REVIEW: PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

Series: Pods, #1

Publication Date: June 4th 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Paperback, 312 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

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.

PODs by Michelle Pickett is a rather difficult book for me to review and rate I'm afraid. And it's difficult because even though I enjoyed reading it and I finished it in no time it could easily have been so much better. The potential of a great story was all there. And even though I can't deny that PODs had a very interesting story the execution just complicated things a bit.

First of all, let me just say that I found the idea of PODs extremely fascinating. I kind of love dystopian novels and lately I seem to pick one great dystopian novel after the other, so the idea of a deadly virus that wipes out almost the entire human population and leaves only small groups of people to pick up the pieces just made me love PODs before I even picked the book up!
Maybe the idea behind PODs isn't all that original. But I couldn't care less. After all I haven't read anything similar, even though there are similar books out there, and the certain Walking Dead vibe I was getting made me appreciate Michelle Pickett's effort all the more.
And here I have to take some time and note that even though the idea of a deadly virus wiping out almost the entire human population isn't something new, the way Pickett planned the PODs and how the government planned to contain the virus was simply amazing and well thought. It wasn't just something done in haste. Pickett had an entire plan in her head and managed to communicate it to her readers but unfortunately the fact that PODs was actually at least two books squeezed in one didn't leave much room for all that brilliance to shine. Because my main problem with PODs was it's pace and how many information was squeezed in one book.

Throughout this story, there were large amounts of time that just passed in a blink of an eye. Literally. 15 months of seclusion in the PODs were squeezed in a matter of 100 pages, probably less. And that was such a shame. Because that way we couldn't really see how 10 strangers could live underground with nothing really special to do. We couldn't really see how that seclusion affected them nor what exactly was the dynamic of the relationship between all those strangers. We were just informed that any relationship progressed rather than witness it. It was just stated that they were affected by everything that was happening rather than see how each character developed through all the dramatic things that kept happening. We were being told that they were afraid but we couldn't sense their fear. Because usually in a chapter of 5 pages there was covered a span of two months. So it's only natural that things would go on the fast forward. Only that fact kind of ruined the potential of this story I'm afraid.

The same thing unfortunately applies to the romance of this story too. There was real chemistry between Eva and David, there was a spark between them but it couldn't possibly be fully explored and felt while months were passing by in a blink of an eye. With the chemistry between them imagine how great a story could PODs be if we could actually read how their relationship developed. But no, Eva and David went from friends to undying love in a blink of an eye. And it saddens me to say something negative about the romantic part of this book because their chemistry was great and better than other books out there that try really hard to show the reader how perfect is the hero for the heroine.

Anyway, PODs is one of those books I really enjoyed reading but I had more than a few problems with it, despite how much I enjoyed it. Michelle Pickett has a strong voice and I dare hope that we should expect great things from her. It's not that PODs is a bad book, far from it. It's just that it could have been so much better. after all ,the potential is all right there, in front of the reader's eyes.

* Review first published at Book Lovers Inc
* ARC copy provided from publisher for review purposes

REVIEW: Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series:Covenant, #3

Publication Date:November 6th 2012

Publisher:Spencer Hill Press

Paperback, 330 pages
Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "


Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden.

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed.

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

Oh well, what can I say about Deity and Jennifer L. Armentrout herself that I haven't already said numerous times... To put it simply and efficiently, I absolutely LOVE this author. If I need to read something good, then all I have to do is pick one of her books and I'm absolutely certain that I will have an amazing time while reading it. Honestly, I just believe that there's no way this author will ever write a book that will disappoint me. Nope, no way!

Deity is phenomenal!!! I know that most people's favorite book is Pure, but somehow Pure didn't work for me the way Half-Blood and now Deity do. Not that Pure wasn't a good book, or I didn't like it, but Deity is so much better! The things that happen here, the romance, the action, everything is just perfect. I loved the way the plot progressed, the things that happened and even if I see the fans of a certain team being a bit disappointed by the turn of events, I personally thought that everything was just mind-blowingly good. Even the bad things.

