Review Detail

Shortly after Covid, another virus comes but the survivor's whole countenance on life changes for the better. Suddenly people no longer desire to fight or are angry at others. Instead, they are filled with happiness and joy. Not everyone is happy about this. There's Mariel and her mother who are down on their luck and encounter Ron, the son of one of the richest men in the world. There's also Morgan who finds herself in charge of the Havilland Consortium after the owner gets the Crown Royal virus. Each goes about doing everything in their power to stop the virus. While another finds a new purpose by being a super spreader. Either way, humanity is in question.

What worked: Engrossing futuristic twist on a virus that changes people to be happy and those who search to stop it. Crown Royale does kill but those who survive are changed in such a way that they become not only happy but empathic and no longer care about material things. Not all in the world are happy about this. That would include Dame Havilland who refuses to lose her ability to create havoc around her. Also Blas Escobedo, one of the richest men in the world works to find a vaccine that will cure those from the side effects of Crown Royale.

I really was invested in this futuristic story and how all three of the main characters come together with their own goals on how to defeat or accept Crown Royale. Later, those who haven't gotten sick call survivors the Compromised and fight against them. Seems not everyone wants peace when that means the stock market and financial institutions fail since no one cares about those things anymore. I loved the twist on what would happen if a deadly virus had a more positive outcome. I mean, who wouldn't want to be less stressed and have compassion for others?

Mariel and Ron's relationship is complicated. At first, Mariel is a homeless teen who meets Ron when her mother gets a stay at his father's exclusive penthouse. Then they come together on a road trip after Ron recovers from the virus. His new purpose is to help others, but Mariel worries about his true intentions.

Morgan is intelligent and hard-driven. When she 'wins' the Havilland estate, her true self is revealed as someone who will do anything to benefit herself. She will do that even if others around her suffer. She comes across at times as a stereotypical villain, whose only redeeming quality is her mother. But even then that relationship seems one-sided.

The idea of a virus that might actually be good for humanity is intriguing. It made me think what would happen if there was a deadly virus that might help others. If anything that concept had me musing over such a world.

Interesting twist on a deadly future virus with a cast of characters who either work together or try hard to stop the consequences of what comes. Another winning Shusterman novel!