Showing posts with label Michelle Pickett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michelle Pickett. Show all posts

Friday, 20 November 2015

PODs - Book Review (repost)

A repost today of my 2013 review of PODs. I'm eager to get my trotters on the sequel, but the paperback is a bit expensive at the moment.


PODs (Pods #1)
by Michelle Pickett


What is it about:
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.


What did I think of it:

I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since I first heard about it over a year ago. Then I was greatly disappointed when I discovered it released in June 2013 instead of June 2012 as I thought. And then I was disappointed again when on release day my preordered copy wasn't available and I had to wait even longer for the book to arrive.

But it finally arrived and this is what greeted me when I opened the book:


I will confess PODs deserved a place on my keeper shelves right at that moment just for how it looked alone.

And then I started reading and it earned its place on my keeper shelves a second time.

This is a really cool Post Apocalyptic read!

I will confess I had expected a different story. I had thought that the time in the PODs would be glossed over and that the story would only really kick off when Eva leaves the PODs. Instead there's a lot of time spend on Eva being brought to the POD and on the stay in the POD intself. Ony later in the book do Eva and the others leave the POD and discover what's waiting for them outside.

Did I care that I wasn't immediately thrust into scenes where Eva has to fight infected mutants? No!

Pickett did a wonderful job in setting the mood for this story and showing us how Eva and her POD-mates handle the time in the POD. I was engrossed in the story from the start. There were some things that I found a little unbelievable or that weren't really thought through in my opinion, but the story was so intriguing that I was able to suspend disbelieve and let myself go along with it.

All in all I really enjoyed this story and it was well worth the wait. Although it can be read as a standalone (no nasty cliffhangers) there's going to be a sequel and you can bet on it that I'll be getting hold of it.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Post Apocalyptic YA


buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

Tuesday, 13 October 2015

The Infected - Book Blitz




The Infected (PODs #2)
by Michelle K. Pickett
Release Date: October 12th 2015

From the author of the award winning Unspeakable, and the best selling PODs, comes the highly anticipated sequel to PODs. A world where death stalks the unsuspecting, and this time even the PODs might not save them.

A virus nearly wiped out humankind...

Months have passed since a human infection has been reported. Survivors of the deadly pandemic have finally started to build a life in a world left devastated by plague. 

Ironically, for nineteen-year-old Eva, life made more sense when she battled the deadly Infected than it does in the serenity of her new home in Rosewood. Separated from fiancĂ© and former POD-mate, David, after an impossible ultimatum, Eva finds her life a little lonely and a lot confusing. 

But as troubled as Eva’s life is, it's about to take a turn for the worse as untold dangers watch and wait for the right moment to attack…

The virus refuses to die quietly.



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BOOK TRAILER:



PODs on Goodreads


About the Author

I can’t write without a hoodie. Yeah, I live it Texas. We all have our quirks.

I majored in accounting in college. I was required to declare a major, but I had no clue what I wanted to do, so I picked accounting because it was the first thing listed in the booklet the counselor gave me. Surprisingly, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Go figure.

Forget coffee. Hand over the Red Bull or Monster Khaos and no one gets hurt. Seriously, just set it down and step away. I will turn into a normal human after I guzzle my can of caffeine.

I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows on television.

I paint my nails weird colors just to see my husband roll his eyes and make my 9 year-old twin girls giggle. Oh, and mortify my 13 year-old son.

I’m a hopeful romantic and love swoon-worthy endings that keep the butterflies going for days, but I don’t believe a HEA always ends with the boy getting the girl. Sometimes a HEA is an ending we don’t see coming, but is still best for the characters.

I write across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups while eating way too many peanut butter M&Ms (but we’ll keep that second part just between us).

I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now live in a suburb of Houston, TX with my very supportive family, a 125lb rescue “puppy” and a 12lb attack cat, also a rescue animal.

And last, (but certainly not least), I love my family with everything in me. Everything I am, is theirs. There are no words in any language known to man to describe my love for them. They are my center.

I’d love to hear from you. So drop me an email! Let’s chat. You tell me what you like in books, what you’d like to see happen in the writing community, what type of books you like to see more of…less of—I want to hear it all! So tell me, please. Because the one thing I wish I could put on my list, but I still haven’t figured out how to do, is mind-reading. But don’t tell my kids. I still have them fooled.

Author Links:
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GIVEAWAY:

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Book Blitz Organized by:
YA Bound Book Tours





Saturday, 21 February 2015

Finding Willow - Book Review


Finding Willow (Freedom 0.5)
by Michelle K. Pickett


What is it about:
“Finding Willow” is the prequel to “Unspeakable,” the touching romance between Brody and Willow that explores one girl’s quiet strength to survive the unbearable weight of a family secret alone, and the love and resolve of a boy determined to help her.

Brody Victor lives life on the fringes. Moving from school to school with each transfer his mother’s job requires has taught Brody well: If there’s one thing harder than making friends, it’s saying goodbye to them. So he’s learned to close himself off. He’s a loner, and that’s how he likes it.

When his mother accepts a permanent position in Wisconsin, Brody begins to slowly open up. But old habits die hard and, for Brody, making friends doesn’t come easily. That is, until he meets Annabelle. Brody loses himself in her. Their connection runs deep and, for the first time, Brody truly lets someone inside. But life can be cruel. An unexpected job transfer uproots Brody from his home in Wisconsin, and Annabelle.

Vowing not to get involved with another girl after the heartbreak of losing Annabelle, Brody returns to life on the outside looking in. A loner by choice. Until he finds Willow. Friendly and beautiful, a guy can’t help but notice her, but Brody notices more than her beauty. When she flashes her full smile, a spark is missing from her hazel eyes and for reasons unknown to him, Brody needs to find the reason.

