Starters (Starters #1)
by Lissa Price
Hardcover
368 pages
Published March 13th 2012
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ARC from Netgalley
Summary from Goodreads:
Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.
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.
Thoughts:
I'm surprised by how much I've enjoyed this story. I was so relieved to finally read a dystopian without some war theme going on. The premise reminds me of Gone. Except that the adults in this book did not completely disappear since the Enders (old folks) survived and was left in control of everything. It is very fast paced, explosive and engaging to make me want to read more and more.
Likes
Callie is strong character and I was really curious about the mystery surrounding Prime Destinations. Old folks renting teenagers' bodies are way too creepy. Interesting but creepy.
Dislikes
I just don't get the instant love between Callie and Blake. What about Michael? There's no apparent character development for Michael. Apart from being Callie's trusted friend. Is there something going on between them?
Just like Under the Never Sky, Starters would be a very unique stand alone instead of dragging the story to a series.
Recommended for: dystopian fans (of course)
Verdict: 3 1/2 stars.
In my Debut Author Reading Challenge
Available on: Amazon
I'm loving the cover. It does sound creepy. Maybe too much for me.
ReplyDeleteI actually just got this book!!! I'm reading it right now!! At first i thought it was a bit slow and hard to get into but by page 50, things reallly got interesting. I guess it was because i got use to the society that she's living in or maybe it was bc that's when she meets the guy lol either way though:)
ReplyDelete-JennyC :)