This review may contain minor spoilers, all major events in the book
were left out of review and the end of the book will never be given away.
I was so excited to not only get this book at BEA but also to have it signed by Michelle Pickett.
I did space out when I met her and was only able to get a “can’t wait to read this” out of my mouth. As I walked away of course I thought of a million things I could have said that would have made me look a lot less scatterbrained.
But regardless of my flighty moment I was really excited to have this book and I couldn’t wait to get started….
Summer Read Book #1
PODs by Michelle Pickett
Paperback, 312 pages
Published June 4th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press
Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating… monsters.
Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life–a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.
My review:
Since this book is set up in sections I will do it by section. I don’t read a lot of Dystopian books because they usually scare the crap out of me and I tend to find ways to survive only to realize I would probable die no matter what I do. This book gave me a bit of a panic attack in the beginning.
Hold on before you get out your phones and call the men in the white jackets you must realize it must me a mother thing. Having two kids I always think of ways to make sure they survive plotting it all out in my head only to realize it wont work and making the entire situation worse then when I started causing a full panic attack and I usually need a nap only to dream about it an waking up in a sweat (put the phone down) I realize that was not helping my case in preventing you from calling the loony bin but I really do have those crazy thoughts. I know all the moms agree with me. Don’t make me go to the nut house alone 😉
Any way after reading this book I realized I might want to read more books like this since it really beings out an emotion in you that makes you want to read more and find out what really happens to the characters. Do they survive? Do they die? Is there a cure for whatever happened? Will the world ever be the same? It is one of those books that is not only entertaining but also makes you think.
This book also has a VERY up front love story that kind of puts the events that is going on in the background which helped me have less panic attacks then if it was a full on apocalypse end of world type of book but after reading it I realized I might have wanted more of the background story then the love story.
This is why I gave it 4/5 Stars. I loved it and thought this could really be a real life event but the love story was just too front and center just a little would have been perfect, don’t get me wrong I really did love Eva and David, But the story itself was so interesting I really wanted more of that.
Also I did want to point out that closer to the end I felt David was a little bossy in telling Eva what to do I am a very stand alone kind of person not a fan of being told what to do so it got on my nerves about but he is charming enough to make you want to forgive him for being so bossy.
Ok let’s start at the beginning.
Before:
In the beginning you meet Eva a seventeen year old who is a typical teenager. Her parents are acting rather strange and it’s not until she goes to school does she find out the virus has taken over and it seems to be only getting worse.
Remember the beginning when I said I had panic attacks well her is were they started. I can only imagine the fear it must be for a parent or a kid to realize that you have no control over something and now matter what you do you might die.
The government comes up with a raffle people are randomly selected to go into PODs for a year. Once everyone in the world dies then they will let you out to start civilization over again. Mind you if I was picked I would not leave my children but Eva has to make a choice of she will leave her parents or not. Plus what will happen to her friends. I loved the emotion that this made me feel it really had a real time feel like this situation could really happen. It really gave a great start to this book. When I got to the end of this section I was in a slight panic. I can’t even imagine how scary it must be to enter quarantine alone as a kid knowing you have left your parents behind.
The PODs
She had to spend many days in quarantine to make sure she didn’t have the virus before heading to the PODs. Once inside the PODs she meets the kids who she will be spending the next 12 months with. David, Jai Li, Tiffany, George, Seth, Aiden, Josh (the Jerk) and Katie. While in the PODs they will go to school so they will be able to help when the PODs open and they start a new life. I loved the connection between all the characters except Josh he was a little scary. They really made the best of a rough situation. Really enjoyed reading how they made the POD their own by painting stuff on the walls and this is were the relationship between Eva and David began. It was very cute after losing so much they both finally find something to live for you can really see how much they care for each other. By the time they POD doors open you realize how much they will all miss each other (except Josh)
They start to realize that the places they are going once the PODs open doesn’t keep them all together. Eva is in a panic thinking of David at another camp like town that the government has set up to restart civilization. Once leaving the PODs things get a little weird.
The PODs Open
Ok this is the section that I don’t want to give too much away. Once they are out of the PODs they are brought to a compound where they work and live as they “rebuild” the world. Everything was very military which is the only way I can think of describing it. You are given a house and a job and you are able to get most stuff for free until they can reestablish a money system and banks.
The good stuff starts to happen now. Eva soon finds out the David escaped his compound and is looking for her but once you leave the compounds you can’t go back in because it appears that not everyone died, the virus has mutated while they were locked in the PODs and now the infected are on the attack and roaming the world. If you get bite you become infected too.
Eva and David eventually find each other and Eva leaves the compound to be with the one man she loves. They go on adventure on the outside to try to stay alive which brings them back to the PODs were they are hoping to be safe but the PODs aren’t really safe any more. Can they survive and will they ever find a cure?
Eeepp!!! I can’t wait till you find out. I really thought this was a great book so much going on and such an amazing story.
I actually thought this was a stand-alone book but I could be wrong since I heard that she is writing a book 2? I really hope so because I had a few questions that I thought was unanswered but again I’m not sure. I’ll keep you posted if I found out.
This is my opinion and honest review of the book
NO compensation was give for reviewing this book
So my question for you, do you have panic attacks when you watch or read dystopian? Does it make you think a little too much about what could happen?
Please don’t say it’s only me 😉
Hope you enjoyed this review
Have a great day
and
Happy reading
Great review! This book looks so good, just got added to my TBR!
Thank you 🙂 it really was a great read
Thanks for stopping by 🙂