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Contaminated
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Contaminated
Unavailable
Contaminated
Ebook307 pages4 hours

Contaminated

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this ebook

After the Contamination—an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink SlimPro that turned ordinary citizens into shambling creatures unable to control their violent impulses—the government rounded up the "Connies" to protect the remaining population. But now, two years later, the government's started sending the rehabilitated back home, complete with shock collars that will either control, or kill, then.
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_x000D_ Since her parents were taken in the roundup, Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her ten-year-old sister and maintain a sense of normalcy, despite brutal government rations and curfews. She goes to the "Kennels" every day searching for her parents, and when she finds her mother, she's eager to bring her home. Maybe, eventually, they'll be able to get back to the way things were before.
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_x000D_ And then the government declares that the Connies will be rounded up and neutralized, once and for all. Sacrificing everything—her boyfriend, her home, and her job—Velvet will do anything to protect her mother. Velvet has to get the collar off her mother before the military comes to take her away. Even if it means risking all of their lives.
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_x000D_ Gritty and grabbing, Contaminated is a harrowing, emotionally charged dystopic venture into YA.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 1, 2013
ISBN9781606843550
Unavailable
Contaminated
Author

Em Garner

Em Garner began writing at a very young age, always preferring the stories about what goes bump in the night. An avid reader of horror, science-fiction and fantasy, she first turned her hand to short stories about the sorts of things that hide under the bed…and she kept right on going. Now Em spends most of her time in front of her computer, writing away at all the ideas she has swirling around in her head and hoping she can get them into a story before she forgets them. She loves zombies, unicorns, and rainbows, the color purple and the smell of roses. She hates the smell of lilies, the feeling of corduroy and biting sandpaper. (Well. Who doesn't?) She lives at the beach with her family, where she spends a lot of time reading and sticking her feet in the sand. She is afraid of sharks, but that doesn't stop her from going in the water.

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Reviews for Contaminated

Rating: 3.560002 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

25 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Contaminated had a new approach to the zombie novel. Rather than taking place during the outbreak it takes place several years after the fact. So the chaotic feel is not as much there - which some people definitely might miss if that is what they are expecting/wanting.

    The written cues to bring up images/scents are really well done!
    The corridors stink like disinfectant. It's a harsh, burning smell that hurts the inside of my nose, but it's better than the reek that wafts up from underneath the odor of cleanser. That smell's something raw and meaty and moist, something sick. Like dirty wounds. Blood and other things. - pg 1

    This is more of a character driven story, exploring how people are going to react to this kind of tragedy. Don't get the wrong idea you will still see Garner's version of 'zombies' plenty..here they are just referred to as 'Connies' for contaminated. At it's heart this was a book about people, and just how close are those ties that bind. How helpful and caring are people going to be in the face of disaster? Are they going to sympathize with one another's hardships or turn a blind eye? Replace this disaster with any other one and it still hits home.

    It's an interesting look at how the government might react, there were quite a few points of curiosity for me as to how this might play out - but I do admit I missed my blood and gore

    It took me a a few chapters to adjust to the flow of Garner's writing style. I don't know exactly what it was, but the reading felt slow almost as if a lot of the sentences had pauses. You know how some people pause in a sentence for emphasis? That's the closest I can come to explaining it.

    I have to admit though, every time I read the word "Connie" it made me think of a hotdog. Lucky for me that I'm not fond of hot dogs so I could totally use that word to picture these guys.

