I received this book in exchange for an honest review - for a full review check out my YouTube or Goodreads account

This was an okay read. The pacing was slow but the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading. Although I wasn't that invested in the characters, I liked the direction the story was heading in initially, but the ending left me confused. It was too abrupt and did nothing for me.

Concealed by RJ Crayton.
Virus series #1.
A good read. Likeable story and characters. Just couldn't get into it. 3*.

I thought this was a great start to a short dystopian series. I like the way Crayton set up this apocalyptic world with disease and safe bunkers for those who are working on the cure. My only critique so far is that the language feels young and under-edited. I feel like this will persist throughout the series, but aside from this the book was quick and easy to read and I'm really enjoying the story so far!

Disclaimer: I received these books from netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3/5

Publication Date: May 21, 2016

Genre: YA Dystopian

Recommended Age: u/n as DNFed

Pages: 204

Author Website

Amazon Link

Synopsis: They said it was extremely hard to get. They said it wasn't airborne. They said there was nothing to fear. They were wrong. Seventeen-year-old Elaan Woodson was supposed to be one of the lucky ones. She got one of the few spots in the subterranean protection unit designed to keep select scientists, military officials and their families safe from the deadly virus ravaging the world above. But, how lucky are you really when the people in charge and those you love keep secrets from you? While Elaan has heard that what you don't know can't hurt you, she's beginning to think otherwise. And she should...

I had to end up DNF-ing this book because I just felt that the book moved too slowly for me and I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. There was a lot going on in the book as well and in my opinion I just wouldn’t be happy with the book if I forced myself to continue it. Unfortunately I also requested the other books in this series so I’ll have to DNF them too.

Verdict: DNFed

Dystopian type novels are my guilty pleasure and as soon as I saw the cover and blurb I knew I wanted to request it! The name Concealed referring to the selected people and scientists being placed in a bunker as a pandemic crosses the earth. Lots of intriguing characters and I especially liked the main character, Elaan but I didn't get as involved in the story as I was hoping I would. I felt it dragged on quite a lot, especially near the end and I found the ending slightly disappointing!

The book starts off well with some great ideas and intriguing characters. However the story lacks momentum and sadly acts as a part one of what may be a better story arc across the series, rather than working on its own and pulling you into a second story. The writer is quite good at scene setting, so I could picture the scenes happening as if in a film, and I was glad to see some non-white main characters. It's an easy read but felt quite flat despite trying to include some mystery and cliff-hangers.Sadly there are a lot of similar books out there and I am not sure this can compete, although I am sure those who love this type of dystopian YA will no doubt devour it regardless.

Now I loved dystopian novels and concealed immediately jumped out at me and I couldn't wait to request it. This is a truly compelling story about a young woman stuck in the middle of a worldwide crisis as she tries to survive. This novel is a great twist on the post-apocalyptic thriller and I found it to be very refreshing in an all but used up genre. The characters are all nicely developed and the story ebbs and flows constantly pulling up in further and further into the story.

I enjoyed how Ms. Crayton placed breadcrumbs for the readers and Elaan to track down to learn about the 'truth' she is seeking out. Elaan may believe she is grown-up be we, the reader, also she has a lot to learn about life. Unexpected twists and turns with tension and suspense keep your interest from start to finish. I have got to get the next one in this series. Highly recommended and I can't wait to get stuck into Exposed.

I liked the characters in this story and the premise was intriguing. There were some major flaws. All of the science of this plague didn't really make any sense. I was also upset when I got to the end of the book, since it literally ended before the climax of the story. There is just no story here. There's a plague and they live underground and she likes a boy and then, end of book even though literally nothing has happened yet.

This book was read in the entirety of a day, by grasping me and pulling me in and not letting me go. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when picking up this book, maybe something along the lines of zombie apocalypse. But that's not what I got, instead, it was actually just a virus. It's interesting what can actually happen with the spreading of a virus, and Crayton does a phenomenal job describing everything to me in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this dystopian book and the world building she created for it. It had me on the edge of my seat wanting to find out what happened next!

The story centers around 3 teenagers; brother and sister Lijah and Elaan and their friend Josh. After the world is plagued by a deadly virus, their mothers are now dead and their scientist fathers are desperately trying to save the world in a now post-apocolyptan planet.

I love any dystopian/speculative fiction, it's definitely my go to genre. Be it zombies, robots, virus or natural disaster I am their with a front row seat and this series didn't disappoint.

With the world in pieces and the select few survivors being immune or carriers the friend must travel across the country to try and save themselves.

To cut a lengthy review short the series was a great choppy dystopian read. With each book being about 200 pages long part of me felt it could be condensed into one large book or expanded into 3 much bigger reads.

I found that all the books lacked a massive amount of world building. In fact, there was next to no world building. But there was huge amounts of inner monologue from Elaain... too much. I just wished that the massive chunks of book taken up by Elaain's rambeling thoughts had been used to create a better picture of the world. As the series went on I began to find Elaain more and more annoying. So there were certian occasions where I too would of been asking questions just not continually and constantly the whole way through.

However, it was nice to see 3 main'ish characters for a refreshing change, and I like that fact that the whole storyline wasn't taken over by a soppy love story.

As a side note, Lijah's storyline about his sexuality was a non issue.

In summary it's a great series for any dystopian lover. They are choppy, exciting, fast paced easy reads.

For me, this was a little too slow. I didn't get a great feel for the characters, and I thought the story unfolded at a pace that didn't keep me engaged in the overall plotline. At the end, I found I just didn't care much about what would come next. The premise here, however, was very interesting, and if the next book picks up a bit, I'd definitely read it.

REVIEW
I had seen this series before and had kept meaning to read it. After enjoying my previous read to this which was also from this genre I fancied another post apocalyptic/dystopian read and chose to begin this series.
I find the cover quite striking, from the dark blue stone like colour hinting at the darkness and spareness within the world Concealed is set in. Then there's the red image, logo or however you would personally describe it, which I'd say represents the virus. The byline of "They said we were safe. They were wrong" fits the book perfectly and certainly draws you in wanting to know more.

When you begin reading the book you are kind of one edge and unsure whether to believe the government rather like the characters in the book. It is a missionary, Mark Drayton who brings the mutated airborne version of the Helnoan back to the US. Sadly Mark is a "carrier" and is spreading Helnoan B far and wide with anyone he comes across in his day to day life dealing with parishoners etc. The general society are told everything is under control, whilst behind the scenes scientists, and certain members of the military, etc, are being gathered together and being placed underground, in either a Scientist Protection Complex or Special Protection Unit.

There are two types of the virus the Helnoan and Helnoan B which is airborne. Both types Helnoan, and it's mutated Helnonan B make victims initially suffer, from a general feeling of being ill, followed by a fever. Victims of the original Helnoan virus rapidly become seriously ill, with symptoms such as vomiting, blood loss, bleeding from eyes, nose, ears and mouth. This is how the virus is so easily spread within the body fluids. The bodies of those who die from the virus need to be hermatically sealed and cremated to "kill" the virus.

Not every single person is able to catch either virus. There are "immune's" who are totally safe from the virus and become a sought after commodity by those who wish to experiment as well as those who want to recreate a new world and re-populate it. Then there are "carrier's" where the virus lays dormant until it comes into contact with someone else who has the virus and then they become "carrier's" and actually unknowingly spread the virus to anyone they then come into contact with.

The main characters we follow in Concealed are 17 yr old Elaan Woodson, her 19yr old brother Elijah Jacob Woodson and their father and lead scientist Dr James Woodson. Another scientist, in fact the second in command is Dr Kingston Wells and his son Josh Wells and they all live alongside other lab workers, military personnel and their families in the smallest Scientist Protection Complex (SPC) with only 42 occupants and space left for others to join them. Though no one from "outside" or "above" ever comes inside the complex. It would be far too dangerous as they could be infected with either of the strains of the Helnoan Virus. Due to both men having lost their wives, Dr James Woodson and Dr Kingston Wells are determined to do their level best to protect their children no matter what.

Both scientists work well together and are equally eager to find the elusive cure or vaccine.
This battle is quite personal for both the Woodson family and the Wells family as both have lost the mothers in their respective families. However they are completely different characters with Dr Kingston Wells, seems quite matter of fact about his wife's death, and having a "get on with life now" attitude. He is also forthright, at times both ignorant and somewhat arrogant, so not the best scientist to be working with or to be a lab technician for. Dr Kingston Wells also seems to have a rather strong disliking to Elaan. Could it be Dr Kingston is doesn't want his perfect boy fraternising with the likes of a mixed race girl such as Elaan, but then that can't be why, when he seems to have taken Lijah under his wing and regularly has Lijah help him in experiments as an unofficial lab technician/assistant.
Whereas Dr James Woodson is still deeply affected by Shonda Woodson's passing, he was a quieter man to begin with but now he is even more withdrawn, prefers to be alone in his grief for his wife. He is excellent at his job but at times fails to turn up to work and curiously Dr Kingston Wells covers up for him. If it is revealed James Woodson is falling behind on his important work both he and the remainder of his family would be thrown out of the SPC and be at the mercy of the virus.

There's so much going on in this book, both within the lines you visibly read to the possibilities of what could happen that you create yourself as you read the book from "between the line" using the actions and and the nuances you have already learnt about the individual characters and their unique personalities. Then there's all the things going on in the background that begin so tiny you don't notice the hints to them, that build up, become bigger and clearer and eventually unfold or in some cases burst free, and you literally say "wow didn't see that coming" or "hey, I thought that might happen!"
I am finding it really difficult to prevent myself from slipping and giving away any spoilers as well as trying to remember where one book ended and the other began as I read the whole series back to back, which is highly unusual for me to do! To say I was "gripped" or "pulled" and "held" by this book (in fact the whole series) is a bit of an understatement. RJ Crayton really has you become attached to the characters, even the ones you enjoy dis-liking like Dr Kingston Wells. Something I don't usually do until I have finished a book is checkout other peoples opinions and/or reviews on it. I saw a lot of low star reviews for this one and I seriously have to say I totally disagree! The pace in the book is fast enough for you to read it and not become bored, yet slow enough to give you some "one the edge of your seat" moments.

Favourite character's are naturally the three teens, Elaan, Josh and Elijah. If I had to pick just the one I'd say Elijah, or Lijah as his family call him. I loved the way he was determined to protect his sister from getting hurt by Josh. Lijah knows something about Josh, that he has promised not to reveal, he thinks it's not his place to do so and that either Josh should not pursue a closer relationship with Elaan or he reveal the secret and let Elaan make an informed decision on whether to go ahead in a relationship with Josh. All this time (you realise later in the book, and most certainly in the series) that Lijah only ever has Elaan's best interests at heart. Elaan goes from thinking that Lijah is jealous as she has a love interest and there is no one suitable in the SPC for him. To thinking he doesn't want to see her happy again after losing their mum. At one point she also thinks that Lijah is gay and wants Joshua for himself!!! This is something I won't reveal as the whole story, misunderstandings, reasons for secrecy etc all unfold bit by bit in the book and end up totally explained within the series. The place this book finishes really has you sitting at the edge of your seat ans perplexed at what will happen.

This book really had me thinking and asking questions all the way through as you can see in my Goodreads "diary" log, they ranged from What is the secret that Josh can't tell Elaan that Elijah discovered?, What could be so bad that would make Elijah want Josh to stay away from Elaan because of? Could Elaan really be right about Elijah that he is gay and that he may have accidentally found out/ found out Josh is gay or bisexual too?" My immediate thoughts upon finishing Concealed BK1 in the Virus Series were . . A really good start to a possibly great series! Can't believe how it ended. Definitely left me with plenty of questions that need answering in the next book. The most imminent question being Will “Boxcar-Willie” double cross the teenagers? being the first question that are at the forefront of my mind!

"Concealed" by R.J. Crayton is the story of a pandemic that sweeps the world while a few lucky people including scientists, military officials, and their families are kept safe in an underground facility where they are trying to find a cure. The story centers around a teenage girl named Elaan. Concealed has a double meaning here in the sense that they are concealed from the rest of the world and there are also secrets that are concealed that will rock Elaan's world.
This is definitely a novel that will appeal to teenagers who love end of the world/pandemic type books. The author sets the stage in this first book well enough that I finished it and want to know what happens next.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for free in exchange for my honest review.

After learning that bloggers had taken issue with another book for racist and homophobic views I was not happy to see that this book, concealed, had a homophobic sentence. But that was it. A sentence and the rest of the book our MC was very supportive of her brother.

Let’s look at the characters first. I loved that the bond among the brother and sister, and the thread of them, Josh, the only other teen on the base underground, was so strong. While I don’t have what the brother and sister had with my sister, it felt real. They truly cared for each other, and they had to with their absent father in the wake of their mothers death. They were each other’s rock. That being said, her brothers suspected crush on her crush, Josh, who appeared to choose her, did complicate things a tad bit. One of the main questions this book asks, by doesn’t provide the answer to is how does one balance that tricky situation. My hope is that they finally come in contact with other teens and a love blooms between her brother and another young man. I was emotionally invested in the three of them, I want to see them happy.

The plot isn't unique. At all. It's similar to the situation the Hunger Games characters were in in Mockingjay. It's a very common trope but it that's because it's happened in real life. We, in America, used to have fallout shelters that we regularly kept in stock, and this was essentially a massive, military fallout shelter. In that way, I was able to enjoy the book. I'm not going to lie, which, admittedly, is what makes me a good blogger: I didn't love this book. I read it in two work days which was the max amount of time I wanted to spend on it

The book went quickly, both in plot and reading pace. My theory is that because it's a common plot, I was used to the tempo.

