“The sores forming with unholy speed on Harley’s arms and legs confirmed the infection was spreading. Its poison surged through her veins with such momentum that she could feel its sting in the current of her pulse. Unrelenting pain seared every cell, and she struggled to maintain focus, despite the fever raging in her blood.” – Viral Storm
Viral Storm continues the story of Casey Williams and her friends attempting to flee the country and expose the evil work of BioGenetics, creators of the virus that spawned the zombie apocalypse. Euthanizing her best friend, who’d been infected with the virus, was the most soul-crushing thing Casey could have imagined, but that was nothing compared to what happens next… Like the first book in the series, Viral Dawn, Viral Storm has gore, violence, and dark themes common in zombie apocalyptic fiction, but the book focuses more on the characters’ lives than other elements. The story centers on strong, young adult female characters as do similar books in female-centered dystopian fiction like The Hunger Games, Twilight, Divergent, and The Year of the Flood. Join Casey as her struggle for survival continues in Viral Storm.
ZombieZone.ca
Enjoyable, well-crafted story that ramps up the tone of the series
I stumbled upon the first book in The Viral Series by Skyler Rankin a couple of months ago. Initially, I was going to pass because it seemed lumped in the YA category and I am not that young, nor an adult … at least according to everyone that knows me. However, with the limited options available in this post-apocalyptic, overrun by the undead world that we live in, I thought I should give it a go.
I’m glad I did.
The first book was a quick read for me because it quickly caught my interest and then held it through to the end. So much so that when the opportunity presented itself to read Viral Storm, book two in the Viral Series, I had to jump on it.
Much like the first, the characters and story quickly drew me in. And much like everything else in life, a change occurs. Good change, but definitely change.
While the first book touched on many themes universal to the zombie literature I’ve read, it did so in some original, relatively light and almost innocent ways.
Viral Storm continues in a similar way … until it doesn’t. Book two takes the story down a little darker and more graphic path, one that may catch some readers off guard. It may even be a little disturbing to some of the younger YA readers but really, compared to some other content I’ve read in the category it’s not too over the top. Just something to be aware of.
Very interesting story with characters that will draw you in, a writing style that makes you feel like you are there and an author willing and able to play with your imagination and emotions with finesse.
I can’t wait to see where we go with book 3!
Viv Drewa 