Synopsis: 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. . . (From Goodreads)
I hardly know where to start talking about this book, there's just so much to it. It has layers and layers of story and meaning and lovely things my English Lit trained brain can go crazy for. But any way I look at this book, I'm just in awe of it.
I'm going to start with the world that Lissa Price builds. I love it because the premise seems like it could be trying to fit in with some of the more popular stories circulating the YA field right now, but once I started reading it I never had the feeling that it was working to be a part of that. It was its own world, built completely for its own story-telling purposes and not just to appeal to the masses. Although the characters and relationships were Hunger-Games-esque, I got past that similarity pretty quickly. I loved Callie and I admired her for the strength she had, because there were moments when I'd just go, "Why are you not PANICKING???" This girl is smart and calm, and her instincts are spectacular.
Then there's all the things that could inspire great discussion or spark great thoughts. The gap between classes, for example, is very prevalent here, and timely considering the disappearing middle-class. And, one of my personal, strange, fascinations could be deeply explored through this book - generation gaps. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what the gaps in this book mean for the characters and even for us as readers (if, of course, you are one of those people who thinks life mirrors fiction, or vice versa). There are only teens and the elderly (100 years +) in this book. There's nothing in-between or average in this book. You're young or old, you have everything or you have nothing.
Finally, the concept of living your life through someone else - or even offering your own body to someone who wants to be young again - is quite genius. I was a little worried about how Lissa Price would pull that off when I was going into it, but there was no need. It was wonderfully executed. That concept itself raises interesting questions. I could probably talk about ethics and human rights in relation to this novel for a very long time.
Here's the awesome trailer:
So, as an Ambuzzador this spring, Random Buzzers sent me an extra ARC of Starters and I want to give it to one of my readers. This giveaway is U.S. only and will end on Friday, March 2. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below!
Synopsis: 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. . . (From Goodreads)
I hardly know where to start talking about this book, there's just so much to it. It has layers and layers of story and meaning and lovely things my English Lit trained brain can go crazy for. But any way I look at this book, I'm just in awe of it.
I'm going to start with the world that Lissa Price builds. I love it because the premise seems like it could be trying to fit in with some of the more popular stories circulating the YA field right now, but once I started reading it I never had the feeling that it was working to be a part of that. It was its own world, built completely for its own story-telling purposes and not just to appeal to the masses. Although the characters and relationships were Hunger-Games-esque, I got past that similarity pretty quickly. I loved Callie and I admired her for the strength she had, because there were moments when I'd just go, "Why are you not PANICKING???" This girl is smart and calm, and her instincts are spectacular.
Then there's all the things that could inspire great discussion or spark great thoughts. The gap between classes, for example, is very prevalent here, and timely considering the disappearing middle-class. And, one of my personal, strange, fascinations could be deeply explored through this book - generation gaps. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what the gaps in this book mean for the characters and even for us as readers (if, of course, you are one of those people who thinks life mirrors fiction, or vice versa). There are only teens and the elderly (100 years +) in this book. There's nothing in-between or average in this book. You're young or old, you have everything or you have nothing.
Finally, the concept of living your life through someone else - or even offering your own body to someone who wants to be young again - is quite genius. I was a little worried about how Lissa Price would pull that off when I was going into it, but there was no need. It was wonderfully executed. That concept itself raises interesting questions. I could probably talk about ethics and human rights in relation to this novel for a very long time.
Here's the awesome trailer:
So, as an Ambuzzador this spring, Random Buzzers sent me an extra ARC of Starters and I want to give it to one of my readers. This giveaway is U.S. only and will end on Friday, March 2. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below!
