This Mortal Coil

Gr 9 Up—In the crowded field of YA dystopia, this debut stands out with an especially grotesque cause of ruin: a pandemic that makes people explode like grenades. Survivors acquire immunity by eating the flesh of the still-living infected, but only at the risk of ingesting explosive meat. Moreover, the scent of infection throws any healthy person into a manic "Wrath" that's only subdued by cannibalism. Catarina, 17, has been surviving on her own in this world, which is overrun with heavily genetically modified humans and animals. A mega-corporation, Cartaxus, rounds up survivors into underground bunkers but admits no one possessing genes outside the company's strict sanctions. At the onset of the outbreak, Cartaxus abducted Catarina's father, the world's preeminent genehacker, to force him to make a copyrightable vaccine. Two years later, Catarina discovers that he succeeded but encrypted his work to prevent it from falling under Cartaxus' control. Catarina sets out to recover the vaccine. The plot defies the typical dramatic structure (rising action, climax, falling action) and instead rushes through a series of twists and relentless conflicts, making for a story line that is exciting and surprising, albeit madcap and exhausting. Perfunctory explanations will frustrate readers who prefer a touch of plausibility, but those who are in it for the action will be able to turn a blind eye. A nicely developed love triangle propels the narrative as much as the quest for the vaccine.