Peeps by Scott Westerfield

I gave this book a rating of 4 out of 5. Cal becomes parasite positive, called a "peep", and starts working for an organization that controls other peeps. Many of the peeps become dangerous to others, while Cal is only a carrier. He develops some of the powers of peeps, but he keeps his sanity. The conflict evolves into a conspiracy of major proportions as Cal seeks out the peep who infected him. His investigation leads him deep under the city among thousands of vicious rats and red-eyed cats. Something else, large and evil, is also lurking down there.

I enjoyed the idea of the plot, so I gave this book a good score. However, there were a couple of things about it that I didn't like. I found the first couple of chapters very strange and confusing, to the point that I was ready to stop reading the book. It talked about a girl, a peep, who was afraid of anything related to Elvis, rats that followed her, and how she was Cal's former girlfriend but now might attack him. Then, the author finally informed me that peeps are his version of vampires, and he explained all of the strange things I'd been reading in the previous chapters. I also didn't care for the short chapters throughout the book that explained the scientific effect of various parasites and diseases. I didn't think too much about them, and I felt they weren't necessary. I skimmed those chapters as I got farther into the book. I also like conflicts that are more resolved than the one in this book. I felt like I was left hanging, probably for a sequel. Despite my concerns, I obviously felt the book was entertaining, since I gave it a pretty good rating. Other readers may not be bothered by my concerns, and knowing that the book is about vampires may help reduce their confusion.