Starters

Obviously, I was looking forward to Starters, because it includes the magic word in its description: dystopia. However, I wasn't nearly as pumped about it as about a lot of others (The Selection for example. Why? Because the cover seriously gives me the heebie jeebies! Most dystopias go for the gorgeous covers to lure the reader in, but they definitely didn't here, even though they could have justifiably. I admire that they did their own thing here, but I still don't want to stare at this cover for too long!

Starters grabbed me from the very beginning. From the first words, both Callie and the society she's living in come alive. Callie is an amazing narrator, strong and sassy, even when completely at wit's end. Actually, all of the show more characters are incredibly awesome, full of depth and personality. I really like Blake, but, hey, I also love Michael. Heck, I even like Tyler, and I don't usually much like moppets.

When I first read the description above, I already knew that the book was about old people (Enders) borrowing the bodies of young people (Starters), so I was really confused about the whole Spore Wars business. I was worried it might be overkill; some dystopias try to make everything that can possibly go wrong all happen all at once, which can end up just being ridiculous. Anyway, Price builds a firm foundation for her world of Enders and Starters with the Spore Wars. Excellent world building! The one thing I would really like to know more about in particular is how the Enders are able to live so long, and also how the society still functions the same with so many people gone.

I find it really comforting that, despite the sheer mass of dystopian novels, with more on the way, authors can still find new, astounding things to do with the genre. Although Starters can definitely be compared to some other dystopian titles (Unwind for example), it definitely stands on its own two metaphorical feet as something unique. Her story is in no way just a reimagining of something extant or an awkward mishmash of several other dystopias (which Matched sort of was).

Even though I guessed some of the ending, I still loved it. Price didn't go for the easy cliffhanger; there's a resolution of sorts, although obviously there's still more to be done. Usually, a book is less fun if you figure out a twist early on, but I actually liked Starters more because of it, because the reason that I knew is that Price hid a clue. I love finding the one hint; it makes me feel so smart.

I think I may just have found a new favorite dystopia and possible new favorite author. My ARC informs me that Enders will come out in Winter 2011, but I'm assuming they meant 2012, haha. CANNOT WAIT. Okay, I should officially have been asleep for about a half hour now, but I just had to finish reading this. If you like dystopias, get this now. Actually, if you like good books of any sort get this now! show less

A highly imaginative novel about children left in a post-apocalyptic world with aged adults who want their bodies!

Where the Dame's Mind Went :

My mind went horrified as I thought of a world where senior citizens would turn on the young and use them for vehicles of personal gain. Ugh! What a jaded-eyed look at the elderly!! This is a book that will scare the pants off everyone who reads it. A world gone so desperate that the children left behind after a viral catastrophe wipes out their parents, are scuttling through the streets to survive like rats in broken down tenements and abandoned warehouses. I couldn't stop being glued to the pages of the book. I took offense to being called away from it. Horrified and hungry to know more!

The show more "haves" in this "have nots" world are the elderly over 60's who were able to receive a vaccine for the virus that wiped out the US because they were deemed most likely not to survive. Young people/children received the vaccine also, being considered too weak to survive. Since parents and middleagers died off, the wealthy elders that survived now have everything they want, except the beautiful, supple bodies they need to enjoy all the sports and activities of their past young lives. Hence, they "rent" the bodies of teens through computer/science by the day, week and month. The teen in question here, Callie, is caught in this web of transactions and terrors because she's desperate to keep her little brother alive.

Suspense and terror are built up masterfully by Lissa Price as she develops her world and her creepy elder-care characters. Additionally, the young adult characters you'll come to love; Callie, her friend Michael, and Callie's 7 year old brother, Tyler tear at your heart while they struggle alone to cull out a way to survive in a hostile environment fraught with attacks such as military-like marshalls that seek out straggling children, and destroy tenement buildings in which they may be hiding. When these squads burn out and block them from refuge in such a place, leaving Tyler without the only thing he has left of his before life; a toy and the picture of his mother and dad, I was really choked.

