{my thoughts} - This book is based on the lives of Clover and West Donavon. They are both young teenagers that had survived the virus that had killed many worldwide. Out of sheer luck a scientist had discovered a portal that would take him two years into the future. While he was there he stole a vial of the suppressant that would be used to cure the virus and took it back in time to his original timeline.

Clover is a autistic girl with a dog named Mango that helps to calm her when things get rough. She loves to read and can remember nearly everything she sees. She is accepted into the Academy and attends the interview at which point she is denied admission.

Her brother West is working for the farms and when he hears Clover will be at the Academy he applies to work for the Guard. He figures since she will be taken care of at the Academy he could get on with his life. Neither of them had any idea what the future held for them.

This book is thought provoking, it is about time travel and very well written. I found it extremely difficult to put this book down and was up well into the night reading it. All I can say is when is book two coming out? I want to know what is to come of these characters in the future.

{reason for reading} - I received a copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review. ( )

{my thoughts} - This book is based on the lives of Clover and West Donavon. They are both young teenagers that had survived the virus that had killed many worldwide. Out of sheer luck a scientist had discovered a portal that would take him two years into the future. While he was there he stole a vial of the suppressant that would be used to cure the virus and took it back in time to his original timeline.

Clover is a autistic girl with a dog named Mango that helps to calm her when things get rough. She loves to read and can remember nearly everything she sees. She is accepted into the Academy and attends the interview at which point she is denied admission.

Her brother West is working for the farms and when he hears Clover will be at the Academy he applies to work for the Guard. He figures since she will be taken care of at the Academy he could get on with his life. Neither of them had any idea what the future held for them.

This book is thought provoking, it is about time travel and very well written. I found it extremely difficult to put this book down and was up well into the night reading it. All I can say is when is book two coming out? I want to know what is to come of these characters in the future.

{reason for reading} - I received a copy of this book from netgalley in return for an honest review. ( )

Interesting dystopian tale that portrays the female protagonist who has autism extremely well. In fact her being so is a key part of the plot and the author does a great job of making her thought and behavior patterns accurate. The plot is solid and the action and tension well laid out. ( )

Viral Nation takes place in a world where most of the population has been obliterated by an unnamed virus. America now exists under a sort of benevolent totalitarianism. Crime is dealt with swiftly and harshly, so there is very little of it, at least not anywhere people seem to care about. The justice system is a lot like the one in [b:The Minority Report|65018|Minority Report|Philip K. Dick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170626052s/65018.jpg|63086], except that instead of using a team of psychics to predict when crimes will occur, "Time Mariners" retrieve information from the future via a temporal gateway, and (theoretically) crimes are dealt with before they happen.

At the heart of the story is Clover Donovan, an autistic sixteen year-old girl who is cared for by her brother while their father works away from home (their mother died of the virus when Clover was an infant.) Clover is the best thing about the book, at least for the first half or so. I felt she was portrayed well by the author--realistic and likeable, even if she isn't always nice (although this is usually because she has trouble recognizing social cues and often misspeaks.) That's until her condition is revealed to be a gimmick which is never explained, and which comes off as a patronizing attempt to make autistic people feel special. We're eventually told that only autistics can travel through the time portal. At first I thought this meant that only they could cope with it mentally, but it turns out that only they can literally pass through it at all. Anyone else is held back, even somehow being pushed through and out of the submarine craft they travel in. So, only autistic people and objects can pass through? ...okay.

I thought the story was great in the beginning, but as I neared the end I came to like it less and less. It became obvious that there was no way the story was going to be completed by the end of the book. That revolution mentioned in the summary? It doesn't even get started until the last few chapters. Yes, I know it says "first in a new series" clearly on the front cover, but there is no kind of closure at all. Novels are not a serial medium. If you want to do that, write comics. I feel like I've gotten nothing out of reading this. Will I be rewarded in the second installment, or will I have to wait for the third? ( )

It was a plague. It was the plague that wiped out most of the world's population. The United States is now fifty, small, walled cities, under the protection of the U.S. government and Waverly-Stead Company. Waverly-Stead saved everyone. Ned Waverly found a portal to two years in the future and from there brought back the cure. John Stead created it. Together they gave it to everyone and the world began again. It's a simple thing to stop by a corporate facility and get your daily booster shot; everyone even has ports implanted in the back of their necks so they don't need to suffer the pain of a needle.

