CW: Gruesome deaths from the virus, suicides

2.5 Stars ( )

First book in series. Pandora's world is thrust into chaos when suddenly everyone around her starts coughing and spitting up blood and then falling over and dying. She runs home only to find her mother and brother in the same situation - she appears to be the only one left untouched by what must be a terrible virus. She witnesses a few horrific things - policeman committing suicide - and the shock causes her to pass out.
When she wakes up, she is in a strange place called The School behind a massive wall with other teenagers of roughly the same age. She and the others are told they are the survivors and must train for a new world once the virus dies out, they can return. In the meantime, they must train to be at their physical best - martial arts , running, etc.
Pandora ( or Pan as she is now called) sparks the interest of the people running the group because she appears to be able to use psychic ability to find things.
But then one of her team goes missing and Pan's ability is really questioned as she sees the missing girl high on a mountain peak.
Will she find her in time?
In the course of the book Pan befriends Wei-Lin and Nate ( a boy who falls for her) and locks horns with Jen, the other alpha female in the group. She also tries to escape a few times as she is not 100% convinced that the world outside The School has changed as much as they say.
Mystery action and adventure. Bit violent in bits and minor language. ( )

Amazon summary: Pandora Jones wakes in an infirmary - her body weak, her memory providing only flashes of horrific scenes of death. She soon discovers that her family has succumbed to a plague pandemic which almost wiped out humanity. Pan is one of the survivors who have been admitted to The School - a quarantined, heavily guarded survival-skills facility - to recover their strength, hone their skills and prepare for whatever comes next. Pandora's skill is intuition, but how useful will it be outside the secure walls of The School? And what if it leads her to question where the truth lies... ( )

What a ride!

When I first read the book description I was like "this sounds a little like Resident Evil" and I LOVE Resident Evil. But the further I read the more I realised that it was far from Resident Evil but just as good.

The whole book is wrapped in an air of mystery, which is what keeps you reading to the very end. What happened to everyone else? Why is there mainly children that are survivors? Why do Pandora's memories clash so much with her dreams and sense of intuition? What REALLY is going on?

The book starts by jumping in straight away. No lead up. Just straight up memories of what Pandora Jones "remembers" happened. That's also what makes this story good and also a little bit lacking. I felt that we should have known how Pandora felt towards her family members: the relationship she had with them so we could share that connection and experience it along with her loss. It helps us understand a little of what she's going through. But at the same time it was the only way the story could have been delivered. I mean, she lost everything and her memories are all jumbled and her connection to that life is almost non-existent because of this "virus" having wiped out her entire world and life. But she has a "feeling" that something is very very wrong. And the more you read, the more you understand.

There wasn't much of a relationship between the characters but the ones that were there mattered to the storyline, like Pandora and Nate, Pandora and Jen. And why didn't anyone question their ability to be free? I found that a little frustrating. Yes, they were children and many children will believe the word of an adult. But still...do they not realise their rights? Why didn't someone say "well if we're not prisoners why aren't we allowed to leave" even if they weren't allowed to come back because of the potential disease they might catch. That right there - being stuck at the school - tipped me off that there was something very very fishy going on...but what? So I had to continue reading. I was ensnared with this lack of knowledge - like Pandora and the Wall!!!

The only thing I got a little annoyed with was the constant referral to how Pandora would run. It gets a bit much when you've read it at least 3 times before, how she needs to remember how to breath and eventually gets into a rhythm and all she does is run from place to place ALL day. Just a minor thing, but it irked me a bit.

Overall though, I couldn't read the book fast enough and the further in I got, the more addicted I became. It was fast-paced, the characters were all loveable v detestable (what is with Gwynne and his nose wiping? Is he a drug addict or something?) and the mystery enshrouding the story was as catching as the virus! I loved it. I can't wait for the next book "Deception" to come out and wait in anticipation for it to land in my hands so I can continue on with the story.

I'd like to say 'move over Hunger Games' but they are in two completely different leagues. But if you're a fan of that sort of story then I would suggest that you grab a copy of this book and get started on a new great and exciting series! You won't be disappointed! ( )