Price knows how to bring out the emotions and cause us to champion these children. Her ability to make us visualize is stellar. Her ability to put terror in our hearts with the threat of an unknown is the sign of a very talented writer. I was scared half the time! Price put me in the body of Callie!

I found this book engaging and suspenseful on a gut level. I loved how the story developed, how Price used her characters to engender different emotions and careful messages; even warnings. Not all of the elders were monsters, thankfully, and I liked that she made that evident from the start. The concept of losing one's self to a mechanism/computer for a space and time seems plausible and; therefore, all the more frightening to me! What a perfectly nightmarish theme!

As a young adult novel, this book soars. As a crossover into adult fiction; i.e., for lovers of YA fiction, I think it will be a satisfying and thought-provoking read. Absolutely book group reading material; including mother/daughter book groups. What the outcome of the novel is is neither here nor there, especially in light of the whole concept ... it should be enough to have you grabbing this one off the shelves!

I had a great trip within the body of this book. Please try it on for yourself! And, for God's sake, get your flu shot!!

5 stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame show less

This review appears on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter.

There's nothing quite like a good dystopia, and Lissa Price has written one to give others a run for their money. Set in a world in which there are children/young adults, senior citizens with enhanced life spans, and nothing in between, Starters is a story that will make you wonder. With a combination of fantastic technology and an insidious society where the young are, for the most part, less than second class citizens, an action-packed thrill ride is at your fingertips.

I simply adore Callie. She will do anything to take care of her younger brother, yet has a distinct moral compass that sets her apart from most of the other characters in the book. Her experiences are absorbing show more and you can't help but become part of the story through her eyes. Her renter, Helena, was also surprisingly compelling and I immediately wanted to know more about her. The villain, Prime Destinations as fronted by a mysterious figure known as The Old Man, is truly chilling and made for an excellent foe for Callie. They constantly took me by surprise with the sheer amount of evil they were capable of. The Old Man is definitely a villain you love to hate.

Starters has a great pace, as well as a really compelling storyline. The concept is truly imaginative and the setting is an interesting blend of bleak, war-ravaged land and high-tech opulence. The air of threat is thick and the trials Callie goes through are exciting, all making for a read that seemingly flies by. Don't be surprised to find yourself fully immersed in Callie's world and coming up for air after hours have flown by.

Starters now has a place as my newest must-have book. There wasn't a single thing I didn't like about it and I can not wait to add it to my shelves. The next book in the series is going to be one for which I anxiously wait. If you're looking for a thrilling dystopia set in a post-apocalyptic setting, Starters would be an excellent addition to your TBR pile. This is one I'm going to want to read over and over again.

Obligatory legal statement: This eGalley was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review. show less

This is such a creepy and delicious idea for a dystopia! The idea of renting out your body and not knowing what the renter does is so hard to imagine, and just reading the description makes you wonder why you would want to do that. We quickly see with Callie her heart and determination--she does it for her brother. The family bond there is so sweet and I love how that is woven into the story. Fighting for her only surviving family is a motivation that I can totally understand and makes her actions believable and commendable.
The idea of the Enders is kinda creepy too... not knowing who is a real teen, and if you are seeing the same person inside a body every time. I liked some of the Enders that we met, and you can understand their show more motivations too.
I really enjoyed the romance and how twisted the relationships really are. I hope that they are explored fully in the next books in the series because there is so much potential and I want to know what happens next.
There is a lot of action and I was constantly engaged, wondering what would happen next and what would throw me for a loop.
Essentially, I loved it and can't wait for the next. Strong characters and refreshing idea. show less

In a future America where only the elderly and the young survived an act of biological warfare, gangs of impoverished "unclaimed" teens and children live hand-to-mouth on the streets, squatting in abandoned buildings. Callie and her younger brother Tyler live this way, running from government officials who would put them in institutions as well as rough renegade teens who would kill them for their meager possessions. Tyler needs expensive medical care, as well as nutritious food that Callie can't afford. When she hears about Prime Destinations, a service that uses advanced technology to "rent" the bodies of teens to rich elderly people who want to experience youth again, she thinks that the hefty stipend they are offering may be her show more only hope to help her brother. What she doesn't realize is that the mysterious CEO of Prime Destinations, a mysterious figure known only as the Old Man, has much darker and more nefarious plans in mind. And when Callie unexpectedly wakes up in the middle of a "rental" with a gun in her hand, she discovers that she is more deeply involved than she could have imagined.