Clover Donovan wants nothing more than to go to Waverly-Stead Academy. She's got the grades, she just has to make it through the interview. When the Academy meets her and her service dog, and realizes she's autistic, suddenly they don't want her anymore. But that's okay, because something bigger is waiting for Clover. She gets recruited by the Company to be one of those who travels through the portal to retrieve news and information. She'll get more money, more rations, and maybe she and her brother West can live a more comfortable life.

But things are not as simple as they seem. On a trip to the future, someone she's just met in the present gives Clover something to read. It's a zine and it tells her more than she ever knew about the Company and what they're really doing. Then the future brings bad, bad news for West and he, Clover, and their friends flee the walled town of Reno looking for the truth.

I adored this book. I read far later into the night than I should have while reading it. Clover, West, and their friends kept me interested, as did the plot and various subplots running through the story.

Regarding Autism and Autistic characters: I don't personally know anyone on the spectrum so I can't say for sure if the writing about Autism was accurate, but it was respectful and felt very real to me.

(ARC provided by publisher) ( )

My Opinion: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

Clover is a high functioning autistic 16 year old girl living in a very difficult world. After a virus wipes out most of the world's population, the remaining citizens live in walled cities and make do with little food and really, little everything. Her brother, West, takes care of her and is her world since their father is buried in his work ever since their mother died of the virus right before the cure became available. Clover has always dreamed of going to the Waverly-Stead Academy but is forced to turn down her acceptance when they won't let her keep her service dog, who is her closest friend and companion and who keeps her from losing it when the outside world becomes too much for her to handle. She is then recruited to join the Time Mariners, a team of operatives who work for the Company, the agency who engineered and distributed the vaccine to the deadly virus and who now control all of the provisions including food, jobs, etc., and who now also control all of the rules the people must live with. The Time Marines time travel to gather news about the future, including crimes that will be committed. Whenever someone is found to have committed a crime in the future, they are killed in the present to prevent the crime from happening at all. When Clover's brother, West, is one of the people sentenced to death for a murder that he supposedly will commit in the future, Clover and he go on the run, along with a "band of fellow misfits and outsiders" to find out what is really going on with the Company. (I don't know if my description does it justice, but trust me, as you read the story, this all makes sense!)

First off, I absolutely loved Clover! It's pretty rare that a person with developmental disabilities is featured as a main character in a book, but she is very much the driving force behind the hunt for the truth. Even though she would prefer to be by herself, with just her dog and brother for company, she goes way outside of her comfort zone in terms of working with people she doesn't really know or trust, and fighting against authority, neither of which come easy or naturally to her. I also admired that the author never used Clover's autism as a way to manipulate the story line or as a way to garner sympathy for her - she was never depicted in any way but as a very strong 16 year old girl who happened to be autistic, and although I've read some reviews that have said it was difficult to like Clover because of her off putting personality, I didn't find this to be true at all. If you want to talk about personal growth, I can tell you that Clover grew immensely from the beginning of the book to the end, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series because I'm excited to see her continue this growth.

Now for the world building and plot: The post-apocalyptic/dystopian world in which the characters live is described in such a way that you feel yourself becoming immersed in it as you read, which is always what you hope for when reading a fictional account of a world that has gone to hell in a hand basket. You feel the desperation of the people and the hopelessness. I would give this book an A+ for world building! The plot is well written, evenly paced, and very exciting to read. I was drawn into the book immediately and stayed in it well after I'd finished reading it. Because of the characters and the plot line, and the excellent writing, this book sticks with you and makes you continue to think about it even after you've put it down for the last time. All of these things combined made it an exciting read for me and the reason that I would recommend it to lovers of YA dystopian/post-apoc fiction.

I give this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars and look forward to continuing the series :D

P.S.: I love the cover and give bonus points for that!! ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: The dystopian and time travel genres merge in this thrilling novel by Shaunta Grimes. Fast-paced with engaging characters, fans of both genres are in for a treat.

