PODs

by Michelle K. Pickett

• ISBN10: 1937053288
• ISBN13: 9781937053284
• Publish Date: 4 June 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Spencer Hill Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[limabean74]

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.

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.

I loved the connection between all the characters except Josh he was a little scary LOL. 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).

Once they emerge from the PODs this get a little crazy and this is were all the intense stuff happens when they realize the Virus didn't die when they were in the PODs for 12 months.

This book 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.

But with that being said I really did enjoy this book. I would totally recommend to anyone looking for a great read with a strong love story set in an apocalyptic world of crazy zombie like people.

For more details review visit my blog: http://love2readalways.blogspot.com

[lizarodz]

Find the original review here: Reading with ABC

I love the dystopian genre and although this book wasn’t what I expected, PODs turned out to be a great adventure.

The synopsis for PODs is very good, thus I don’t have to repeat these crucial points in the story. The book can be divided in parts: pre-virus, PODs, and live after the PODs. I have to say that the beginning of the book moved me to tears. I cannot comprehend the rapid spread of a fatal virus that wipes population so fast that there is no time to even study it and find a cure. I cannot imagine the pain of knowing that death is almost certain, except for the few chosen to be saved in the PODs. As a mother I understand Eva’s parents delight that she was chosen, I would have felt the same way. Nevertheless, it was heartbreaking to read.

I really liked Eva (short for Evangelina); she is feisty, stubborn, beautiful, intelligent, and has a great sense of humor. The part of the book I loved the best was the time that the group spends in the sub-POD. At the beginning everyone was scared, grieving, upset, but eventually they become a tight family (for the most part). Eva and David meet at the POD and the problems arise when they are relocated to different ‘villages’ at the end of their time there. I’m not sure if I would have made the same decisions they did, but I’m glad they found each other.

The romance is a big part of the story. I understand this as well; when everything familiar and everyone else is gone, finding love is like a lifeline. David is handsome, intelligent, loving, tender and very protective of Eva. I liked him, but for some reason something was missing. I also got mad that they never found a moment of privacy! Other characters in the story are not as well fleshed out, but I did like the group in the PODs better.

The plot is good, even if there are a few ‘holes’ in it. I know that the story moves really fast, but it would have been to understand more about the virus, the mutation and the government’s plans. I don’t understand where the PODs came from (were there build ‘just in case’?) and why the government made the decisions it did). The writing is straightforward, easy to read and at times a bit dry.

I was surprised to see in Goodreads that this is a series, as the ending of book one was quite adequate for me. I would recommend this book to dystopian lovers, please be aware that there are some gruesome scenes in here and it might not be appropriate for younger readers.

Some quotes for you: (please note these are form the ARC and they might be different in the final book)

“David. Where is he right now? Is he as excited as I am? MY heart is doing weird things and a million butterflies are inside me. I swear if I open my mouth they’ll fly out.”

“Sitting in a beanbag in the middle of the room was a boy with several piercing and tattoos; his blond hear was cut close to his heat in a military style… I dubbed him Beanbag Guy… there was a boy sitting against the wall, doodling in a notebooks. Brown hair fell all over his face. He didn’t look up as I came in. I named him Doodle Boy.”

About the cover: It gives an idea of what the book is about, although the PODs were underground.

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

Before anything else, I have a warning for you about PODs. The synopsis you see on Goodreads/Amazon describes like 95% of the ENTIRE book (instead of maybe the 25-45% you usually get). It literally leaves nothing to be explored or discovered when actually reading the book. It kills any kind of surprise by telling you exactly where the plot is going every step of the way. If you want a chance to enjoy the book a bit more, do yourself a favour and do not read the synopsis.

Now onto the book...

I think PODs had a great idea, but it failed in execution. We're left with a rushed story, a repetitive plot, almost zero world building, an insta-love-type romance and a main character who gets increasingly more aggravating.

I didn't connect with the romance at all, which was a huge problem for me since the romance is definitely the focus of the book. Since the first 132 pages span over fifteen months everything happens way too quickly and the development is really shallow. Eva and David go from being strangers to being "in love", but we don't see any of that development. It literally feels like one minute they've never spoken, and 5 pages later they've been dating for 5 months. So then when Eva started saying things like this, I just lost it:

We talked. That's all we did was talk. We know each other, David. Probably better than some married couples.
—Page 178

They apparently know each other so well, but as a reader, I felt like I didn't know either of them! And I never saw them talk. I didn't see them exchange a lot of sweet, intimate moments, that could built into love. That didn't exist at all. They had like 2 pre-dating moments, but then all of a sudden, they're in love! Overall I just feel like all the relationships suffered because of how much time is crammed into such a short space.

A huge part of the middle of PODs is dominated with this romance, and the whole time I just kept thinking, When will the zombies come out? And for me—someone who usually isn't that into zombie books—that's saying something.

And speaking of zombies, another thing that annoyed me was the lack of world building after they got out of the PODs. Just imagine... a virus takes over the world, select people go into PODs, then they come out over a year later.. what's your first question? Well, mine is, "What is the world like now?" But as soon as they left the PODs, we got NOTHING. Is the whole country a ghost town? Are the buildings abandoned? In ruins? Do you see people anywhere? Literally NONE of those questions were answered. And then they group up into communities, but again we get very little information. How is the government running things? What are some of the rules and the regulations? What is every day life like? We got nada. It was all about finding David, being with David, blah blah. From day one it's practically "Resume life as usual." Eva gets a house, goes to work, goes grocery shopping, people are getting engaged and having babies.. It's like there was no virus at all (and no explanation).

The rest of the book consists of loads of Eva and David making out and almost having sex, but not. And when they're not making out, they're fighting about sexism. Eva constantly complains that the guys are being sexist. Anytime David says something like, "Wait here, I'll go check it out," Eva replies with something like, "Yeah because I'm a helpless female who can't be put in any danger *eyeroll*". And honestly, I thought both of them were unbearably annoying. They spend the whole book arguing about whether or not Eva can fight the zombies. David doesn't want her to because she might get hurt, but she wants to because she wants to protect herself and be useful. I get her point, but god, the CONSTANT arguing over the same thing drove me nuts!

Overall, I think PODs could have been a great book, because it has kind of a cool idea. I like that the government had the PODs system in place—I think it's pretty interesting. But the lack of character development, the bad romance, and the rushed story line just kind of killed it.. By the last quarter of the book I was so tempted to DNF it and just move on. I was completely bored, sick of the romance and makeout sessions, and I could see the plot repeating itself (makeout session, zombie attack, makeout session, zombie attack...).