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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
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.
"Starters" by Lissa Price was fantastic. It is a slightly futuristic novel taking place after the "spore wars" have decimated the population of people between the ages of 20 and 60 (that also being the only disappointment I have with the story). Those left, the Starters below the age of 20 and the Enders above the age of 60, now have to eek out an existance where the Enders rule the world. If you are a Starter and all of your relatives have passed away, you are "unclaimed" and subject to be rounded up and sent to the institution. Fifteen year old Callie is unclaimed and living on the streets while caring for her 7 year old sickly brother all while avoiding being caught by the marshals and sent to the institution where her brother would likely die. After a near miss with the marshals, Callie leaves her brother with a friend Michael who also lives on the streets and she signs up for body rental where an Ender's consciousness is inserted into her brain. While Callie "sleeps" at the lab, the renter Ender uses her body to enjoy the vitality of youth once again. All contracts cover 3 rentals before you can get paid. Only something goes wrong with Callie's third rental and Callie wakes up, not at Prime Destinations where she goes to rent out her body and usually awakes when the rental is over, but at a bar dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry. Then Callie starts hearing a voice in her head telling her not to return to Prime Destinations. What's going on!
The novel kept me riveted. There is action, suspense, romance and characters that give you hope that there is still a future worth fighting for. There are twists and turns you just don't expect, and then there is a bombshell ending. Whoa! I can't wait until book 2, Ender's comes out. Luckily I don't have too long to wait now.
Like I noted earlier the only disappointment I had with the novel was the unbelievability of a biological weapon that could target a person's age, rather than perhaps a person's health status. How do you target an age with a spore type trigger? Even though I question this part of the story, the novel moved right on from it and was thoroughly enjoyable. Starters is going on my favorites list for this year.
The novel kept me riveted. There is action, suspense, romance and characters that give you hope that there is still a future worth fighting for. There are twists and turns you just don't expect, and then there is a bombshell ending. Whoa! I can't wait until book 2, Ender's comes out. Luckily I don't have too long to wait now.
Like I noted earlier the only disappointment I had with the novel was the unbelievability of a biological weapon that could target a person's age, rather than perhaps a person's health status. How do you target an age with a spore type trigger? Even though I question this part of the story, the novel moved right on from it and was thoroughly enjoyable. Starters is going on my favorites list for this year.
Straight up, you can’t trust the elderly, this is an important life lesson I learned from Lissa Price’s exciting debut Starters. Like, I hate to compare books, but I feel like Starters might be 2012′s Divergent. The two books aren’t alike plot wise, but they both have that up all night quality. I mean, I read Starters mostly during the week and was ITCHING to get out of work so I could read more of it.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
Interesting concept that started quick but felt a little labored in the middle before spinning up with a fast-paced twisting wrap-up at the end, that even with its predictability, really left me wanting more.
If Wheedon's Dollhouse series had a child with The Hunger Games and Invasion of the Body Snatchers were its godparent, it would grow up to be Starters.
I actually think this is between a 3.5 and 4. I thought the premise was fantastic, but it felt like Price was trying too hard to work in Hunger Games parallels. Self-reliant teenage girl in a dystopian world who feels the need to protect her younger, weaker sibling - sounds a bit familiar, right? Oh, and she also knows how to shoot (for Callie it's a gun, not bow & arrow). Wait, there's also a love triangle where the main character is torn between two potential love interests?! No way! Aaand here's another way to break down the relationship between the Hunger Games and Starters:
HG VS Starters
main character: Katniss Callie
younger sibling: Prim Tyler
weapon of choice: bow & arrow gun
doomed younger companion:Rue Sara
boy-next-door: Gale Michael
other love interest:Peeta Blake
dystopian nightmare:forced to fight becoming a body donor
So there ya go. I'm not sure if the format will get messed up when I post this, so my chart might look wonky. But you get the idea.
Strangely enough, Starters isn't ruined by the HG resemblance. I was still engrossed in the plot and felt invested in Callie's plight. If I were part of the intended demographic (YA), this would probably be my new favorite book. The world-building could be stronger, there are derivative moments, but Price still constructs a creepy and magnetic story.
I actually think this is between a 3.5 and 4. I thought the premise was fantastic, but it felt like Price was trying too hard to work in Hunger Games parallels. Self-reliant teenage girl in a dystopian world who feels the need to protect her younger, weaker sibling - sounds a bit familiar, right? Oh, and she also knows how to shoot (for Callie it's a gun, not bow & arrow). Wait, there's also a love triangle where the main character is torn between two potential love interests?! No way! Aaand here's another way to break down the relationship between the Hunger Games and Starters:
HG VS Starters
main character: Katniss Callie
younger sibling: Prim Tyler
weapon of choice: bow & arrow gun
doomed younger companion:Rue Sara
boy-next-door: Gale Michael
other love interest:Peeta Blake
dystopian nightmare:forced to fight becoming a body donor
So there ya go. I'm not sure if the format will get messed up when I post this, so my chart might look wonky. But you get the idea.
Strangely enough, Starters isn't ruined by the HG resemblance. I was still engrossed in the plot and felt invested in Callie's plight. If I were part of the intended demographic (YA), this would probably be my new favorite book. The world-building could be stronger, there are derivative moments, but Price still constructs a creepy and magnetic story.
I first read this 7 years ago, and I didn't like it. This year, I decided to try it again and see if (years later), I could enjoy this more. The story took a long time to take place, but I kept going and I'm glad I did. At half of the book, it became super interesting, and I wanted to know what will happen next. I was a little bit disappointed by the love story, which was so not well developed. The characters began to love each other, but I couldn't understand why. Maybe that's why I didn't like this book that much. But overall, I'm glad I read this book again, because the story is something we've never seen before, and there was a lot of suspense. It made me want to read the next book (that I never read before).
It was ok. I liked the larger themes but it's hard to be engaging and original after Hunger Games. Appropriate for Middle School or 9-10th grade. Cool cover easy read.
This was my favorite book in middle school and to this day im bitter it never got the hype that at the time divergent and hunger games were getting. Would’ve loved to see a film adaption sooooo good
Graded By: Poshdeluxe
Cover Story: JonBenét-bot
BFF Charm: Sure
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Mechanical
Bonus Factors: Freaky Friday, Dramatic Reveal
Relationship Status: One Night Stand
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: JonBenét-bot
BFF Charm: Sure
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Mechanical
Bonus Factors: Freaky Friday, Dramatic Reveal
Relationship Status: One Night Stand
Read the full book report here.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No