Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Starters (Starters and Enders, #1)
by Lissa Price

Starters (Starters and Enders, #1)
by Lissa Price

Genre: Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Young Adult
Published: 2012 by Doubleday
Pages: 336 (Paperback)
Source: Gifted

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.

My Thoughts:

Truth? I did not expect it to be this great. Lissa Price had me intrigued by her enjoyable not so fast paced story. Not only the writings are enjoyable, the characters were likable and the plot twists were also amazing it's just, wow. So not predictable. And just when I thought the story gets better, it turned upside down leaving a major cliffhanger which upsets me I want to tear off the last pages of the book.

Your body. Rented out. Used to murder.

First, Callie lost her parents.

Then she lost her home.

And, finally, she lost her body.

But she will stop at nothing to get it back...

So after that Spore Wars, the society divided into two groups based on their age. Starters consist of teenagers and children, basically the people under 20 years old, and Enders are all above 60. The remains are dead and let's just say that they're now gone. Callie Woodland is a 16-year-old responsible sister to her 7-year-old brother, Tyler. Their parents were killed at the war and they have no Ender relatives, so, like any other orphans, they live at the abandoned buildings where clean water and decent food is very expensive they're such a rarity for them.

I really liked Callie. She had a nice personality and she would do anything for her family, even risking her body to be rented by some Enders at a place called Prime Destinations, who will change her life (not in a good way you could already see that). She is also brave and has that willpower to do the right thing.

Michael is her best friend. She trusted him to keep Tyler safe from anything dangerous while she was away looking for money at Prime Destinations to make their life better. I don't feel any connection with Michael. He is just good and talented at drawing. He drew Callie's face once.

Blake is the person of interest here, he liked Callie and they kind of had a relationship, before the secrets revealed. Then again, I should say that the plot twists were too good and unpredictable they made me upset. Blake is rich and handsome, he was also a very goodhearted guy and if it wasn't for the plot twist, I'm on Team Blake.

The story was told from Callie's POV. There is a love triangle, or maybe it's a square if we count Florina in, but not an annoying one. The lack of romance doesn't make it boring or something, I even find it more enjoyable. I like it that way. The other characters were also interesting and unique such as Tinnenbaum, Doris, Rodney, and Old Man, along with Raj, Lee, and Briona, also Sara, Helena, etc. I know that's a lot to remember but you'll get used to every one of them. I do hope there will be more character development in the second book of the series (Enders, expected to be published 2014), though.

Overall, Starters is one of my favourite. Since it's a suspenseful sci-fi/dystopian read, I'd recommend this for those of you who love Divergent or The Hunger Games trilogy. Also anyone who enjoy the genre. Happy reading! :-)

4.2 out of 5 stars



"I knew that feeling, the sense of panic that stretched time, turning seconds into years, and the deep pain that came from being hurt by not one person but many, a gang of bullies that expanded into a neighborhood and then into a community, until you questioned the whole world. And your last thought, as you stretch your arm until your fingers are inches from that lifeline, is how if you survive, you'll find a way to help fix what was broken, so you can say that yes, you want to be part of the world again."

Find out more about Lissa Price here.