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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I absolutely loved this book. It was right up my alley, and something different. Lissa Price creates a world full of destruction. Even through everything that is wrong with the world, Callie does everything she can to try to keep her brother protected and healthy.
Each character has their own agenda, but it's easy to connect with them. I love Callie's determination in protecting those she loves. Tyler is the cutest, and strongest, little boy I think I've ever seen in a book.
There are a few twists in the story that I didn't see coming at all. Nothing I guessed was what happened. The last twist totally toyed with my emotions. I was hooked from the very beginning of this book and couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the second installment Enders, coming out this winter. I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for something action packed and something new in the dystopian world.
Each character has their own agenda, but it's easy to connect with them. I love Callie's determination in protecting those she loves. Tyler is the cutest, and strongest, little boy I think I've ever seen in a book.
There are a few twists in the story that I didn't see coming at all. Nothing I guessed was what happened. The last twist totally toyed with my emotions. I was hooked from the very beginning of this book and couldn't put it down. I'm looking forward to the second installment Enders, coming out this winter. I highly recommend this novel if you are looking for something action packed and something new in the dystopian world.
Excellent book by this first time author. I could hardly put it down and the ending left me hanging on for book 2. Can't wait for it to come out in December!
9/10/14 update: 5 stars. Just reread this and I loved it! I'm so glad I read it again because there was so much that I missed the first time around. Great dystopian/sci-fi novel!
4.5 Stars for this one!
Get ready to be thrown in the future with this one where the only people alive are Starters and Enders. The Spore War has caused every young adult and middle-aged adult to die by means of a chemical warf and the Starters (also known as the unclaimed youth) live in constant hear of being picked up and thrown into an awful place that is basically a jail. The Enders, now genetically enhanced to live for 200 years, do not seem to have much compassion for the children living on the streets, and only care for their own grand and great-grand children.
For Callie, life on the streets with her younger brother is a horror each and every day. They never know what they will eat, where they will be, and how to avoid being picked up and taken away. Both Callie's mother and father died after the United States was attacked, leaving her to take care of her brother.
For Callie, taking risks to ensure their safety and livelihood is something she quickly learns she may need to consider. Prime Destinations could be her saving grace, a company that allows Enders to take over the body of Starters and feel young once again. The renter (a very old person) will live in the body of a Starter being able to do everything he or she can and basically living their life for as long as their rental is. For Callie, this seems to be one of the only ways to make money for her and her brother and possibly live comfortably for a little while. What she never expected was the awful truth and trouble that came with taking this job.
I really enjoyed listening to this story, but I do have to admit that I was a bit confused when I heard that Enders were living to be 200 years old! I thought to myself, "Did I miss something?" "How is Callie so young, but the old SO old?!" Besides this small issue that I had, I loved this dystopian thriller and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
4.5 Stars for this one!
Get ready to be thrown in the future with this one where the only people alive are Starters and Enders. The Spore War has caused every young adult and middle-aged adult to die by means of a chemical warf and the Starters (also known as the unclaimed youth) live in constant hear of being picked up and thrown into an awful place that is basically a jail. The Enders, now genetically enhanced to live for 200 years, do not seem to have much compassion for the children living on the streets, and only care for their own grand and great-grand children.
For Callie, life on the streets with her younger brother is a horror each and every day. They never know what they will eat, where they will be, and how to avoid being picked up and taken away. Both Callie's mother and father died after the United States was attacked, leaving her to take care of her brother.
For Callie, taking risks to ensure their safety and livelihood is something she quickly learns she may need to consider. Prime Destinations could be her saving grace, a company that allows Enders to take over the body of Starters and feel young once again. The renter (a very old person) will live in the body of a Starter being able to do everything he or she can and basically living their life for as long as their rental is. For Callie, this seems to be one of the only ways to make money for her and her brother and possibly live comfortably for a little while. What she never expected was the awful truth and trouble that came with taking this job.
I really enjoyed listening to this story, but I do have to admit that I was a bit confused when I heard that Enders were living to be 200 years old! I thought to myself, "Did I miss something?" "How is Callie so young, but the old SO old?!" Besides this small issue that I had, I loved this dystopian thriller and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
What if your parents died and you were left on your own? In the aftermath of the Spore Wars, everything has changed. With limited vaccine, only the young and the old were protected from infection. Now, an entire generation of Starters (teens) has been left parentless. Those like Callie Woodlawn and her brother have been living on the streets trying to survive. Unable to work thanks to legislation protecting Enders' -- those over 60 -- interests, teens are frequently rounded up and put into institutions. Desperate, Callie signs on with Prime Destinations, a new company that allows Enders to rent Starters' bodies so that they may enjoy youthful energy and activities once again. The money Callie will earn could save her and her brother. But something has gone very wrong. Callie finds herself sharing her body with the mind of a woman she is unable to trust. What are her renter's motives and will Callie be able to protect her brother?