This was a fairly good story. I thought there were a few plot holes in the world-building, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of this as a fun, fast-paced read. I'll be looking for the sequel, Enders, when it comes out this winter. show less

I got through this book a lot quicker than I thought I would. Starters is a true page-turner. You of course want to know the whole time what exactly Prime Destinations plans are and what Callie will do about becoming entangled with them. But more than that, there are tons of smaller plot points from chapter to chapter that keep you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next. I would have read the book all at one time if I could have.

I was always coming up my own predictions as to what would happen involving several of the different threads, and was delightedly shocked by the end as each thread came to its conclusion- there were so many twists I had never thought of! These twists are definitely one of my favorite parts about show more Starters.

I love the POV we get from Callie because it places us in the same boat as her, trying to connect all the pieces and separate out what is truth and who to trust. I also like how throughout the book you can see Callie's journey of trying to figure out what her identity is post spore wars. She knows she is changed and she becomes more and more so throughout the novel, but as she rents out her body, shares her head with her renter, and is placed in an unique position to be the one who could potentially unravel Prime Destinations, she faces constant challenges to her identity.

Starters has become one of my favorite books and it's set up for its sequel, Enders, has me still on the edge of my seat and ready to read more. show less

Price does a good job of starting this story at a fast clip, and eventually fills in the details about a near future America where a malignant "spore" attack killed many/most adults (20-60 yrs old), and has left the population filled with "Starters" -children, and "Enders"- older adults, groups who had been inoculated against just such a biological attack. Callie, and her little brother Tyler, having lost both their parents, are living "on the street" after they had to flee their safe suburban home: minors who are discovered w/out legal guardians are rounded up and often sent to dreaded "asylums", holding facilities to tuck away all these marginalized orphans, either to slowly die, or perform drudge work. Callie, worried about Tyler's show more weakened state (he's undernourished and ill) determines to contract herself out to a whispered (and semi illegal but tolerated) "renter" corporation, Prime Destinations. With the huge payout she believes she'll receive, she can find a permenant home for herself and her brother, and their street friend Michael. Due to advances in brain science/computer tech, Prime Destinations can recruit teens, who are then prepped to be their most beautiful perfect version of a 16-19 yr old , then submit to a computer chip inserted in their brainstem. Put to sleep, they are hooked up to an "Ender's" brain, and suddenly the Ender has control of this youthful body for a day, or a week or even longer. Callie's first two rentals go as planned, but when her third rental involves a monthlong commitment she balks, but realizes her contract must be honored. But this time when she re-awakens, she's not in the recovery room at the Prime Destination's hdqtrs; she's in a noisy night club, and realizes to her shock that she's very aware & in control of her own body - and her "Ender" renter has somehow only in her brain. Why is her "Ender" leasor (Helena) so insistent she avoid returning to Prime? Who is the shadowy CEO of Prime Destinations? Should she trust a young man she meets at the club, whose grandfather turns out to be an important politician? How will she keep Tyler safe?
Throughout the plot's twists and turns, there's a real Cinderalla subplot going on: oh darn, Callie has to go Helena's millionare mansion and hang out w/rich Enders who are "renting" gorgeous young bodies, and eat anything she wants, drive hot cars, and basically be part of the rich Ender class that she and the other Starters are never allowed to even dream of. And of course she eventually is determined (with the help of Helena and other more conscientious Enders) to bring down Prime Destinations... in spite of the strange conditions of this futuristic society, Price writes these characters with quick strokes, and keeps a brisk pace, so we're rooting for Callie throughout - a fun sci-fi romp that does provide some thought provoking futurism details - what would it be like if only the aged and the very young remain, and what might the aged do to maintain their economic/cultural/political powers? show less