Opening Sentence: “Keep her away from me.”

The Review:

This book has been on my to read list for quite a while, so I was ecstatic to find it in my inbox for me to read and review. Thankfully, all of the good things I had heard about this novel had not been exaggerated. I was sucked into the story right away and had a hard time putting the book down.

Sixteen years ago, a virus swept the nation. We were on the verge of extinction. Then, news of a cure began to spread. A man named Waverly had found a portal to two years in the future, which allowed him to find and bring back plans for a cure. He worked with a scientist to synthesize the cure, which was then given to everyone. Provided people show up for daily injections of the cure, the virus will never come back.

Now, the Company runs everything. Time Mariners within the Company routinely travel through the time portal, retrieving information on crimes that will occur, so that criminals can be caught and executed before the crime can take place. Everyone survives on rations that are earned through daily labor. Life is peaceful.

Sixteen-year-old Clover is autistic. Her older brother West has taken care of her ever since their father obtained a job as an executioner for the Company. One day, Clover is ecstatic to receive news that her test scores are good enough for her to obtain entrance to the Academy, something she has always wanted. Upon visiting the Academy, Clover learns she is going to be training to become a Time Mariner. During one of her trips into the future, she is shocked to discover that West is going to kill the daughter to the Academy headmaster. Clover has sworn to not attempt to change the course of history, but how can she stand by and wait for her brother to be executed for a crime he has not yet committed? Now, Clover, West, and a group of misfits must embark on a journey to change the future. Along the way, they’ll discover that the Company has many secrets and life may not be quite as ideal as they once thought.

The story is told mainly from Clover and West’s points of view, with occasional snippets from their father. I’m really not familiar with autism other than what the TV show Parenthood has shown about Asperger’s, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of Clover’s portrayal. I will say that the way Clover acted seemed very realistic to me. I often found myself feeling the emotions she was feeling, which is a sign of great narration and character development in my eyes. Clover is a very brave girl, with a strong head on her shoulders. She doesn’t let her condition hold her back. What more can you ask for in a heroine of a young adult novel? I didn’t feel quite as connected to West, but even so, his feelings for his sister come shining through. Every decision he makes is done with her in mind. Not many 19 year olds have that kind of dedication to their siblings.

I will admit, as much as I love Doctor Who, time travel sometimes confuses me because I tend to start thinking about how actions in the future affect what’s going on in the present and vice versa, and I eventually feel like my brain is going to explode. That being said, time travel is handled very well. It’s explained in a way that’s not confusing and is actually very intriguing. Readers who haven’t had much exposure to time travel-related themes shouldn’t have a hard time here.

This is a very interesting universe that Grimes has created. It’s not complicated to understand and is incredibly captivating. Our two main characters are mature yet not so mature that they seem to old for their supposed ages, which is a very fine line in young adult literature. The story moves quickly, and there are some shocking moments. I’m very much looking forward to the next book to see what happens in Clover and West’s world!

Notable Scene:

“This is for the best.”

“The best for who?” The envelope had Langston Bennett written across the front.

“The best for all concerned, Miss Donovan.”

“I don’t want to do this.”

Kingston pushed his hair back and settled his hyperactive eyes on the door for a moment before he looked at her. “Your brother is a day laborer on the cantaloupe farm, isn’t he?”

Clover nodded slowly.

“I’m sure you could pick with him. Every job’s important.”

Clover took the letter and barely resisted the urge to crumple it into a ball and bounce it off Kingston’s sweaty forehead. “This isn’t fair.”

“Life isn’t fair, Miss Donovan. Ask your brother. West Donovan scored nearly as well as you did on his exams.”

“That isn’t true. He didn’t pass.”

Kingston looked at her another long moment, then reached under his desk with one hand. Within seconds, the office door opened and the man with the combover was standing there. “Ms. Donovan needs an escort to the Company building.”

“I don’t need an escort,” she said. The man who’d walked her into Kingston’s office had seemed kind of feeble. Now his eyes had gone steely and his jaw was set in a hard line. Clover shrank back from him a little bit.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Kingston reached to shake her hand.

She pulled away from the visibly moist palm and walked out of his office, Mango following at her side. “You’re expected within the hour.”

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Viral Nation. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Viral Nation starts with us seeing the devastation that follows a wide spread virus. Millions of people are dying a slow and agonising death. Two men travel forward and get the miracle cure but it's not so much a cure as it is a suppressant. People will have to have a dose everyday for the rest of their lives or the virus will come back.
Each city has walled of their areas and have Time Mariners who travel two years into the future to bring back information on what's happened in that time. This allows them to stop or prevent future crimes so every place is virtually crime free.
Clover is an autistic girl and West, her brother, looks after her. Their mother died of the virus and their father works as an executioner. Clover has a service dog, Mango, who helps her calm down and relaxes her when she gets over whelmed. She has always dreamed of going to the academy but they won't accept her dog. She is drafted to the Time Mariners and during one mission she finds out her brother is in danger and is accused of murder, a crime punishable by death. Clover must do everything in her power to save him.
Viral Nation is an intriguing and different book. I loved the fact that Clover is the main character and even though she has a disability it doesn't stop her from doing what needs to be done. Clover and Wests relationship was another thing I loved. They have such a strong bond and will do anything for each other.
This book dragged me into the story right from the start. It was so easy to connect with all the characters, even the secondary ones. It flowed from page to page and I had such a hard time putting it down. The world the author created was something I'd hope never to experience. People have to be dosed everyday and everything is monitored. Is everything as it seems or are people hiding secrets? Who do you trust?
The only flaw in a truly great book was the time travelling element. The idea that you can only travel 2 years forward was unique but it was done poorly at times. When they started on about the time travelling and the time loops etc I found myself skimming it. It was sometimes confusing. Other wise its a truly great story with unique characters. I look forward to more from this author.
Received from Netgalley. ( )

Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes is a post-apocalyptic YA novel about an autistic girl and her brother (and her service dog). I have mentioned in the past that I tend not to read blurbs between deciding to read a book (in this case because it was mentioned on the Diversity in YA blog) and actually reading it. In this case, that meant what I was expecting was a post-apocalyptic story with an autistic girl. What I got was also dystopian and had time travel, which threw me a little at first (because obviously I didn't look closely enough at the cover when I started reading either).

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.

Despite the shift between my expectations and what I got, I loved this book. At first I thought the time travel aspect was rather strange — and honestly I still do, but not in a bad way — but it contributed to a complex and full world. One of my pet peeves with a lot of dystopian YA is poorly thought-through (or lazy) world-building, but Viral Nation certainly doesn't contain that flaw. Although the world is revealed slowly as the characters learn more about it, so I admit I was a little sceptical at first. (Side note: I think the blurb is slightly wrong because I remember the text mentioning 48 cities, not 50, which makes more sense since who knows what happened to distant Alaska and Hawaii after civilisation collapsed?) But as the conspiracy is revealed, it becomes increasingly interesting, especially since by the end we still don't know everything, partly thanks to the time travel aspect, but mostly because the author hasn't revealed it yet.

That aside, Viral Nation hooked me in from the very beginning. From the prologue, in which we glimpse the pandemic that wreaked havoc across the US (little word from the rest of the world, but less obnoxiously than most), to the teenage protagonists in chapter one, I was sucked in. Clover is completely a sympathetic character and I found myself cheering her on almost immediately, and cringing when social situations went badly for her. I also grew rather fond of her dog, despite being more of a cat person. ;-)

West, Clover's older brother, is also a point of view character. Again, I was a little sceptical at first when his point of view popped up before Clover's, but I'm pleased to report he was not there to steal Clover's limelight. He was an important character in his own right, but not at the expense of Clover's character, which made me happy. I picked up Viral Nation because I was keen to read about a non-typical protagonist — an autistic one in this case — coping in a post-apocalyptic world. I'm glad I did and I was pleased that there wasn't anything poorly done (as far as I could determine, but I am by no means an expert on autism). It added an extra dimension to the book (although for a YA book of this nature it already had rather a lot of dimensions to be getting on with) and although Clover's autism ended up being integral to the plot, I didn't find that was done objectionably. Also, it was nice to see an autistic girl for a change.

