Review Detail

PODs (Pods, #1)

Author: Michelle K. Pickett
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Genre: Apocalyptic Sci-Fi/Dystopia (YA?)
Format: EBook
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Recommended Reading: 15+

Contains no spoilers


THE GIST: Tough book to rate! PODs is a very, very nice concept with a good story, but several scenes I can’t bring myself to call romantic. One thing this author definitely does right is she gets to the point and moves on, which is nice compared to some authors who meddle too long in each scene causing the dreaded snooze-fest. Sometimes the scenes were a bit too short and choppy. Nevertheless, PODs truly held my interest and strongly engaged my imagination. This is a solid 4-star book because of the great entertainment value and quick pace, plus it was creative and engaging. As I’ve said several times before, I’m looking to be entertained, and I was.


SYNOPSIS: 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. (Goodreads)



BREAKDOWN: In the beginning of PODs, I found myself reminded of the movie Deep Impact where there’s a government raffle that determines which citizens are “saved” in an underground shelter that can only hold a small fraction of the country’s population. It’s similar and I was intrigued. The set up was very engaging and well-played.

Most YA dystopias that are set in a futuristic United States are usually set far enough into the future that it doesn’t matter if the country in the book resembles the country we live in today. PODs, however, starts off in modern day USA as we know it. To a degree, it makes the situation feel a little more real, but I couldn’t buy into it. I’m not in a place where I can believe our nation could turn into the dystopian government described in PODs overnight as it does in the story. One day it’s the United States of America, the next, it’s your typical controlling, faceless government. Why didn’t these people scream for their rights? Question what was being imposed on them? (Referring to the chosen survivors, not the protesters from the beginning). Perhaps this is the reaction the author wanted and I played right into her hand. Sadly, this topic was perhaps the most passionate I felt during this novel, because I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I’d wanted.

The leading lady, Eva, was good and I was interested in her journey. I just didn’t connect with her emotionally. I also didn’t connect with her love interest, David, though he was set up to be quite scrumptious. Over time, he became less and less likeable to the point of pissing me off and causing me to just brush over his intimate scenes with Eva. Which brings me to the love story.

The piece that really threatened to bring this book down was Eva and David’s relationship… Because it wasn’t romantic to me. The intimacy was a bit heavy-handed, and my problem is this is a YA book and there’s a clear limit the author has set to how far she’ll let these hormonal lovebirds go. So when they do this over and over, then force themselves to stop every time… well, it gets old. I’m not saying I want them to go farther, in fact, I’d rather they cut a lot of it out. They can’t keep their hands off each other, and it’s so overplayed, it’s not exciting to read. It’s repetitive. And with the tension in their relationship, I feel like the characters were driven by hormones way more than love. I simply felt, this perhaps was not a tale best told to a YA audience.

I know this all sounds very complain-ey, but the book has redemptive qualities, I promise! Such as: it’s really interesting! PODs puts a unique spin on the dystopian story. And I read a lot of YA dystopia and post-apocalypse. Nobody has done it quite like this author, Pickett. Her story truly feels authentic and unique. I was surprised constantly with where the story turned, and while I would’ve liked a more climactic ending, I wasn’t left unsatisfied. Honestly, the book felt a lot more like a film to me, which is not a bad thing. I might chalk up many of my complaints to the author’s style (like the large chunks off inner dialogue, the excessive love scenes, etc). Those things might be fine; just not my personal taste, but I did enjoy it, so I can’t knock the book too hard. What can I say, I’m a sucker for the apocalypse.

FINAL THOUGHTS: PODs is a fast-paced apocalyptic story with elements of dystopia; it’s a quick read with plenty of intrigue, unexpected turns, and some impressive creativity. The execution wasn’t perfect (for me), but man, there’s some good story here. I hope you’ll check it out.

(Review originally posted on GliteraryGirl.com)