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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
La verdad es que me ha gustado mucho la historia y su protagonista.
Espero impaciente la segunda parte.
Espero impaciente la segunda parte.
This book was awesome! It was fast paced and it just kept grabbing my attention.
Every time I thought things were over something happened again, just couldn't put it down.
I loved it, and I can't wait to read the next book.
Every time I thought things were over something happened again, just couldn't put it down.
I loved it, and I can't wait to read the next book.
"Starters (Starters #1)" by Lissa Price, 2012
Fast-paced, near-futuristic, and inventive with twists-- "Starters" is a good mystery story that unfolds in a science-fiction dystopic society.
In a future not far off, everyone between the age of twenty (20) and sixty (60) is wiped out during the Spore War. Through the establishment Prime Destinations, seniors above sixty (60), also known as Enders, can rent the bodies of Starters, anyone under the age of twenty (20). Through this service, the renter can live their lives in younger bodies, experiencing life anew, for an agreed period of time.
Our heroine Callie Woodland is smart, caring, and an unclaimed minor who lives like a fugitive. To make money to care for her younger brother, she agrees to rent her body out to an Ender through Prime Destinations and quickly finds herself in the midst of a body snatching mystery and a murder conspiracy.
Though this novel is classified as Young Adult (YA), I found it quite enjoyable. Others have compared this book to "Hunger Games" and "Divergent" series". I, however, think it's original, with a clever premise, and a fun mystery-adventure ride.
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 stars) - I really liked it.
Fast-paced, near-futuristic, and inventive with twists-- "Starters" is a good mystery story that unfolds in a science-fiction dystopic society.
In a future not far off, everyone between the age of twenty (20) and sixty (60) is wiped out during the Spore War. Through the establishment Prime Destinations, seniors above sixty (60), also known as Enders, can rent the bodies of Starters, anyone under the age of twenty (20). Through this service, the renter can live their lives in younger bodies, experiencing life anew, for an agreed period of time.
Our heroine Callie Woodland is smart, caring, and an unclaimed minor who lives like a fugitive. To make money to care for her younger brother, she agrees to rent her body out to an Ender through Prime Destinations and quickly finds herself in the midst of a body snatching mystery and a murder conspiracy.
Though this novel is classified as Young Adult (YA), I found it quite enjoyable. Others have compared this book to "Hunger Games" and "Divergent" series". I, however, think it's original, with a clever premise, and a fun mystery-adventure ride.
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 stars) - I really liked it.
I decided to re-read this book since the sequel was coming out in January. The first time I read it in 2012, I gave it 4 stars. On the re-read, it gained only three. Callie is a likeable-enough protagonist and the book itself is written at a nice pace, although the world building and character depth could use more development. I personally would love to have had chapters in the point of view of Helen- to know more of her back story with her daughter.
The reason this review is quite short, is the reason it only got three starts upon re-reading.
Starters is a good dystopian, but there isn’t very much that is “memorable” about it. The story seems like a bit of a mash up between Westerfeld’s “Uglies” series and Condie’s “Matched” series. While the premise of renting the bodies out to the older folk is somewhat original, a lot of the little bits of how it’s done and how the society itself is ran seems to be borrowed from other dystopians. I found the love triangle completely unnecessary, and more annoying than an attempt at adding “more” to the story (whatever “more” is…). Everyone refers to this series as a “dystopian”, so for ease I am too- but I’d be tempted to refer to it more as a post-apocalyptic series rather than dystopian, since in Starters, the fall of society isn’t due to a flawed government or state, but rather as a result of a genocide/nuclear “spore” war, and then the society just had to adapt to what is left. It’s “dystopian” in that it’s a flawed society, but it is also a post-destruction society.
I wish we had more back story surrounding Michael, I felt awful for him throughout the book because he’s taking care of Callie’s brother for her and she basically just ignores him for the entire book. I’m quite surprised there, as far as I know, is no novella around him- since novellas are cool now.
Something was missing from this book, while it is enjoyable and it is worth trying if you are a fan of sci-fi and/or dystopian, there were ways it could definitley have been improved, and it isn’t a very memorable book in terms of writing. Review on the new sequel “Enders” is coming up…
***
For more of my reviews, please visit TheBookHeap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com/
The reason this review is quite short, is the reason it only got three starts upon re-reading.