Along the way, he stumbles across a secret bigger than both of them.


What did I think of it:
I read Unspeakable and although it is a very good and beautiful story, it was also a difficult story for me, because of the subject. This novella takes place largely before the events in Unspeakable and gives insight into Brody, the male lead of Unspeakable.

And I'm glad I read this novella, because it's very enjoyable.

Brody is a nice guy, with a past that explains why he has difficulties to connect with others. The romance between him and Annabelle is really sweet, and it makes me like Brody even more than the events in Unspeakable already made me like him.

If you like Contemporary Young Adult Romance that also deals with heavier subjects, I can advice you to pick up this free novella to see if you like Pickett's style and to get to know Brody a bit. Then pick up Unspeakable to read Willow's story.

Why should you read it:
It's a really enjoyable and sweet Contemporary YA read


Get this novella here

Monday, 5 January 2015

Milayna Trilogy Cover Reveal - Promo Guest Post

COVER REVEAL FOR THE MILAYNA SERIES:

You've seen the cover for Milayna, book one in the Milayna Trilogy, and now the remaining covers in The Milayna Series are revealed!!


I'm so excited about the gorgeous covers for the Milayna Trilogy, by Michelle K. Pickett! Book one, Milayna, is scheduled to release March 17, 2015. Book two, Milayna's Angel, and book three, The Innocent, are both scheduled for release in 2015--so we won't have any long, irritating waits between books. So don't forget to add all three to your TBR list!
 
And for a limited time, you can pre-order Milayna (Book #1) for $2 off the purchase price! It's available for pre-order at only $2.99, but only for a limited time! So get your orders in now, before the sale ends! 
 


In the battle for her soul,           
                              which side will she choose?

Series Name: The Milayna Series
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
CTP Content Rating: YAm

MILAYNA (Book #1) by Michelle K. Pickett



Release Date: March 17, 2015

From the bestselling author of PODs comes an unforgettable tale of action, intrigue, and following your heart in the midst of betrayal.

It’s hard being good all the time. Everyone needs to be bad once in a while. But for seventeen-year-old Milayna, being good isn’t a choice. It’s a job requirement. And it’s a job she can’t quit. Born a demi-angel, Milayna steps in when danger and demons threaten the people around her, but being half angel isn’t all halos and happiness. Azazel, Hell’s demon, wants Milayna’s power and he’ll do anything to get it. But he only has until her eighteenth birthday, after which she becomes untouchable.

With the help of other demi-angels, Milayna thwarts the trouble Azazel sends her way. Fighting by her side is Chay. He’s a demi-angel who's sinfully gorgeous, and Milayna falls hard. But is Chay her true love… or her nemesis in disguise?

When she learns of a traitor in her group, there’s no one she can trust… not even the one she loves.




MILAYNA'S ANGEL (Book #2) by Michelle K. Pickett


"She's Untouchable...or so she thinks.
It seems even in Hell there are loopholes."
 

Release Date: July 7, 2015
Read more about Milayna's Angel here


 
 
THE INNOCENT (Book #3) by Michelle K. Pickett
 


"The Four Brothers are coming, and this time it isn't just Milayna's life in jeopardy, but her brother's too."
 
 
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Read more about The Innocent here


Did you pre-order Milayna to save $2?


ABOUT MICHELLE K. PICKETT:


Michelle is the bestselling author of the young adult novel “PODs.” She was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in a sleepy suburb outside Houston with her extremely supportive husband, three school-aged children, a 125 pound “lap dog,” and a very snooty cat.

Red Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, and she can’t write without peanut butter M&Ms and a hoodie. A hopeful romantic; she loves a swoon-worthy ending that will give her butterflies for days. She writes across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups. She loves to hear from her readers.

Michelle signed her new young adult contemporary novel— Unspeakable, with Clean Teen Publishing in 2014. 

Keep up-to-date on her current and future projects at www.michelle-pickett.com.

 


More from Clean Teen Publishing:
 


 

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Wednesday, 17 July 2013

PODs - Book Review


PODs (Pods #1)
by Michelle Pickett


What is it about:
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.


What did I think of it:

I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since I first heard about it over a year ago. Then I was greatly disappointed when I discovered it released in June 2013 instead of June 2012 as I thought. And then I was disappointed again when on release day my preordered copy wasn't available and I had to wait even longer for the book to arrive.

But it finally arrived and this is what greeted me when I opened the book:


I will confess PODs deserved a place on my keeper shelves right at that moment just for how it looked alone.

And then I started reading and it earned its place on my keeper shelves a second time.

This is a really cool Post Apocalyptic read!

I will confess I had expected a different story. I had thought that the time in the PODs would be glossed over and that the story would only really kick off when Eva leaves the PODs. Instead there's a lot of time spend on Eva being brought to the POD and on the stay in the POD intself. Ony later in the book do Eva and the others leave the POD and discover what's waiting for them outside.

Did I care that I wasn't immediately thrust into scenes where Eva has to fight infected mutants? No!

Pickett did a wonderful job in setting the mood for this story and showing us how Eva and her POD-mates handle the time in the POD. I was engrossed in the story from the start. There were some things that I found a little unbelievable or that weren't really thought through in my opinion, but the story was so intriguing that I was able to suspend disbelieve and let myself go along with it.

All in all I really enjoyed this story and it was well worth the wait. Although it can be read as a standalone (no nasty cliffhangers) there's going to be a sequel and you can bet on it that I'll be getting hold of it.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Post Apocalyptic YA


Buy This Book from Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide