A Younger Twist on Dystopian: Starters, By Lissa Price

Starters

Author: Lissa Price
Published By: Delacorte Books
Date Published: March 13, 2012
Pages:  352
Recommended For:  Teens, Young Adults
Reviewed By:  K
Rating:  3
Received eBook Free for Review from NetGalley

Summary:
After the wars, a terrible plague spread through the land taking the lives all who were not vaccinated. Consequently this was most of the middle aged population. All that remains are the children (Starters) and elderly (Enders), who due to modern medicine, can now live to over 200 years old. Unfortunately, many of the Starters were left poor with no family to care for them while the Enders are full of wealth. This is where we meet Callie and her younger brother Tyler. They are squatting Starters, living on the street and in any abandoned buildings they can find.


Technology has advanced and one company is offering Enders the opportunity to be young again. Prime Destinations promises Callie a large sum of money to allow an Ender to become her for a month. Through use of a computer chip, the Ender will be able to walk around in Callie's body and experience life without the limitations of old age. To Callie, this money means a home for her and Tyler, it means safety. Or does it? When Callie's micro chip malfunctions she wakes up in the middle of her rental only to find that her renter is in the middle of a plot to commit murder. Will she be able to control her mind long enough to stop it? Or perhaps there is more to this plot afterall...


K's Thoughts:
I have seen this cover everywhere lately and decided I should probably check it out to see if the buzz matched up to the story. I loved the unique dystopian plot. I was intrigued by the body borrowing premis and that portion of the story did not let me down. If you are looking for something super fast paced, this isn't for you. It rolls on the pace of a classic mystery with a few brief bursts of high energy.

The characters were interesting and there was enough of a sub plot rolling to keep me interested through the lulls. I didn't find this book too predictable, but it was very simplistic in its structure. My only big problem with Starters was the authors distrust in her readers. I felt like she overexplained and recapped a little too often, perhaps gearing down for younger readers. To me it was just a bit too redundant.

Overall, a fun read with a younger twist on the dystopian genre. Possibly suitable for some Middle Grade readers.


Parents/Content:
Language: None
Adult Content: A large focus on beauty and not being a true beauty without extensive treatments, life threatening illness, loss of parents, homelessness, mild kissing scene.
Violence:  A couple of fist fights with a bully renegade, car accident, plot to commit murder to solve issue, kidnapping, an institution for unclaimed teens.