Starters is a good dystopian, but there isn’t very much that is “memorable” about it. The story seems like a bit of a mash up between Westerfeld’s “Uglies” series and Condie’s “Matched” series. While the premise of renting the bodies out to the older folk is somewhat original, a lot of the little bits of how it’s done and how the society itself is ran seems to be borrowed from other dystopians. I found the love triangle completely unnecessary, and more annoying than an attempt at adding “more” to the story (whatever “more” is…). Everyone refers to this series as a “dystopian”, so for ease I am too- but I’d be tempted to refer to it more as a post-apocalyptic series rather than dystopian, since in Starters, the fall of society isn’t due to a flawed government or state, but rather as a result of a genocide/nuclear “spore” war, and then the society just had to adapt to what is left. It’s “dystopian” in that it’s a flawed society, but it is also a post-destruction society.
I wish we had more back story surrounding Michael, I felt awful for him throughout the book because he’s taking care of Callie’s brother for her and she basically just ignores him for the entire book. I’m quite surprised there, as far as I know, is no novella around him- since novellas are cool now.
Something was missing from this book, while it is enjoyable and it is worth trying if you are a fan of sci-fi and/or dystopian, there were ways it could definitley have been improved, and it isn’t a very memorable book in terms of writing. Review on the new sequel “Enders” is coming up…
***
For more of my reviews, please visit TheBookHeap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com/
In a future where the Spore Wars killed everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty, Callie and her brother live on the street and struggle to survive. When she's offered the chance to make a huge amount of money (and provide a home for her brother) by renting out her body to an elderly Ender through the mysterious Prime Destinations, she takes it only to discover that Prime Destinations' plans are more sinister than she could've imagined...
This book does best when it focuses on the action and the grim future. The world is fully developed, from the idle pursuits of the rich to the crumbling buildings that the poor hide in, make sense, and is drawn with clear description and clear imagery while avoiding large info-dumps. (One flashback to the Spore Wars is particularly well drawn and chilling.) Price also has a knack for writing thrilling action sequences and for throwing in strong plot twists, especially the surprising plot twist at the end that had me looking forward to the sequel.
The book sags, however, when it comes to what looks to be a love triangle. Neither Callie's relationship with Michael nor with Blake rings true. Her affection for them comes out of nowhere and the relationships don't seem to progress naturally. In short, there was simply no chemistry here and I found myself wondering if this book really needed the romance, especially since the strongest relationship in the book was between Callie and her brother.
Recommended for dystopia fans looking for more.
This book does best when it focuses on the action and the grim future. The world is fully developed, from the idle pursuits of the rich to the crumbling buildings that the poor hide in, make sense, and is drawn with clear description and clear imagery while avoiding large info-dumps. (One flashback to the Spore Wars is particularly well drawn and chilling.) Price also has a knack for writing thrilling action sequences and for throwing in strong plot twists, especially the surprising plot twist at the end that had me looking forward to the sequel.
The book sags, however, when it comes to what looks to be a love triangle. Neither Callie's relationship with Michael nor with Blake rings true. Her affection for them comes out of nowhere and the relationships don't seem to progress naturally. In short, there was simply no chemistry here and I found myself wondering if this book really needed the romance, especially since the strongest relationship in the book was between Callie and her brother.
Recommended for dystopia fans looking for more.
Starters is a thrilling Sci-Fi dystopia debut from Lissa Price. The creepy body rental concept and plot twists got me invested in the story from the beginning and kept me up late reading. It is fast moving and gripping and just the thing to get me excited about dystopia again.
As Starters begins, sixteen-year-old orphan Callie is struggling to survive in a near-future Los Angeles. She lost her parents to the Spore Wars, where the biological attack killed all adults aged 20-60, because there weren’t enough vaccines for them to be protected in an attack. Now Callie, and friend Michael, is responsible for her sickly little brother Tyler. Unclaimed minors like Callie (called Starters) are forbidden to have jobs, while the elderly (called Enders) live a luxury lifestyle, with job security, fancy cars, and mansions. But Starters do have something that Enders want, and that is youth, which is where Prime Destinations comes in.
With nowhere else to turn, Callie signs a contract with the body renting company Prime Destinations, run by the mysterious “Old Man.” This company rents the bodies of desirable Starters for up to a month to Enders seeking to be young again. After the Starter has fulfilled their contract by being rented 3 times, they in turn receive a big sum of money. But things don’t go as planned, and in the middle of a rental, Callie wakes up as herself in unfamiliar surroundings in the middle of a nightclub. She has to fight to keep control of her mind and body from her renter, who is cooking up a dangerous scheme.
