Contagion by Teri Terry is a ticking time bomb of a novel, each chapter bringing the reader closer to the point of impact. This pre-apocalyptic dystopian novel set in Scotland follows two unique and compelling viewpoints; Shay, whose world is about to be changed forever, and Callie, who has seen everything but can communicate nothing. Both characters have secrets and limitations that they must keep from each other, creating that sense of urgent frustration that means you’re reading something great.
The chapters in the first part of the book begin with a countdown, which is easy to ignore at first but slowly because crucial to the plot, leaving you flicking through the pages to find out what happens when that timer reaches zero. Contagion is exhilarating; throughout the novel’s fast pace, Terry drops foreshadowing and hints like a trail of breadcrumbs. The world-building is spectacular; Terry has put a lot of research into making the fictional epidemic seem plausible, and it shows. For as much as my limited knowledge of quantum physics is worth, I couldn’t find any plot holes or anything that lowered the believability of the story.
The main characters are written so that they feel their ages; Callie is impatient and impulsive and a little bit selfish, but it feels justified and natural for a thirteen year old girl. Shay is more mature and thoughtful, but still headstrong as a teenager should be. Terry doesn’t shy away from the impact that an unpredictable epidemic would have on adolescents, and conveys their suffering and fear in beautifully tragic detail. The action scenes and brief periods of rest are laced with tear-jerking moments that surprise you by showing just how attached to these characters you really are.
Contagion is an outstanding beginning to a series that I’m already holding out to read the rest of. Terry’s writing hooks you from the very first page, never letting go of the suspense. It’s the kind of book that you either read all in one go, or every second you’re not reading it, you’re thinking about reading it. What a thrilling read!
The Bronze Key is the third instalment in the Magisterium series. Picking up a year after book three (The Copper Gauntlet), Callum and his best friends are now entering the third year of their magical training. Callum has now revealed the truth about his soul to his close friends, as well as his frenemy Jasper …
GHOST BIRD follows the tale of Aboriginal twins Laney and Stacey, who grew up in their lower-middle-class rural Australian town. Their idyllic life, however, is thrown for a curveball when Laney mysteriously goes missing after going out with her friends. Through a bizarre series of premonitions that fringe on the supernatural, Stacey becomes obsessed with …
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which has been deemed by both critics and the general public as a staple in both horror and gothic literature, readers are introduced to Jonathan Harker, who travels to the region of Transylvania to meet with Count Dracula in order to assist him in his real estate affairs. It is not long, …
Stalking Jack the Ripper is a gripping, fast-paced novel written by first-time author Kerri Maniscalco. The novel follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, a young woman apprenticing with her Uncle in a mortuary deep within the alleyways and public houses in 1800s London. Wadsworth is soon caught up in a dangerous set of mass murderers as a …
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series played a huge role in my love of Greek mythology – the modern take on heroes and myths make them easier for a young audience to understand, and there are plenty of Easter eggs for those who already know their myths. The Lightning Thief kicks off the series wonderfully, introducing …
Jakob Wegelius’ middle-grade novel The Murderer’s Ape tells the story of Sally Jones, an anthropomorphic gorilla working closely with a man known as ‘The Chief.’ Together, the two journey all around the coastlines and rivers of Europe and its surrounding areas aboard a grand sailing ship known as the Hudson Queen. When a midnight expedition …
Book Review – Contagion by Teri Terry
The chapters in the first part of the book begin with a countdown, which is easy to ignore at first but slowly because crucial to the plot, leaving you flicking through the pages to find out what happens when that timer reaches zero. Contagion is exhilarating; throughout the novel’s fast pace, Terry drops foreshadowing and hints like a trail of breadcrumbs. The world-building is spectacular; Terry has put a lot of research into making the fictional epidemic seem plausible, and it shows. For as much as my limited knowledge of quantum physics is worth, I couldn’t find any plot holes or anything that lowered the believability of the story.
The main characters are written so that they feel their ages; Callie is impatient and impulsive and a little bit selfish, but it feels justified and natural for a thirteen year old girl. Shay is more mature and thoughtful, but still headstrong as a teenager should be. Terry doesn’t shy away from the impact that an unpredictable epidemic would have on adolescents, and conveys their suffering and fear in beautifully tragic detail. The action scenes and brief periods of rest are laced with tear-jerking moments that surprise you by showing just how attached to these characters you really are.
Contagion is an outstanding beginning to a series that I’m already holding out to read the rest of. Terry’s writing hooks you from the very first page, never letting go of the suspense. It’s the kind of book that you either read all in one go, or every second you’re not reading it, you’re thinking about reading it. What a thrilling read!
Contagion will be released on May 18 2017.
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