Whoa! Lissa Price's crazy futuristic dystopian is amazing! Definitely one of those books that you can't put down once you've begun and a cliffhanger ending that already has readers (including me) on the edge of their seats until book two is released.
The pacing and momentum of Price's writing is perfect. From the beginning, the reader is able to easily connect with Callie and is drawn into a story that is irresistibly intense.
I find the plot here a bit close for comfort. There's more than a shred of believability in Price's imagined future and that makes it all that much more exciting and kind of creepy to think about. Either way, Starters is an absolute must read with great cross-over appeal for both teens and adults. Another great 2012 debut!
Whoa! Lissa Price's crazy futuristic dystopian is amazing! Definitely one of those books that you can't put down once you've begun and a cliffhanger ending that already has readers (including me) on the edge of their seats until book two is released.
The pacing and momentum of Price's writing is perfect. From the beginning, the reader is able to easily connect with Callie and is drawn into a story that is irresistibly intense.
I find the plot here a bit close for comfort. There's more than a shred of believability in Price's imagined future and that makes it all that much more exciting and kind of creepy to think about. Either way, Starters is an absolute must read with great cross-over appeal for both teens and adults. Another great 2012 debut!
The book has an unusual premise. It is a dystopian novel set in the future where there are no adults ages 25-60. They were killed in a biological weapons attack. The elderly (or enders) and children (starters) were immunized so they were safe. What is left is the Enders don't seem to care for the starters. Millions of children are left unclaimed and left to fend for themselves. The Enders passed laws that do not allow for the minors to work. The only option is to send the unclaimed minors to institutions where they are treated poorly.
Enter Callie who is an unclaimed minor living on the streets. Her brother is sick, so she volunteers to work at a body bank which rents out teens' bodies to elderly enders who can live our their long ago youth by partying, skydiving, and playing extreme sports. Following? It is a bit much but it is interesting. Callie soon learns of a plot by the body bank that will effect all teens.
The book had a stronger beginning than ending. It started becoming a bit convoluted by the end. And I was kinda irritated by the villain the "Old Man" which really didn't seem very scary to me.
Overall an interesting read. I can see students picking it up because it really does appeal to their disenfranchisement. Some violence but overall appropriate for middle school. I'll probably check out the sequel.
Enter Callie who is an unclaimed minor living on the streets. Her brother is sick, so she volunteers to work at a body bank which rents out teens' bodies to elderly enders who can live our their long ago youth by partying, skydiving, and playing extreme sports. Following? It is a bit much but it is interesting. Callie soon learns of a plot by the body bank that will effect all teens.
The book had a stronger beginning than ending. It started becoming a bit convoluted by the end. And I was kinda irritated by the villain the "Old Man" which really didn't seem very scary to me.
Overall an interesting read. I can see students picking it up because it really does appeal to their disenfranchisement. Some violence but overall appropriate for middle school. I'll probably check out the sequel.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Primo capitolo di una duologia, e mi ha preso, ho già acquistato il secondo volume. La storia dal punto di vista dell'affitto dei corpi è originale, di fondo c'è la solita ribellione che deve essere messa in atto, ma nonostante ciò si legge con interesse! Molto carino!
This one won me over with world-building and a great protagonist. I tend to like more description and less telly prose but the style suited the world in a way.
Great premise! And rather terrifying. My only problem with this story which prevented the 5 star rating is my personal disbelief that elderly people could be so wantonly cruel and self-absorbed. That part of the story just didn't sit well with me. My experience of the elderly has been the complete reverse so perhaps I am biased. Interesting interactions though between teens and grandparents. Don't see much of that in YA. Also, (without giving away spoilers) I kind of realised the love interest twist and was thoroughly grossed out. Kudos to the author for making that real and terrible for me as the reader never mind for the poor character.
The sequel is definitely on my TVR list. Look forward to more by Price!
Great premise! And rather terrifying. My only problem with this story which prevented the 5 star rating is my personal disbelief that elderly people could be so wantonly cruel and self-absorbed. That part of the story just didn't sit well with me. My experience of the elderly has been the complete reverse so perhaps I am biased. Interesting interactions though between teens and grandparents. Don't see much of that in YA. Also, (without giving away spoilers) I kind of realised the love interest twist and was thoroughly grossed out. Kudos to the author for making that real and terrible for me as the reader never mind for the poor character.