The idea of body renting was so disturbing to me, and even though certain dangerous behavior was off limits, you never know what’s really going on. It’s interesting to see Callie portray someone else with her own body, and befriend other elderly “renters.” She gets an inside look into how renters view the donors and the dangers involved. It’s like an undercover operation for Callie as she gets pulled into a bigger mystery. I liked Callie – she’s resourceful and strong, and it made sense to me that she signed the contract in hopes for a better life for her brother.
There are no lulls in the action in this book. Callie is always on the move, and even though she has some allies it’s hard to know whom she really can trust. There are several jaw-dropping reveals that keep the story interesting. There is not a lot of detail about what led to the current circumstances in the world such as the reasons behind the war, why teens can’t work, etc. But for me, I was entertained just the same with the multi-layered characters, the action and the suspense.
The romance does not play a starring role in this book. There are two potential love interests introduced, but it was not enough of a focus for me to be invested in either character. Am interested to see how the romance develops in the sequel though.
The ending brings a surprising cliffhanger that will leave you clamoring for the sequel. The second and final book in the series, Enders, is due out in December, but in the meantime there are some short stories planned. And there is a prequel called Portrait of a Starter, told from Michael’s POV that is available now. If you are looking for something to read after Divergent or The Hunger Games, give Starters a try.
As Starters begins, sixteen-year-old orphan Callie is struggling to survive in a near-future Los Angeles. She lost her parents to the Spore Wars, where the biological attack killed all adults aged 20-60, because there weren’t enough vaccines for them to be protected in an attack. Now Callie, and friend Michael, is responsible for her sickly little brother Tyler. Unclaimed minors like Callie (called Starters) are forbidden to have jobs, while the elderly (called Enders) live a luxury lifestyle, with job security, fancy cars, and mansions. But Starters do have something that Enders want, and that is youth, which is where Prime Destinations comes in.
With nowhere else to turn, Callie signs a contract with the body renting company Prime Destinations, run by the mysterious “Old Man.” This company rents the bodies of desirable Starters for up to a month to Enders seeking to be young again. After the Starter has fulfilled their contract by being rented 3 times, they in turn receive a big sum of money. But things don’t go as planned, and in the middle of a rental, Callie wakes up as herself in unfamiliar surroundings in the middle of a nightclub. She has to fight to keep control of her mind and body from her renter, who is cooking up a dangerous scheme.
The idea of body renting was so disturbing to me, and even though certain dangerous behavior was off limits, you never know what’s really going on. It’s interesting to see Callie portray someone else with her own body, and befriend other elderly “renters.” She gets an inside look into how renters view the donors and the dangers involved. It’s like an undercover operation for Callie as she gets pulled into a bigger mystery. I liked Callie – she’s resourceful and strong, and it made sense to me that she signed the contract in hopes for a better life for her brother.
There are no lulls in the action in this book. Callie is always on the move, and even though she has some allies it’s hard to know whom she really can trust. There are several jaw-dropping reveals that keep the story interesting. There is not a lot of detail about what led to the current circumstances in the world such as the reasons behind the war, why teens can’t work, etc. But for me, I was entertained just the same with the multi-layered characters, the action and the suspense.
The romance does not play a starring role in this book. There are two potential love interests introduced, but it was not enough of a focus for me to be invested in either character. Am interested to see how the romance develops in the sequel though.
The ending brings a surprising cliffhanger that will leave you clamoring for the sequel. The second and final book in the series, Enders, is due out in December, but in the meantime there are some short stories planned. And there is a prequel called Portrait of a Starter, told from Michael’s POV that is available now. If you are looking for something to read after Divergent or The Hunger Games, give Starters a try.
Por que eu demorei tanto pra ler isso?
O que foi esse final? Meu Deus, preciso ler Enders agora!!
Eu desconfiei de que era outra pessoa no corpo do Blake durante a história, mas não imaginei que seria o Velho. E a voz do pai da Callie gente??
Preciso de respostas já!
O que foi esse final? Meu Deus, preciso ler Enders agora!!
Eu desconfiei de que era outra pessoa no corpo do Blake durante a história, mas não imaginei que seria o Velho. E a voz do pai da Callie gente??
Preciso de respostas já!
Cool concept, cool story. I totally bought the protagonist's motivation and actions. Really solid.
Second rating: 3.5/5. Erg vlot geschreven en ik vloog erdoorheen, maar er waren een paar plot puntjes die ik niet suuuper goed uitgewerkt vond helaas. Wel een leuk boek om even tussendoor te lezen :)
First rating: 4/5.
First rating: 4/5.