Kalahari by Jessica Khoury

Title: Kalahari
(Corpus #3)
Author: Jessica Khoury
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Classification: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Source: e-galley via Penguin First to Read
Read: January 2015

Deep in the Kalahari Desert, a Corpus lab protects a dangerous secret…
But what happens when that secret takes on a life of its own?When an educational safari goes wrong, five teens find themselves stranded in the Kalahari Desert without a guide. It’s up to Sarah, the daughter of zoologists, to keep them alive and lead them to safety, calling on survival know-how from years of growing up in remote and exotic locales. Battling dehydration, starvation and the pangs of first love, she does her best to hold it together, even as their circumstances grow increasingly desperate.
But soon a terrifying encounter makes Sarah question everything she’s ever known about the natural world. A silver lion, as though made of mercury, makes a vicious, unprovoked attack on the group. After a narrow escape, they uncover the chilling truth behind the lion’s silver sheen: a highly contagious and deadly virus that threatens to ravage the entire area—and eliminate life as they know it.
In this breathtaking new novel by the acclaimed author of Origin and Vitro, Sarah and the others must not only outrun the virus, but its creators, who will stop at nothing to wipe every trace of it.

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***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review***

Wow! I really loved reading this story! Kalahari has become my favorite of the Corpus companion novels!

This is a breathtaking story full of action, adventure, strength, fear, and friendship. 

Sarah lives in the Kalahari Desert with her zoologist father, studying the wildlife. They agree to host five teens (Sam, Joey, Avani, Kase, and Miranda) and show them around the desert. Not long after the teens arrive, Sarah's father and Theo (family friend) hear news of hunters being in the area. They leave Sarah in charge of the teens and the camp, to go find the hunters and deal with the situation. But after several hours pass, there is no sign of her father and Theo, so the teens set off to find out what has happened. Which leads them on a fighting for survival adventure through the desert. The group has to deal with dehydration, starvation, the hunters, and the wildlife. But they discover A Corpus Lab in  Kalahari Desert that has been conducting secret experiments, and now the group of teens have to find a way to escape the virus and the creators. 

I love the concept of this story. The scientific experiment is so unique. Definitely not something that I have read before. The virus was fascinating to read about. I was surprised by it and it is very thought-provoking. I didn't really have a hard time believing that something like that could happen in this universe.

This story is also beautifully written. It was so easy for me to picture the desert, the animals, and the characters.

I really enjoyed the characters as well. This band of teens were interesting and rememberable for me. Each character is different and they each have their own personal challenges and flaws. It was easy for me to care about this group and what would happen to them.

Sarah is a strong character. She has been through so much, and then her father goes missing. I feel that she is a good leader and tries everything she can think of to keep herself and the rest of the group safe.

Sam is an interesting character. And I liked his backstory. He is caring and strong. Protective and loyal.

Joey is the comic relief. He makes the jokes and tries to keep everything lighthearted, even though they are facing danger. His character made me smile.

Avani is super smart. She knows a lot of information and notices things quickly.

Kase and Miranda are the couple that came together. They aren't exactly what they seem at first.

One of my favorite things about this story was how the group worked together to survive. They might not have started off liking each other, but I really enjoyed the friendship/relationship developments that occurred with this group of characters!

My Recommendation:

I really enjoyed reading this story. There was a lot of action and some surprises that really kept me hooked. I found it to be a great companion book to the series. So I recommend reading this book if you enjoy Science Fiction stories that are unique and fascinating. Even if you haven't read Origin and Vitro, you can jump into this book and know what is happening because it is a companion novel (same universe with different characters). 

My Rating: