2.5 star

Unfortunately, Going Viral was not the best addition to this series. I adored The Potion Diaries for its unique premise and colourful cast but this sequel just did not live up to the standard.

Pros:

• The world. I love gritty, dark fantasy worlds but there is a special place in my heart for Nova. I adore how it effortlessly blends modern technology and magic/alchemy to create this setting that is somewhat light-hearted and fluffy but maintains that fantastical feel.

• The alchemy. If you didn’t know, potion-making - or alchemy/mixing, in this case - is one of my favourite magical systems. There something about balancing the magical lore with science that makes it that much more realistic and believable in my eyes. I will say that I was slightly disappointed that the potion-making was not quite as interesting in this sequel, at least compared to the first two books, but it is still one of my favourite aspect of this series. I just would have liked to see it play more of a role in the story.

• The protagonist. I have said this twice now but it is worth repeating: Sam is the kind of protagonist I love to see in these sorts of stories. She is just a genuinely pleasant character. Her ambition is so admirable. Despite her accomplishments and her intelligence, she is never arrogant or obnoxious. She is loyal to her family and her craft. She is nerdy in such a relatable way and I just really adore her. The one thing that I did not enjoy was how she treated Zain. I thought she was a bit snappy at him, especially because he didn’t do anything to deserve it.

• The cast. Generally speaking, I do really love these characters. I love Zain and Molly and Sam’s grandfather and Anita. Kirsty - the secondary character I had problems with in the first two books - was also not in this story. Yay!

Cons:

• The plot. *dramatic sigh* Without a doubt, the thing that let this sequel down was its plotline. It was just so mild? There was no intensity to it. I don’t know whether it was because it lacked the epic scavenger hunts of the previous two books but, for whatever reason, I found the plot incredibly dry. The was no sense of urgency. Everything felt oddly convenient. All of the answers were provided to them by conveniently timed “coincidences” and I just found it boring. While the potion-making had been a highlight in the previous books, the fact that Sam had the recipe handed to her on a silver platter was… anticlimactic. I should have been excited that we explore a part of the world we hadn’t seen before but, like I said, everything was delivered to Sam and we did very little exploring ourselves. Even the phoenix stuff felt forced.

• The romances. I do not think that romance is Alward forte. While I liked all of her characters as individuals, I felt like neither of the two ships in this story had any real chemistry. I think Zain and Sam definitely have potential. Their dynamics are so interesting because they really are an opposites-attract type of couple but I was just so frustrated by how oblivious Sam was to Zain’s feelings that I struggled to feel invested in their relationship. Evelyn and Katrina also felt forced. I love that we have an f/f romance in a world where there is no discrimination about people’s sexualities/gender identities but they had no chemistry!

• The villain. Yawn. They were needlessly evil and felt very caricaturish. Their motivations were bland. I felt no real empathy to them. I would have liked to see Prince Stefan have more nuanced character development as well. He was definitely an interesting antagonist but his arc felt rushed and a little bit sloppy.

• Evelyn’s POV. I normally adore multiple POV stories - and still do - but I did find Evelyn’s storyline particularly boring. Her voice was also a tad too juvenile for my taste.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.