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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Review: Starters by Lissa Price






Publication Date: 3-13-2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: netGalley
Challenge: Ebook Challenge, 2012 DAC

Goodreads Summary:
HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

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. . . .

I was so excited for this book.  Another dystopian novel was something I really wanted.  Callie is living in a world without parents.  Any middle-aged individual was basically killed in the Spore Wars.  Only the young children and grandparents survived (those who were vaccinated).  If you didn’t have a grandparent to claim you, then you were sent to live in an institution, i.e. the worst labor camp I have ever heard of.  There is another way.  Prime Destinations is a place in which you can rent out your bodies to Enders (seniors) for short periods of time.  Callie decides to do this for some cash, but Prime Destinations is more than she could have ever imagined.  Her renter wants to murder someone, has altered Callie’s chip, and is now talking in her mind.  Callie doesn’t know what to do, but makes some rash decisions in hopes of saving the likelihood of receiving her payment.

This book had so much potential.  The storyline was great, the characters were interesting, and the Spore Wars was so intriguing.  The book didn’t tell us a whole lot about the Spore Wars.  We found out little bits and pieces, but nothing major.  The mystery of the Old Man and Prime Destinations kept the story alive, as well as the questions regarding Callie’s neurochip.  I wish we could have learned more about the Old Man, but I assume we will in the next book since this is a series.  Callie annoyed me a bit in the book.  She seemed strong, but I thought she would have been more headstrong and eager to figure everything out.  Instead, she seemed to take her time.  It was as though it didn’t matter how long it took to get back to her brother.  She even took time to fall in love (or like) with a boy named Blake.  I really enjoyed the overall story, but I thought it would have had more depth.  Even though I felt as though something was missing from the book, I’m still looking forward to reading the second when it comes out! I want to learn more about the Old Man and the Spore Wars.

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