    *I was provided an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are completely my own*
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Ok so I keep trying to read this book and I just can't do it. I love zombies and the whole apocalypse story lines..Just cannot hold my attention with this book. I may give it another go later on but for now..kinda blech.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There were a few things that bothered me within the book but only a few and they are, admittedly, little and knit-picked. I loved the story, it was absolutely not what I expected. The world within which the story takes place is a little vague but that's expected because the story is from the perspective of a 17 year old who doesn't have enough time to pay more attention and even then she would only know what the media feeds her, which isn't much... I like the characters a lot, they remind me of real people, in real situations with real emotions. They're not overly dramatic and overly philosophic... just... real. It's a good read and I am hoping for a sequel! (there could already be one and I just have yet to look, if there is I can tell you I will be getting it.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Rating: 3 of 5Contaminated, written in the present tense, featured rage "zombies," not the undead kind, and it was more exposition (of the info dump variety) than forward motion. The story followed seventeen year old Velvet in her daily struggle to care for her ten year old sister and their newly returned mother, who is one of the Contaminated. Covers the usual young adult themes (appearance; romance) and social commentary (discrimination) featured in typical dystopian / post-apocalyptic stories. There was minimal gore and only one scene of a real-time attack. Everything else was either Velvet thinking about what she'd witnessed since the Contamination or characters discussing the same. Also, the story's abrupt ending may upset some readers. Personally, for this book's goal, I felt it was a complete story in itself. Though, after I finished the book, I confirmed my suspicions about the BAM!-it's-over ending: this is the first in a series.Recommended for anyone, ages 12 and up, who wants a tame version of the typical young adult "zombie" story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received a copy of Contaminated from the Early Reviewers list and I have to admit that I put off reading it for quite some time because I thought it would be too scary. I picked it up and put it down several times before I finally just decided to read it and get it over with; that was yesterday. I finished it today, less than 24 hours later, and I am so glad I finally picked it up and read it. Contaminated is the story of 17 year old Velvet, her younger sister Opal and their mother, a Connie. A Connie is someone who has been contaminated after drinking the popular Thin-Pro water which was infected with a prion causing a mad cow like reaction in people who drank it. Connie's are still human but they lack self control and go into rages for no reason. The government has tried to gather them up and neutralize them and now they are releasing them back to their families. Velvet is thrilled when she finds her mother and is able to bring her home. Unfortunately she doesn't get the happily ever after she was hoping for. Life with a Connie is much harder than Velvet imagined. Their family is discriminated against, forced to leave their subsidized housing, not allowed to ride the bus and her mother requires round the clock care. Velvet isn't sure how she will manage to keep the family together but she does the best she can to do everything right. I think what I liked most about this book is that it dealt with the aftermath of the epidemic more than the epidemic itself. It turned out to be much less of a horror story and much more of a human story. While the book certainly has its horrific elements, it is much more than that, in reality it is a story of young girl doing the best that she can to keep her family together. Velvet is one of the strongest female characters I've read about in a long time. She takes on the responsibility of raising her sister, heading the household and caring for her mother without a second thought. The real horror in this book comes not from the Connie's but from the rest of the community who shun them and refuse to help Velvet when she really needs it. I thought this book was a great example of perseverance and courage in the face of adversity. The book ended with some questions, probably setting up a sequel which was a bit of a disappointment, I was hoping it would be a standalone. However I'm certain that Velvet's story will continue to be compelling and hopefully all will end well for her and her family.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Review based on ARCI was looking forward to the gritty aftermath... the trouble starting all over again... the zombie book with a new spin. Aaaaand... maybe the series as a whole will offer that. But this book itself didn't quite live up to what I was expecting based on the book's description.In Contaminated, Velvet, the main character, is a 17-yr-old dystopian heroine with missing parents and a somewhat typical 10-year old-sister to talk care of. The "zombies" are people who drank a diet drink that was poorly made, causing people to become mindless raging ... well, zombies. And Velvet's mom was one of the "connie's" who will be released back to her family if her family claims her. Velvet finds her and brings her home. What follows is a difficult life, discrimination, and challenges that the strong heroine faces with gusto.I'm cool with the backdrop - I like new spins on old tales. I liked how I Am Legend spun with science. LOVE that kind of stuff, actually. So I was really looking forward to this.But most of the novel was day-to-day.. memories.. stories. It wasn't the adrenaline-laced "oh no! it's happening again?!" novel that I was expecting, so much as a narrative of life after all the excitement happened two years ago... The cover and the title lead the reader to think that this is action, gore, guts, and CONTAMINATED zombie-like humans! But perhaps "My mom is a Connie" would have been a better title, to give the potential-reader more of a sense that the book is almost more of a lesson-book. A book on discrimination, on governmental reaction and politics. A book on family ties and strength of character. All fine and dandy, but just fell a little flat for me. It was somewhat interesting and well-written, but not an attention-grabber or a sleep-stealer.Garner has set this up to be the first in a series. Like many series, the first book may be more introductory, and the second and others following may have the action that I was expecting in this one. I hope so.. And, indeed, the end of this book was where it started to really pick up and become intriguing.So I recommend the book to young adults -- teens. I liked the strong and fairly realistic protagonist. I liked the potential that was laid with this book, and I liked the backdrop. I am definitely curious about the 2nd book, but I may not be there on opening night....THREE out of five stars.