The only disappointment with Viral Nation is that it's the first in the series. It's not that I don't want to keep reading about Clover and friends — I do — it's that I can't keep reading now and I want to know what happens. The second book doesn't come out until next Northern summer. Sigh. On the one hand, if it was a standalone, I'd already know how everything turned out but there's no way Grimes could have fit as much worldbuilding depth into a single volume (y'know, unless it was a very loooong single volume).

I highly recommend Viral Nation to fans of YA post-apocalyptic dystopias. Adult fans will also enjoy it, as I did, although like me they may find themselves sceptical of it at first. Fans of intelligent characters who do not make incredibly stupid decisions to further a weak plot, should also find something to like here. Readers looking for a minority main character, especially an autistic one, will hopefully be very pleased with Viral Nation. Possibly also dog lovers.

5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. ( )

ARC provided by netgalley.

First the things I liked:

Clover was a relatable and developed character, as was West (and Mango!).
The initial plot is really compelling: a deadly virus, a cure from the future, a Big Brother dystopia! It didn't hold up for long...
Jude and Clover's relationship (though it could be more developed, as everything else).

The things I didn't like:

The pacing was slow or uneven, at best. A lot of what happened was unnecessarily confusing. It was incredibly frustrating.
How the whole time travelling thing works. It could have been so cool! Instead it's just confusing and absurd.
The whole Minority Report plot. I've seen Minority Report. I don't need to read a re-hash of it. And it wasn't just some, "Oh, it was kind of like Minority Report", no, it was basically Minority Report.
The lack of description. Clover, West, and Mango are well developed, everyone else is basically just a name and a vague set of details. The same goes for the worldbuilding, it's all left too vague.
I suppose as a consequence of being walled up there isn't much mention of anywhere else, still there is access to computers and information, so why is this a case of We All Live In America?

In the end, I didn't feel as if I'd read anything new. It was just a rehash of the usual dystopian clichés, apart from Clover who was an autistic character (though using her autism as some kind of Rainman super power/MacGuffin, wasn't that great).
There is a cliffhanger, more frustrating than usual because you feel like this book wasn't properly developed so the development could occur in the sequels. All that does is not grab my interest to want to read the sequel... ( )

Viral Nation is young adult dystopian adventure set in a world where a virus has wiped out the majority of the population. Now people live in walled cities run by the company who invented the suppressant, a drug that prevents people falling ill with the virus. The cities are calm and orderly on the surface but is there something lurking beneath?

The plot of Viral Nation was not unique but it was interesting and well written. The addition of time travel made the plot less generic, and whilst I personally am not a big fan of time travel/alternate universes, here it was well done but the author did leave many questions about how it worked unanswered. The story was a page turner and I couldn’t wait to carry on reading every time I put it down.

The characterisation of the main characters was well done, particularly the relationship between Clover and West, and Clover and her dog. A big part of Clover's character was her autism, which did have a purpose in the plot but I felt it was unrealistic, for example in low stress situations she relies on her service dog but a few chapters later in a high stress situation she leaves the dog behind and has no problems. I feel this was a weakness in her characterisation, and is hopefully something that will be refined in the future.

The reason Viral Nation didn’t get 5 stars from me was the abrupt ending. This is clearly the first book in a series, and I understand the author wanting to have a ‘hook’ to get readers to read the second book but I felt ripped off after spending hours enjoying it to have the book just end with no real conclusion. This is a massive weakness for Viral Nation, particularly as the sequel has not yet been published, and I feel readers will forget the 95% of the novel which is excellent and just go away with an unsatisfied feeling, never to read book two.

Overall a fantastic dystopian adventure for both teens and adults, with hints of mystery and romance. This is really a book you should read, perhaps just wait until book two is available first.
Viral Nation is available in deadtree format only for £6.53 from Amazon.co.uk (and Amazon.com ).
[An ARC was provided by NetGalley] ( )

Wow! This novel surprised me. There are quite a few YA dystopian society books overflowing the market now, but this one is worth your time. The story utilizes the basic dystopia themes, but with some original characters (one of the main characters is autistic) and a bit of time-traveling. It definitely feels like Minority Report at some times. The plot may not be completely original in its entirety, but great characters and good writing make it a must-read for fans of YA, dystopias, and post-apocalyptic societies.