The sequel is definitely on my TVR list. Look forward to more by Price!
I began Starters with high hopes. It has a striking cover and a very interesting premise. However as I read more I became increasingly disappointed. See, I love dystopian, when it makes scientific sense. That's the key phrase, but sadly Starters's world building was under developed which really detracted from my reading experience.
The world building gave me the same problems that I had with Lauren DeStefano's Wither. I don't understand the age principle used as the crux of the story. It doesn't make sense that the youngest and oldest would get vaccinated first. The richest and most important would. It's not age so much as status and power. I find it extremely hard to believe that important military, political, economic, and medical personal wouldn't get vaccinated before some 100 year old grandma. I also found it very difficult to believe that since EVERY child in America (or maybe the whole world, that wasn't clear) became an orphan at the same time that any kid who didn't happen to have living grandparents would be forced to live on the street or sent to what is basically a prison. I mean, it's every single child, the future of the country. I don't believe the enders who are now running the country wouldn't set up some sort of care system that would raise the orphans to be productive members of society.
The other problem I had was the first 75% of the book. It has a promising start, but then quickly fell into the oh so common YA dystopian trap of thinly veiled girls in pretty dresses meeting cute boys. And the middle chunk of this book dragged. I just couldn't care about the night clubs, costumes, or parties. The book did pick up in the final 25% and I think that if I had cared more about the characters I could have really enjoyed the ending. However even parts of that felt rushed and just too convenient.
I think my biggest frustration is I loved half the premise and was really annoyed by the other half. I loved reading about Callie's body being taken over and how she tries to figure out what is going on with Prime Destinations. I liked the conspiracy theory and there were some great plot twists that I didn't see coming. I just really disliked the world building that puts the characters in their situations. Now, I did read an egalley, so there is a great chance this book has gone through another round of editing that could smooth out some of the rushed and unsupported parts, but for me Starters was a book with great potential that focused too much on trivial details.
The world building gave me the same problems that I had with Lauren DeStefano's Wither. I don't understand the age principle used as the crux of the story. It doesn't make sense that the youngest and oldest would get vaccinated first. The richest and most important would. It's not age so much as status and power. I find it extremely hard to believe that important military, political, economic, and medical personal wouldn't get vaccinated before some 100 year old grandma. I also found it very difficult to believe that since EVERY child in America (or maybe the whole world, that wasn't clear) became an orphan at the same time that any kid who didn't happen to have living grandparents would be forced to live on the street or sent to what is basically a prison. I mean, it's every single child, the future of the country. I don't believe the enders who are now running the country wouldn't set up some sort of care system that would raise the orphans to be productive members of society.
The other problem I had was the first 75% of the book. It has a promising start, but then quickly fell into the oh so common YA dystopian trap of thinly veiled girls in pretty dresses meeting cute boys. And the middle chunk of this book dragged. I just couldn't care about the night clubs, costumes, or parties. The book did pick up in the final 25% and I think that if I had cared more about the characters I could have really enjoyed the ending. However even parts of that felt rushed and just too convenient.
I think my biggest frustration is I loved half the premise and was really annoyed by the other half. I loved reading about Callie's body being taken over and how she tries to figure out what is going on with Prime Destinations. I liked the conspiracy theory and there were some great plot twists that I didn't see coming. I just really disliked the world building that puts the characters in their situations. Now, I did read an egalley, so there is a great chance this book has gone through another round of editing that could smooth out some of the rushed and unsupported parts, but for me Starters was a book with great potential that focused too much on trivial details.
Kurz vorweg: Starters spielt nach einem sonderbaren Krieg, bei dem durch einen Sporenangriff die komplette Bevölkerung zwischen Kindern/Teenagern und Senioren ums Leben kommt. Viel mehr erfährt man von dem Krieg auch nicht, aber ehrlich gesagt fand ich das weniger schlimm als kapitelweise mit Geschichte gelangweilt zu werden. Callie lebt seitdem mit ihrem kleinen Bruder Tyler auf der Straße und weil Tyler krank ist, will sie ihren Körper vermieten um Geld zu verdienen.
Doof nur, dass sie durch einen Fehler früher als erwartet aufwacht und sich zusätzlich zur Mieterin Helena in ihrem Körper befindet. Zuerst will sie zurück zur Body Bank, doch zusammen mit Helena oder gerade durch Helena kommt sie dann einem ziemlich miesen Plan auf die Spur, den sie natürlich verhindern muss.
