  It adds a layer of interest to the book.

Another interesting bit is that Harper Blaine, the protagonist in the series, has a ferret.  I haven't been drawn to ferrets as pets--but her descriptions of their behaviors make me understand better why someone would want to have one.

I'm done with the series so far---I'm guessing Richardson will have a next book.  I'll be reading it when it is released.   I recommend her website.  http://katrichardson.com/ She has a video with a walking tour of Pioneer Square (where Harper Blaine,  has her office).  Overall I think it's a really interesting site with more to do than I have time!

Underground: A Greywalker Novel, by Kat Richardson (2008)

 As a paranormal detective book this is a little above average.  It draws heavily on the history, geography and urban architecture of Seattle.  Next time I visit the area I'm going to check this book out again and walk off the scenes from Pioneer Square and the downtown area.  The book also has pulled from much of the history, myths and legends of the First Americans in the Northwest.  I haven't studied this set of tales, but Richardson overlays a few of them with other mythical figures/gods/goddesses so that I have something of a sense of their role.  As such, Underground makes a nice companion to my Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan), Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Michael Scott), and American Gods(Neil Gaiman) collections.

The book really called on my abilities to visualize events and settings.  Harper Blaine, the main character, lives between two worlds--our "reality" and the "grey" world of ghosts, spirits and magic.  I had to devote significant mental resources to visualizing the location in Seattle, the "real" people and the overlay of the grey world.  It got easier as I read on and knew more of the themes running through the book.  But, it's a great book to recommend to students who like urban fantasy and have good visual imaginations.  There is a little bit of sex, but nothing graphic.  It's a book I would easily recommend to high school readers. 

I'm out of order in the series.  I had reserved what I thought were the first two books, I started reading before I realized this wasn't the first in the series.  I kept reading (but also checked the library reserve shelf--no joy yet).  I will read others in the series.  I've spent a lot of time in Seattle and enjoy regional stories.  I value this because it digs more into the history both of Seattle and of the Northwest Tribes.  Visit Richardson's website at :  http://katrichardson.com/