Net Galley Feedback ( )

Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes (you can also read it on my blog http://litslut.wordpress.com/2013/06/19/viral-nation-by-shaunta-grimes/)

Hell, this book is a ride on a wild horse. In this complex dystopian novel you have it all: a deadly virus that took out most of mankind, chilling villains that seized the opportunity and 16 years later control every aspect of life, young freaks and homeless kids that grow up to be the resistance and time travel. Well there’s that and then some more.

All I can say about this novel is that it is masterfully done. You have a complex world, with fascinating characters, a suspenseful and fast paced story full of friendship, family and love. Clover is not your typical heroine. She is far from being badass; she is small on the verge of seeming childlike. Shaunta Grimes did pull it off to make Clover not only believable and realistic with all her autistic disability but also to make her utterly likable and unique. Her different way of thinking and behaving is refreshing.

Back to the setting: There’s only so much that can befall mankind and lead to it’s almost extinction. In case of Viral Nations there was a virus that killed a lot of people, there was a vaccine but almost too late, there’s The Company who since control everything and everybody by any means. But the author doesn’t stop at this almost cliché dystopian scenario but drops interesting twists and turns throughout the story. Time travelling has me hooked since “Back to the Future”. And I found it rather fascinating to follow the thoughts of a 16 year old autistic girl who tries to understand it. They were not very far from my own. I loved the steampunk concept of time travelling with a very old-fashioned submarine exactly two years in to the future. Those time travels gather information from the future to apprehend criminals in the present based on the gathered foreknowledge. It reminded me very much of the movie Minority Report.

There is so much that sets this novel apart from other dystopian fiction. The autistic heroine with her bulldog “Mango”, the time traveling, the retro-futuristic inventions and steampunk approach fit all wonderfully together and create an overall very entertaining read.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the ARC of this book.
( )

Viral Nation is a dystopian novel with science fiction elements that starts off with a bang. A deadly virus is quickly killing off the entire human population. It is aggressive, unrelenting, and always deadly. Families have moved to areas of the country that are believed to be less populated in an effort to try to avoid contracting the virus. This is exactly what the Donovan family has done, and it seemed to be working until pregnancy complications brought the virus right to their doorstep. There is no hope. James Donovan is losing his wife, his children and he will soon follow. Grief stricken he takes matters into his own hands, when suddenly a cure is found, but is it to late to save his family? Needless to say the beginning of the story was strong and captured my attention. After the initial introduction, the story jumps forward 16 years. The Company runs the country now. Everyone must take a daily suppressant to keep the virus at bay. Your, job, education, your entire life is controlled by the Company. Clover Donovan is 16 years old. She has an eidetic memory. She also has autism, which makes her very nervous around crowds and in stressful situations. Her brother West has done what he has had to do in order to look after Clover, even working in the farms instead of going to the Academy or working at the Company. When Clover is accepted into the Academy, they are both thrilled. Clover can finally move on and James will now be able to start his training. Everything seems to be going great, but revelation of a future event changes everything. Clover, West, and their group of friends must make decisions that not only affect their life, but eventually, the lives of the entire population, as the truth is revealed and the lies they have been told are exposed. They are unsure who to trust, but a voice from the past that holds critical insight into the future guides them as they propel into a course of action that leads to a dangerous and uncertain future, a future in which they play a role that will change the course of the nation.

As stated above, this story starts out strong with a bang. When it jumps forward 16 years later, it slows down though, and I wasn't quite sure where it was going and kind of had to push through. About one-third of the way in, it captured my attention fully again, and I was caught up in the plot once again. As the story progresses, more secrets are revealed and there are twists and turns that gradually expose the conspiracy and lies that have wrapped themselves around the vaccine, the daily suppression injections, the future, the Company, Foster City, and the role children with autism play in it all. I really liked West and Clover, and Shaunta Grimes did an excellent job in writing Clover's character that gives you insight into autism and how it affects the individual, as well as the friends and family of that individual. The way she wove autism into the core of the story was creative and unique. She has painted a picture of a dystopian society set in a post-apocalyptic world, combined with a science fiction factor that involves time travel and insight into the future. This in turn controls how everything is handled in the present. Another character that I really loved is Jude, who is from Foster City, where the orphaned children live, who also plays a big role in the story. He is Clover's age, and her love interest. He leads a small group of children from Foster City who also join Clover, West, and Bridget, who is another key player. The secondary characters are all well-written and I enjoyed getting to know them, as well as the "bad guys," who I liked to dislike. There is a hint of romance in the story, but isn't the center of the story, yet it is just enough to give that story the romantic element that it needs.

The book ends leaving you wanting to know more, and setting the stage for what looks to be an action-packed and intense next installment. The stage is also set for the romance between Clover and Jude to continue to develop, and I look forward to seeing where that goes. If you are a fan of dystopia, then Viral Nation is definitely something you might want to check out. I enjoyed Viral Nation and I look forward to seeing where Shaunta Grimes takes this story and the characters in it in the sequel. ( )

I really loved this novel! There's a little bit of something for everyone in it. A little bit of romance, a little bit of evil, a little mystery, and a whole new apocalyptic world to explore.

The characters- There are a lot of characters in this novel and the secondary characters play a big role in this novel so it's hard to just explore main characters. I'll say this- they are all very important.

West Donovan is the older brother in the Donovan family. This is a guy who puts his life on hold to take care of his sister. He helps the little old lady next door get her rations. He put his dreams on hold so his sister didn't get sent to live in the nightmarish Foster City, a place adults pretend is a reputable and caring institution for taking care of the orphans left behind after the virus killed so many. West is a really good guy. He's so patient with Clover. He is really easy to like. He worries a bit. But I guess that's what older brothers do.

Clover Donovan is West's younger sister. She is very intelligent. She is direct to the point of being rude, though not intentionally. She is stubborn. And she is autistic. All these things work in her favor. There is no way you can't like Clover. I laughed when something unexpected came out of her mouth and got pissed when she was bullied. I loved seeing the world through Clover's eyes. It was very cut and dried, decisions made based on fact, not emotions. But then little loopholes started getting thrown in or I guess I should say monkey wrenches and it was interesting to see Clover work through those. And romance? How she handled that was interesting as well. She is a very lovable character.

Then there's Jude. Clover meets him at the Academy reception. They are two kids that don't fit in with the rest of the crowd there. Jude is from Foster City. He likes Clover's service dog, Mango and puts her at ease. But it's how they know each other later on that's really interesting and what Jude reveals about himself that makes him such a great secondary character. He really rocks!

And Bridget. I couldn't get if she was flighty spoiled rich girl in the beginning or just thrust into this role of headmaster's daughter and she didn't know what to do with it. But she finally develops into a full character and I understood her.

There's Mrs. Finch, Isaiah, and Clover's trainer Leanne. They have bit parts yet play a huge part in the story.
I won't tell you who the bad guy is....

The world- The story takes place in post apocalyptic Reno Nevada. There are a lot of empty buildings and it isn't very crowded. A virus swept through the world and killed 95% of the population before a cure was found. People have portals on the back of their necks where they get a vaccine daily to keep the virus from coming back. Children are educated up to the age of 16 when they are allowed to test for the Academy, apply to work for the Company or work for the government. If you work for the Company, you live in the barracks. West couldn't work for them because he had to take care of Clover. Crime prevention is done by having time travelers go two years in the future and find out who was going to commit a crime and if it was a capital offense, the person is executed. Lesser offenses seem to be ignored. Such as the crimes committed in Foster City. It is not a perfect system. Food is scarce. So is electricity and other goods like candles, toilet paper, clothes, etc. Everything is reused. The world building is excellent.