I have a huge issue with something: while our MC wasn't we am per second, they boys left her out of pretty much all decision making, as if she were too stupid to provide valuable input as a woman. In fact, the only other female characters that were mention were two mother's with children. There's a test that helps you determine if a book s sexist: if there are at least two other female characters, do they speak of anyone else other than the men? This book failed this test, and had another sexist symptom: there were only three scenes with another woman

I thought this book was pretty good. I was intrigued by the idea of a virus decimating most of the population of the world. It is definitely a scary and all-too-real possibility for our society to face int he near future. I also like the idea of the main characters living underground in a laboratory. I thought the characters could use a little bit more development--I didn't feel like I was personally invested in any of them really. I am curious to see how it plays out in the second book though.

Hmm. That's the theme of this review.

I'm not sure I was madly committed to any of the characters. Indeed, I felt ambivalent towards the three protagonists. When the great secret was revealed, I didn't find it shocking or a surprise.

Hmm.

The notion of a worldwide killer disease is good but old. We've seen it before in many YA books. "Concealed" doesn't add any new nuances or concepts to it.

Hmm.

It is great to have a gay protagonist featured in a YA novel but it's a shame it is someone who is suffering from unrequited love. It would be more refreshing to have a positive gay role model who was out and accepted.

Hmm.

Towards the end of the novel, I found it was picking up pace and I was enjoying it more. Then. Boom. It was over. So even though I felt the book was average, I also felt it was too short and cut off in its prime. It means I have hope for the second in the series.

2.5 stars

Set in a world devastated by a mortal and contagious virus, "Concealed" follows the story of Elaan and Elijah (daughter and son of a doctor who's looking for a cure) and Josh, son of another doctor.
> The plot
I admit that I'm not an expert regarding dystopian books about viruses, since I've maybe read two or three, but nonetheless I always set some standards despite the genre I'm dealing with.
In this case, the real problem wasn't the fact that the plot lacked a bit of originality (people living underground because of a virus isn't what I would define exactly "original"), but the slow, slow pace. And the lenght isn't one of the longest. So you can easily understand that there are almost no events, also because almost half book is focused on love related dialogues between Elaan, Josh and Elijah.
The worst thing was, in my opinion, the ending. Or rather, its absence. The characters don't reach their goal, there is no plot twist, there's nothing that comes to an end. As I reached the last line I thought "Wait, is there a chapter missing?" because I really couldn't believe in a such an abrupt interruption.

> The characters
Without any doubt Elijah was the most intriguing and mysterious, probably due to his unspoken words and sulky expressions whose reason can't be explained. To be honest I'm not really fond of her sister, maybe because she's always asking for the truth even when she won't accept it, or maybe just because I find her rather plain.
In my opinion the story was a bit too centered on the three main characters. I mean, it's obvious since they're the protagonist, however there were just a couple of side characters, thus it was difficult to imagine the situation.

> The setting
Also because the descriptions weren't really thorough. Considering that thousands of people have died, considering the disease spreading, how can you not describe how the world in the surface appears? I know it's has only been 6/7 months since the first case of infection manifested itself, but I would take for granted that things changed.

> Conclusions
I can't say (and I wouldn't dare anyway) that this book was "horrible". It's just that all these little flaws make it a bit boring and therefore, not remarkable.

Elaan Woodson lives in the Scientists Protection Complex. Which is effectively a military compound filled with only 42 people, consisting of military officials and their families for the most part. Of those 42 people, only 2 more are close to Elaan's age. And one of them is her brother! Why are they there? A deadly virus known as the Helnoan Virus is wiping people out. Fast. And this facility is being used as a research facility to help find some answers.

The researchers aren't the only ones who want answers though. Elaan knows that her brother and her friend (and crush) are keeping something from her. And she's determined to find out what's really going on in the compound. So unfolds a pretty fast paced story of Elaan discovering more about her family, their secrets and the impact she could have on finding a cure - because Elaan is immune.

I expected to find out a lot about the virus, and to see the effects of it as the story progressed and characters tried to avoid it. But actually this book goes against the grain and takes a different approach - it considers relationships more closely than it does the theories behind the virus. I'm quite interested to discover how people are affected by these kinds of stressful, scary situations and so it's exciting to explore this concept.

However, I really struggled with the direction this story went off in. A large part of the first half of the story revolves around one single concept - "I know something you don't know". And this is thrown at the reader quite a few times. And Elaan asks the same questions time and time again. I much prefer to be given tiny clues or pick up on hidden clues myself, rather than having such an obvious hint all the time at something bigger going on. I want to unravel the story slowly, and this was a little too blunt for me.

Overall, whilst I think there are some good ideas and a nice writing style, I really struggled with a slightly irritating main character and an obvious plot.