Needless to say that I read Deity is a matter of hours... Well, I tend to do that with all of Armentrout's books :) As soon as I start reading one of her stories there's no way I'll be able to put them down unless I reach the end. And Deity has so many things going on that putting this book down is next to impossible :P I mean it's action packed, more than Pure was, it's heart-breaking and the romance just delicious! And the ending??? Why would you do that to us Jennifer? Why?

Alex is the same Alex we all love from the previous books, but in Deity I got to understand her motives and characters a little bit better. While her connection with Seth in Pure was presented as something she just couldn't resist, in Deity the reader gets to understand exactly how difficult is for Alex to choose on her own where Seth is concerned. Aiden is swoon worthy. Well, I guess you didn't expect anything less, right? You're absolutely right! Aiden is once more amazing and the romance between them, so sweet and so perfect! (If you're counting how many times I said the word perfect in this review, don't be surprised, I just have no other words to describe things :) )

Anyway, if you're a fan of The Covenant series, then you don't need me to urge you any further to pick this book up. If for some reason you haven't read this series yet, then you should. Believe me, you're in for a treat!

ARC REVIEW: Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

Series: Touch of Death, #1

Publication Date: January 15th 2013

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Paperback, 229 pages

Useful Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Book Depository

Jodi Marshall isn't sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she's in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she's being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.
After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he's not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she's part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendants of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.
Jodi's deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn't difficult enough, Jodi discovers she's the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can't figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.

When I picked up Touch of Death in my hands, I have to admit that for some reason I had high expectations from this book. What with those few raving early reviews and a premise that gives glimpses of a really interesting story and I thought that this book would be amazing. And although the potential for a good book is all there, the execution I'm afraid, spoiled things for me.

The first thing that bothered me in Touch of Death, was how slow it was. I mean almost the whole first half of the book feels like an introduction to the story, where nothing crucial happens, only the problem is, that all that place in the narration isn't used to build the world or the plot, but it's rather wasted on extensive descriptions that aren't really helping anywhere or adding anything to the story. The first half of the book is full of some really extensive descriptions of things like an attempt to catch a rat, that to be frank, I think could have been described in far less pages... As it was, the author wastes precious space in her book just to prolong things. At least I felt that way...

My next problem was the main heroine, Jodi. She was a bit annoying and too self-centred at times. She just acts in a way I can't possibly understand, like when she totally disregards the fact that her room was searched by a stalker just to go on a date. To be accurate, she just pretends that important and dangerous things haven't even happened, just to go on a date...! She pretends and acts with a total abandon over her own life and the life of people she claims she loves, just because she has more important things to do that evening, like finally kissing her boyfriend. I'm sorry, but I just can't like a heroine who acts like that. Jodi is too irresponsible, too gullible and to reckless for my taste. The way she just chose to believe without a second thought, all the crazy things her "stalker" presented her as the truth, didn't help matters either. I mean, you don't just believe a stranger you presume as your stalker so easily and make plans to go away with him for the sake of the people you love. It's just unbelievable.

And now, time for my main source of problems with Touch of Death which I'm afraid is the core of the whole plot. And that is the fact that for the reader to understand Jodi's powers, the author goes on and describes not one, but five (or maybe six I'm not completely sure) deaths, deaths, Jodi herself was responsible for. It doesn't matter for me that she didn't know about her powers. We are talking about 5 murders here, 2 animals and 3 people. I think that I could understand Jodi's extensive powers without all that killing. After that, I really couldn't sympathise with Jodi no matter what. I just couldn't stomach all those deaths. Call me bizarre, but it bugged me.

The second half of the book though is far better and it's the reason I'm giving this book 2 starts instead of one. The plot there becomes more interesting with the necromancers and Medusa, but still, it was far too predictable and the plot was a bit all over the place.

All in all, Touch of Death was a book that couldn't really hold my attention and one that I had many problems with regarding both the plot and the main heroine that are the core of every novel. It may haven't been the book for me, but for so many reviewers to love it, it must have some redeeming qualities that I failed to notice.

* This ARC was provided by Spencer Hill Press for a review.