Scan barcode
A review by neenor
Starters by Lissa Price
5.0
I got suggested to read this book by my friend over my work experience last week, and was told that it was absolutely amazing. When I started it, I thought it was going to be a lot like The Host, a book by Meyer that I really enjoyed, despite my dislike for Twilight, and that Starters would have a lot to live up to. And it was alike in some ways - but it was oh-so-much better. This novel knocked me off of my feet.
The plot circles around this girl, Callie, who lost her parents after the Spore Wars; so she is on the run in the streets with her little brother, Tyler. But he's sick, so eventually she goes to the Body Bank, a place where young teenagers get paid a huge amount to rent their bodies out to the older generation - these are the Starters and Enders. However, when a malfunction happens that makes her regain her consciousness during her last rent, she discovers that her renter plans to assassinate someone. This realization and her further actions starts a domino change of events that completely turns her world upside-down - well, more so than it already has. Throughout the whole novel, the thickness and depth to the plot was consistent, and at some points I actually had a knot of anxiety in my stomach; I couldn't wait even just a single page to find out what happened next. It was truly gripping, and it absolutely captured my imagination.
I also liked the characters, especially Callie and Tyler. Their sibling bond came across strongly, and I could definitely relate it to mine and my own brother's relationship - it was incredibly realistic, and I really liked that the overall plot was based on her trying to protect her brother - her actions weren't caused by pride, or love, or fear. She mostly did everything for him, and I thought their whole relationship formed a major part as to why I liked the book so much. However, for the rest of the characters, their personalities and overall character wasn't too clear, and I found myself wondering how Callie came to trust Blake so much, even though they barely seemed to know each other. But that was all I found slightly off, and the next novel, Enders, could be improved by making sure that each of the main character's are properly introduced and showed off, without going over-the-top.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I can't believe have to wait for about five months before the next one is out! I also can't believe this was Price's debut novel; it's absolutely breathtaking. If you've seen this in shops and haven't bought it yet, I strongly suggest that you do. If you like dystopian novels with a lot of techie stuff, then you'll love this.
The plot circles around this girl, Callie, who lost her parents after the Spore Wars; so she is on the run in the streets with her little brother, Tyler. But he's sick, so eventually she goes to the Body Bank, a place where young teenagers get paid a huge amount to rent their bodies out to the older generation - these are the Starters and Enders. However, when a malfunction happens that makes her regain her consciousness during her last rent, she discovers that her renter plans to assassinate someone. This realization and her further actions starts a domino change of events that completely turns her world upside-down - well, more so than it already has. Throughout the whole novel, the thickness and depth to the plot was consistent, and at some points I actually had a knot of anxiety in my stomach; I couldn't wait even just a single page to find out what happened next. It was truly gripping, and it absolutely captured my imagination.
I also liked the characters, especially Callie and Tyler. Their sibling bond came across strongly, and I could definitely relate it to mine and my own brother's relationship - it was incredibly realistic, and I really liked that the overall plot was based on her trying to protect her brother - her actions weren't caused by pride, or love, or fear. She mostly did everything for him, and I thought their whole relationship formed a major part as to why I liked the book so much. However, for the rest of the characters, their personalities and overall character wasn't too clear, and I found myself wondering how Callie came to trust Blake so much, even though they barely seemed to know each other. But that was all I found slightly off, and the next novel, Enders, could be improved by making sure that each of the main character's are properly introduced and showed off, without going over-the-top.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I can't believe have to wait for about five months before the next one is out! I also can't believe this was Price's debut novel; it's absolutely breathtaking. If you've seen this in shops and haven't bought it yet, I strongly suggest that you do. If you like dystopian novels with a lot of techie stuff, then you'll love this.