The story- I understood how the world got to the state it was in and how it was trying to come back from it's state of almost dying out. I thought the added element of time travel made this story a lot more interesting than other dystopians. There isn't a lot to the time travel, but it makes the crime prevention story believable and what happens in the plot necessary. People drop like flies or don't...because there can be many different time loops you aren't sure what's true or not. But I was definitely worried through a lot of the book when I realized Shaunta Grimes wasn't shy about killing off important characters.

My thoughts- Can I just say again.... I LOVED it! Clover was funny and so sweet. I wanted to hug her so many times even though she would have pushed me away, she's not a hugger. I loved the relationship between West and Clover. She never saw all the ways he took care of her until she had to function without him. Even then, I'm not sure she noticed, but as a reader, I did. When Clover takes care of herself, she's very resourceful. She did a great job. I loved how the time travel element was brought into the story. Everything really clicked into place to me. It wasn't the same tired old dystopian. In a genre that is overrun with viruses, zombies and natural disasters, Viral Nation really stands out.

Again, I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for review. This did not influence my review. The opinions expressed are my own. ( )

You find out quickly that our main character is autistic. She is high functioning, but some of her behavior and actions mimic her disorder. She is pretty brilliant and gets into the Academy but her service dog is not allowed to come with her and as soon as they find out she has autism they send her on to the company to become a Time Mariner. They are really sneaky about why she is there and then weird things start happening to her while she is in the future.

I had no issue with keeping up with the story. There is time travel but it is not confusing in any way and there is not a ton of it. I enjoyed the authors voice. She is a great storyteller. Clover is pretty interesting. She has a great personality and being autistic did not pull her down. If you want there to be romance, sorry you wont get it. There is a bit of chemistry between Clover and Jude but no romance really. I loved the relationship between Clover and her brother West. It was nice watching them together. I was surprised by their father but I guess situations in VIRAL NATION led him to his decisions. I was a tad disappointed at a death towards the end. I hate that the one person that has answers is gone before he can give them and just don't know how the 'team' will figure things out. I guess we shall see.

Unique characters, a believable and interesting world at a nice pace just about sums up why I will be picking up book two when it comes out. Any fan of dystopian should enjoy VIRAL NATION. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

VIRAL NATION is a startling dystopian featuring a protagonist with autism who travels through time. It’s a tantalizing mix of Revolution and Minority Report with writing that makes you understand what it’s like to share Clover’s autism, and a story that sinks into your bones from the very first chilling page.

Creating unique characters in YA is becoming a harder and harder job for authors, but Shanta Grimes has done exactly that with Clover. It was utterly fascinating to slip into her head and experience the world the way she does, understand the uncontrollable tendencies that spring up when she’s overwhelmed or anxious, and see the bluntness and missed social cues that all contribute to how real she felt.

Clover’s brother West was no less interesting. He’s had to be mother and father and therapist to Clover. Guardian and friend even at the expense of his own desires. It was so real watching him love her and want to shake her at the same time. The sibling relationship was every bit as authentic as it would have been without Clover’s autism added to the mix, but her autism provides an extra layer of often uncomfortable reality to their situation.

And this world…it’s really going to thrill fans of dystopian fiction. There is corruption and secrets and entire populations who have no idea what’s really going on. It made reading VIRAL NATION an almost desperate experience because I could barely stand to see the way everything started to unfold. And that element of time travel never dominated the story or took it in a deep sci-fi direction, rather it was just a part of the world. VIRAL NATION is pretty thrilling and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Sexual Content:
Kissing ( )

Clover Donovan is 16 and autistic. Ever since she can remember it's been her dream to attend the Academy. She is accepted and then turned down when they learn she needs her service dog, Mango with her. Instead she becomes a Time Mariner. In one fateful mission she learns her brother, West is in danger. She knows she'll have to go up against some powerful people, but she must save him.

Brilliant storytelling!! Viral Nation is an excellent read. A story of many things, but mostly of time travel, doing the right thing and revolution. I was absolutely enthralled with this story, it's one of the most original and intriguing stories I've read this year. Readers will find themselves rooting for Clover and her friends. She is quite an exceptional character. Shaunta Grimes has created frightening world, but I loved visiting it and can't wait to visit again. A must read for Dystopian fans.

Review coming soon on my blog ( )

Review coming soon on my blog ( )