Rating
'I loved Anti-Virus — it’s brilliant and eerie and beautifully spooky, a must read for any fan of dystopian fiction with a highly realistic feel.'
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I found Freya McMillan’s debut Anti-Virus to be intriguing and highly disturbing — in all the right ways.
We’re catapulted in the world of post-pandemic Great Britain (… sounds familiar?) where, following a near-cataclysmic virus spread, the nation lives tightly controlled, with every aspect of people’s existence strictly regimented by the government. For Callie, former field agent for the secret services, it’s all for the greater good. But the day she stumbles upon something that shakes her to her core and starts pulling at loose threads, her blindly idealistic vision of the system she serves all comes crumbling around her.
Anti-Virus is suspenseful and dark and uncomfortably familiar in so many ways. I loved following Callie and her kick-ass girlfriend Jak through a maze of secrets and conspiracies, and was amazed at the level of detail the author put into building such a convincing plot. All the way through, it had me thinking that some of these scenarios were not so far from the realms of possibilities — especially after the last couple of years we’ve all endured.
I’d have to say my favourite part of the book was watching Callie’s character evolve and grow. From a terrified recluse dealing with incredible trauma to a woman ready to face her own demons to do what’s right. Freya McMillan’s handling of that delicate transition was masterful, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I loved Anti-Virus — it’s brilliant and eerie and beautifully spooky, a must read for any fan of dystopian fiction with a highly realistic feel.
I was given a free ARC reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.