Die ganze Idee find ich ziemlich interessant, die Umsetzung leider nicht so wirklich. Das Buch und ich hatten eigentlich einen guten Start, doch nach und nach gefiel mir Starters dann immer weniger. Helena und Callie konnten anfangs nicht so richtig kommunizieren, doch nachher unterhalten sie sich quasi. Helena muss dabei nur denken und Callie hört die Stimme in ihrem Kopf, Callie hingegen muss reden. Und genau das war der Schwachpunkt. Selbst in den unmöglichsten Situationen hat sie mit Helena geredet. Wer läuft denn bitte in einem Hotel den Gang entlang und flüstert was von einer Waffe oder Ähnlichem, wenn er nicht auffallen will? Fand ich manchmal ein wenig lächerlich.
Lächerlich war dann auch das Ende. Ich hatte viel mehr Action erwartet. Doch auf den letzten paar Seiten geht dann alles zack auf zack und das war irgendwie etwas lahm und unrealistisch. Insgesamt hatte ich aber sowieso den Eindruck, dass das eher eine "leichte" Dystopie war. Gewalt kam nicht wirklich vor oder wurde zumindest nicht so richtig beschrieben. Mit den Charaktern bin ich auch nicht so richtig warm geworden. Ich fand alle Personen sehr oberflächlich abgehandelt und auch Mitgefühl gegenüber Personen, die es ziemlich schlecht haben (z.B. Sara oder Tyler) hat sich bei mir gar nicht eingestellt.
Von der Sprache her war das Buch recht angenehm und ziemlich leicht zu lesen. Die Sätze waren teils zwar sehr kurz und aneinandergereiht, aber ich würde in der Situation wohl auch keinen großartigen Satzbau hinkriegen und Starters ist immerhin aus der Sicht von Callie selbst geschrieben.
Fazit
Wie schon gesagt, ist eher was für sanftere Gemüter. Ich hatte mir ehrlich gesagt mehr von dem Buch erwartet und hoffe, dass die Fortsetzung (Enders, erscheint wohl Ende des Jahres auf Englisch) etwas besser wird. Trotzdem hat mir das Buch besonders am Anfang Spaß gemacht und ich vergebe 3 von 5 Sternen.
(April 2012)
Doof nur, dass sie durch einen Fehler früher als erwartet aufwacht und sich zusätzlich zur Mieterin Helena in ihrem Körper befindet. Zuerst will sie zurück zur Body Bank, doch zusammen mit Helena oder gerade durch Helena kommt sie dann einem ziemlich miesen Plan auf die Spur, den sie natürlich verhindern muss.
Die ganze Idee find ich ziemlich interessant, die Umsetzung leider nicht so wirklich. Das Buch und ich hatten eigentlich einen guten Start, doch nach und nach gefiel mir Starters dann immer weniger. Helena und Callie konnten anfangs nicht so richtig kommunizieren, doch nachher unterhalten sie sich quasi. Helena muss dabei nur denken und Callie hört die Stimme in ihrem Kopf, Callie hingegen muss reden. Und genau das war der Schwachpunkt. Selbst in den unmöglichsten Situationen hat sie mit Helena geredet. Wer läuft denn bitte in einem Hotel den Gang entlang und flüstert was von einer Waffe oder Ähnlichem, wenn er nicht auffallen will? Fand ich manchmal ein wenig lächerlich.
Lächerlich war dann auch das Ende. Ich hatte viel mehr Action erwartet. Doch auf den letzten paar Seiten geht dann alles zack auf zack und das war irgendwie etwas lahm und unrealistisch. Insgesamt hatte ich aber sowieso den Eindruck, dass das eher eine "leichte" Dystopie war. Gewalt kam nicht wirklich vor oder wurde zumindest nicht so richtig beschrieben. Mit den Charaktern bin ich auch nicht so richtig warm geworden. Ich fand alle Personen sehr oberflächlich abgehandelt und auch Mitgefühl gegenüber Personen, die es ziemlich schlecht haben (z.B. Sara oder Tyler) hat sich bei mir gar nicht eingestellt.
Von der Sprache her war das Buch recht angenehm und ziemlich leicht zu lesen. Die Sätze waren teils zwar sehr kurz und aneinandergereiht, aber ich würde in der Situation wohl auch keinen großartigen Satzbau hinkriegen und Starters ist immerhin aus der Sicht von Callie selbst geschrieben.
Fazit
Wie schon gesagt, ist eher was für sanftere Gemüter. Ich hatte mir ehrlich gesagt mehr von dem Buch erwartet und hoffe, dass die Fortsetzung (Enders, erscheint wohl Ende des Jahres auf Englisch) etwas besser wird. Trotzdem hat mir das Buch besonders am Anfang Spaß gemacht und ich vergebe 3 von 5 Sternen.
(April 2012)