As you read the reviews on Bookshop Talk, you'll notice that every review is positive. No, we're not a bunch of literary
pushovers who love everything we pick up; we just see no point in telling you about a book if we didn't like it.

January 13, 2013

STARTERS by Lissa Price

"Readers who have been waiting for a worthy successor to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games will find it here. Dystopian sci-fi at its best, Starters is a terrific series kickoff with a didn't-see-that-coming conclusion that will leave readers on the edges of their seats . . .” raves the Los Angeles Times. In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party--her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it.  (Amazon)

Reviewed by Debz

STARTERS is a refreshing story to be added to the giant shelf of dystopian fiction. The setting was creepy, the characters were real, and the plot was thrilling; everything you need to make up a good science fiction story.

The world building was great, but I wish there’d been more history on the Spores War and Prime Destinations. I like the idea of all the adults being wiped out by a virus (not in real life, of course), and seeing the after-effects of that. It’s kind of hard to believe that all these old people would be perfectly fine with renting out the bodies of children now that their parents are gone. Should I be worried about the sanity of old people?

Callie was such a realistic character, who I could relate to. As a big sister, I could understand what she was thinking and feeling about her brother. I don’t know if I’d go as extreme as selling my body to keep my family safe, but I’d give almost anything for them. All the supporting characters are very strong and convincing in their roles.

I found myself moving further on the edge of my seat as the story progressed. There was lots of action and mystery that kept things going. I liked that I couldn’t solve everything before the main characters. I had a lot of speculations, but they all turned out to be wrong (which never happens!)

I would recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat. I can hardly wait for Enders to come out this fall (hurray for no waiting until 2013)!

Market: Young Adult
Language: Mild
Sensuality: Mild
Violence: Moderate to Heavy
Mature Themes: (body-image, renting out bodies, war, ethics)

2 comments:

Alice said...

Interesting concept. I love a book where I can't figure out the ending before I get there.

Anonymous said...

This sounds interesting! Creepy, but interesting! I do like dystopian fiction, so I'll give it a try. Thanks for the review, Debz!