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    **I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, fair review**Contaminated tells the story of 17 year old Velvet and her younger sister Opal. After a the diet drink "Thin Pro" turned much of the population into rage-like zombies, the government has rounded up the contaminated or "Connies" and neutralized their erratic, violent behavior. Velvet has found her mother, now wearing a neutralizing shock collar and brings her home. However, life is not how it was nor will it be. Velvet and her sister must struggle to survive and adapt to their mother's new state. Worse, the contamination seems to be spreading again.The novel is published in the vein of other dystopian, post apocalyptic, zombie genre materials in YA fiction. Overall, I was disappointed because I expected more. The concept, imagery and characterization all have potential; however, the pacing is off and too much time is spent 'setting up' for the climax with the end coming far too rapidly. I would still recommend this to readers grades 7-10 who enjoy similar reads.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One expects zombie novels to be fast-paced and full of gritty, morbid, bloody zombie-killing action. Not so with Contaminated. The novel reveals the "humanity" of zombies, reminding us that the genre doesn't have to be all thrillerness and blood-and-guts fighting. I found it a rather refreshing difference, actually.This is not to say that the plot of Contaminated is boring or slow, because it isn't. The story is very well-paced as well as well-written. The characters have depth and are engaging. They're dealing with issues not unknown to readers - having to take care of younger siblings, balancing family, work, and school, dealing with close family members who have various severe illnesses (the changes in Velvet's mother are a lot like a gradual reversal of Alzheimer's). The novel is very perceptive of some current social issues and negative cultural trends, and I found the book interesting in as much for its ways of examining these to various extents as for its actual storyline.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Contaminated isn't your stereotypically action packed zombie novel and I actually loved it for that reason. Instead, Em Garner shows the reader the aftermath of the contamination all brought on from a bad batch of a crazy popular diet drink called ThinPro. It focuses on two sisters, seventeen year-old Velvet and her little sister Opal and what they must do to survive in this new world.It's not an easy task for the seventeen year-old; instead of worrying about boys and school, she is forced to worry about finding a safe place to sleep at night and how she is going to get food on the table. And when they find out their mom is now a connie (one the contaminated), despite their joy at finding their mother, it adds a whole new string of problems.There are moments in the book where you forget that the main character is only a teenager, only for Garner to remind you in such a human and often touching way. You suffer with Velvet when she suffers and I often found myself rooting for her when she did things selflessly for her younger sister.If you enjoyed books like Warm Bodies and I Am Legend, then this book is for you.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really really enjoyed this book! I received it as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, and it's a good thing I did, because the quote on the front cover from Ann Aguirre ("Relentlessly horrifying...a bone-chilling, riveting debut") would NOT have encouraged me to read this. I'm not a fan of horror novels. I have tried reading a couple of the zombie novels like "Feed" by Mira Grant and "Dead of Night" by Jonathan Maberry but was so scared, I never finished them (I got a whopping 7 pages into Maberry's book--totally terrifying for me!!)So, we've established I'm a chicken when it comes to horror. But I disagree with calling this book "relentlessly horrifying." The circumstances the characters find themselves in is indeed scary, and the premise is believable enough to seriously consider "what would I do if this really happened?" But I was never scared to turn the page, nor did I stay awake after reading this book, too scared to sleep. The story is well-constructed, with very likeable characters and a strong concept. I like how this story is kind of in the middle of the new world order; part of the disaster has happened, but it's not over yet. You can't help but wonder what possibly would be the BEST possible outcome for these two girls. Whatever it is, I hope they get it.I'm getting to be a little tired of all these YA trilogies, but I would like to find out what happens next in this world created by Em Garner. (I have no idea if this is a planned trilogy; I just mean I want to find out what's around the corner for Velvet and Opal.) Plus, while I hate using "unputdownable" to describe a book, it was true in this case. I highly recommend this book, and give 4.5 stars out of 5.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pretty good take on the otherwise traditional zombie story. This focuses more on what happens after the zombie apocalypse has come and gone and they're starting to get the lights back on again. Only these zombies aren't dead, they're just suffering from a prion disease and are still very much alive. I do wish that they'd gotten to the real "conflict;" the resurgence of the prion disease, a lot sooner. Most of the book is focused on the day-to-day life of a 17-year-old who is trying to keep custody of her 10-year-old sister, so there's not much conflict outside of trying to get food and shelter and all. It seemed like the book was just starting to get exciting when it ended, and I would have liked to keep going. Of course, that's kind of the point of a good story, isn't it? Always leave them wanting more...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyI wasn’t always a zombie fan. It’s taken shows like The Walking Dead and emotionally intelligent books like Sophie Littlefield’s Aftermath series to bring me around to the reality that zombies don’t have to just be about gore and horror (two things that don’t especially appeal to me). CONTAMINATED is a book about tragedy, determination, and devotion in the wake of an epidemic that just happened to turn a large portion of the population into zombies.Unlike many stories involving zombies, CONTAMINATED is really focused on the human reaction after the zombie outbreak. How does the world go on? How do the children survive? Em Garner’s hauntingly imagined world is one where zombies are gathered up and kenneled like stray dogs. They are essentially lobotomized and outfitted with behavioral correcting shock collars and sent home to families that claim them. Velvet is one of the lucky ones. She finds her mother and brings her home. What follows is often excruciatingly painful as this girl, only seventeen herself, is forced to care for a mother who is a shell, and care for her ten year old sister.The writing is simple and poignant whether describing the quiet agony of a neighbor bringing home her three year old boy from the kennels or the panicked confusion of a wife witnessing the feral transformation of her husband in the produce section of a grocery store. It’s not about gore and savagery, although the human reactions are often every bit as savage as the zombies. CONTAMINATED is more tender, more bleak, and ultimately more beautiful than I’ ever thought a zombie book could be.The ending is hopeful and ominous at once, so I’m all the more relieved to learn that the author has already finished writing a sequel. Publication is expected in 2014.Sexual Content:Kissing. Vague references to attempted assault