Code by Kathy Reichs

Goodreads Description: "The Virals are put to the ultimate test when they find a geocache containing an ornate puzzle box. Shelton decodes the cipher inside, only to find more tantalizing clues left by "The Gamemaster." A second, greater geocache is within reach—if the Virals are up to the challenge.

But the hunt takes a dark turn when Tory locates the other box—a fake bomb, along with a sinister proposal from The Gamemaster. Now, the real game has begun: another bomb is out there—a real one—and the clock is ticking."

My Review: Kathy Reichs does it again! I have got to say, the Virals series is probably my favorite current YA series right now. I'll be the first to admit that I'm sick of dystopians; I read too many of them in a rush and now I'm burned out from them all. But the Virals series takes me back down to Earth and it really grounds you with a huge dose of sarcastic humor, compelling science, and the thrilling mysteries and mayhem that we all love so much. (Don't deny it; you ALL loved watching National Treasure and reading The Da Vinci Code for the same reason!)

         Virals is one of those series that only gets BETTER with time, which is rare. I still think Seizure is my favorite out of the three, but Code was seriously fantastic. After Seizure, I found myself wondering: How is she going to come up with ANOTHER dastardly, compelling plot? And holy shizza, did Kathy Reichs deliver!

        Code is, quite frankly, fantastic. Tory & Co. are back for another round and they're just as feisty, foolhardy, and funny as ever. These are characters that I'm not tiring of; in fact, I want more! I even like Shelton, and he's one of those characters that authors usually neglect and fans don't really care about. Once again, the frank language and sarcastic humor is one of the greatest selling points for these books. I love the way Tory talks and thinks. It's so real and fresh. She's someone I want to be friends with, after reading this. (Also, she has this cool habit of getting people into crazy adventures...). 

       I liked that Ben and Tory's relationship deepened quite a bit. Reichs took it pretty slow the first two books, which I appreciated, because A) it's REALISTIC, and B) I hate when a main character quickly turns into Only The Love Interest. But after two books of taking it slow, she made their relationship quite a bit more dramatic in Code and, yes, I was thrilled. I love them together. 

       AND THE PLOT. Holy mother. The plot. The plot actually seriously scared me this time, unlike the last two books. How do four kids manage to get themselves into such crazy messes?! I was literally racing through the pages frantically, in a hurry to figure out who was pulling the strings behind this sick "Game" (talk about your regulation psychopaths!). And once again, Kathy Reichs managed to combine an action-filled plot with tons of awesome descriptive scenery of landmarks, monuments, and cool locations in South Carolina AND tons of clever science. Now, how much of this science is true? I'm not sure. But I like that she takes these books beyond the basic "it just is because it is" and has the kids find logical, scientific answers for most of their questions. They don't solve the mysteries by luck; they use RESEARCH and their BRAINS to solve them. Oh, and their guts and powers. 

       Speaking of their powers...it's cool how they're evolving as the Virals and becoming more powerful and slick. 

       And let's not even talk about the whole Chance plot. It makes me so angry that he's up to no good again that I literally wanted to throw the book out the window. What is up with this dude? Can he please pick a side to be on? Why is he so freaking bipolar? 
      AND THEN THERE WAS THE FREAKING ENDING. Oh. My. God. Talk about a crazy cliffhanger. I admit, I had a feeling something was up--- But just wow. I can't wait to see how this ending affects the Virals pack in the next book. Because obviously, things are going to get messy for the friends now!

      All in all, a fantastic third book in the series. And now I seriously CAN'T WAIT for the fourth book, whenever that is!

Cover: I'm gonna be honest: NO. I don't like it. I liked the action-y covers with the kids on them that the first two books had. They were more adventurous and fun to look at. I don't know why the publishing company decided to change the covers mid-series (HATE when they do that), but the new covers are all sort of boring, no offense. 

Overall Grade: A+