Starters
by Lissa Price
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
- Release Date: March 13, 2012
- ISBN-10: 0385742371/strong>
- ISBN-13: 978-0385742375
Goodreads Summary
He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie’s head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator’s grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations’ plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . .
Ms. Price does a wonderful job of mixing pulse-pounding action with a touch of sci-fi, and has created a unique dystopian premise. I really liked Callie, the protagonist. This poor girl only wants to provide for herself and her little brother and gets sucked into a disturbing game that seems almost impossible to escape. I felt her fear and frustration, her distrust of everyone and her conflicting emotions between what she feels is the right thing to do and what needs to be done to survive. It gets to the point where Callie has no idea who she can trust which puts her on edge and causes her to make some rash decisions. I would hate to ever be in her position. The other characters were fine and served a purpose, I just didn’t really connect with them as much.
There were a few things I didn’t like. For one, I felt the romantic interest felt rushed and I didn’t completely believe that Callie would have fallen for the guy as quickly as she did, or trust the guy as much as she did. It just didn’t feel natural. By the end of the book it was apparent why Ms. Price set this up, but I didn’t totally buy into it. There also appears to be a set up for a possible love triangle, which again, I don’t feel is totally necessary. Then again, having not read the next book, this is just speculation on my part. I also felt the last few chapters were rushed. We get a lot of information that is just summed up, which is fine, but it just felt as if it happened too quickly.
While the ending wasn’t a complete surprise, it is exciting and a major cliffhanger. The good news is that, according to a page at the end of the book, the next installment will be released in winter of 2012, so we won’t have to wait an entire year for the next installment. I also understand there is an ebook short story available that gives us a little more background on Callie. I’ll definitely be picking this up.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced dystopian that will keep you on your toes, I HIGHLY recommend this one.
(Review based on an Advanced Reader’s Copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley)
Cover image courtesy of the publisher.
