Blog Tour: Viral Nation

After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.

Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.

When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined? and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.

Viral Nation is a book that I felt came at the right time and was able to catch my attention in the right way. Being interested in the cover, the synopsis, and overall the whole book, Shaunta Grimes was already making her way to becoming one of my new favorite authors.

I think the plot is what grabbed my attention most. Finding out that the reader was following an autistic girl who would find out a secret that was key to the disease that everyone was facing is something I felt was going to bring some suspense and boy did it do that. I felt that the idea of one corporation being in charge of everyone is a repeated topic; this one brought some originality through it all. I felt that I was able to connect with the story in some ways and that made falling in love with the book easier.

I think what made this book special was how the character was autistic. I felt that having this character the way she was showed how children with autism are indeed special and although they may be different from other children, they are still important and they could most likely bring something to this world that we are in dire need of. In going to Clover, I think she is one of the most special characters that I have read recently and I could not help but fall in love with her.  I feel that the friends and bonds she makes and the secret she uncovers help bridge the story together and is able to turn this book into a masterpiece.

The romance in this book is something I felt was not overly exaggerated but had just enough flare to keep the reader interested. I feel that the romance was adorable and I hope that we are able to see it expand in the upcoming book. I feel that the romance between two of the characters might prove difficult in the sense that it could halter them when deciding on an outcome but I feel that these two characters have the strength to push past the harshness of the world.

Overall Shaunta Grimes captured me with her first installment of the Viral Nation series and I highly recommend this book to any reader looking for a dystopian sci-fi with a kick ass heroine. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for any upcoming releases from this author.

I give this book 4 bites!