Full marks to Kathy Reichs for Seizure (Arrow paperback), a sequel to her well-received Virals.
Familiar to adult readers for her Tempe Brennan thrillers, Reichs - like Harlan Coben with Shelter - has moved into the young adult genre with a series about four youngsters (the Virals) whose exposure to a supervirus left them with remarkable powers.
Leading the pack is Tory Brennan, great-niece of Tempe, and the book begins with the likelihood that the quartet will be separated as the South Carolina research centre where their parents work is to be closed.
Tory hits on the bright idea of looking for the treasure 18th-century pirate Anne Bonney was believed to have hidden in the area and using the loot to save the centre.
The Virals set off on their quest, fired by clues in an old map. Of course, there are others on the same trail, so there's plenty of exciting encounters with baddies, but in the end it all comes out in the Virals' favour.
The series' weakness, though not a serious flaw, is the unnecessary ploy of making Tory the great-niece of Tempe Brennan. This is outweighed by Seizure's strengths - the consistent pace despite its length (nearly 500 pages), Reichs' excellent writing, the way the lives of Anne Bonney and her friend (possibly lesbian lover) Mary Read are worked into the story, and the fact that - unlike many other series - the book stands alone.
She also has a helpful list of characters.
Having left Taris, the main character, Juno, is living with her family near Wellington when her 2-year-old sister, Hera, predicts the need to leave.
They race to New Plymouth, which Juno hates, although an embryonic romance with a handsome boy cheers her.
But the threat to Hera remains and in the end only Juno can save her.
Interesting and well-written, but even with those helpful summaries at the beginning, Heart of Danger's long character list is likely to prove daunting to those who have not read the earlier books.
It starts well but fails to maintain its promise, ending well back in the field. Ashlee has two stepsisters, Lilah and Marleen.
They and their mother treat the girl badly, especially when her father is away.
Set in a devastated New Zealand at some time in the future, the rulers of the Citadel have eliminated birds, believing them responsible for the plague that has devastated the country.
People scavenge in the homes of those who have died and in one house Ashlee finds some red slippers, which Lilah seizes and forces on to her fat feet.
The futuristic tale starts well but about a third of the way through McQuillan changes to a simple sci-fi theme, abandoning the Cinderella parallel which promised much more than Nest of Lies delivers.
Ultra-tidy Michael is an only child and is excited when his Aunt Rosie and Uncle Leo West and their five children move in just around the corner.
Michael's uptight mother, Aunt Rosie's sister, is not at all thrilled, believing the Wests will embarrass her with their flamboyant behaviour.
But Michael is drawn into the Wests' circle and has a ball, although his cousin Royce, who is his age, can be a pain with his money-making schemes.
Each chapter is a mini-adventure and will delight children from about 6 to 10.
- Gillian Vine is a Dunedin writer.
