Book Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Title: Starters

Author: Lissa Price

Publisher: Delacourt

Publication Date: March 2012

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Series or Stand Alone: Series, Book One

Synopsis can be found here.
NetGalley review.

Review:

After the spore war, the only ones left behind are the incredibly old and the very young, as they were the only ones who were able to get vaccinated for the cure.
So what happens when everyone else is gone?

Callie's brother Tyler is sick and living on the streets will eventually kill him. Against her better judgement, she enters into the body bank where she will be rented three times. While her body is rented, she will be asleep. At least, that's what she's told will happen. Until she wakes up during her third rental to find the woman renting her body has more sinister intentions.

I have mixed feeling about this book. The idea alone, Elders renting out youths' bodies for entertainment value, is fantastic and gave me chills all the way through. The story is fast paced and I could not put it down. I had to know what happens. But that said, this creepy, dystopian novel leaves me with more questions than answers. The world Price sets up for us is terrifying and harsh. But it's also merely a glimpse into this nightmare. I wanted more information on the war, on the world as it is now. Why was there the war? What were these spores? There are hints through the entire story, but it's all glossed over to make way for the action of the story. This world seemed super interesting and I'm hoping that Book Two will give more information on the setting, the past and what the events leading up to Book One.

There were a lot of thrilling situations in this book, but some of them I felt were just too far fetched. I don't want to give anything away, but especially towards the end, it seemed too unrealistic for Callie to do everything she did. A few times I was taken out of the story to think- Oh, yeah, of course that happens.

With so many twists in this story, I was amazed I could put it down at all. Total page turner and lots of wonderful, dark questions being asked.

I can't wait to read the sequel.

Rating 8 Cookie Worthy