Christian Fiction Book Reviews

Starters by Lissa Price

Review by Kara Grant

Here is a link to an interview Lissa provided from last year to give a preview of Starters: http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/2011/08/author-interview-lissa-price-previews.html

From amazon.com:

In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party--her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it. Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first--the very young and very old. With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters, and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie's neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It's a fairy-tale new life . . . until she uncovers the Body Bank's horrible plan. . .

My Review:

Callie Woodland only cares about one thing. She promised her dad before he died that she would look out for her younger brother, Tyler, and that’s what she intends to do. After a year of living as squatters in abandoned buildings; not having food or water; hiding from renegades and marshals (both parents are already dead from the Spore Wars and there are no living relatives to claim them) Callie makes a desperate choice. She makes a deal with the body bank at Prime Destinations. Everything about this decision is dangerous, but seven-year-old Tyler has a rare lung disorder and they need better living conditions. Callie’s friend, Michael, promises to take care of Tyler in Callie’s absence.

The Enders are the only people with rights and their life spans easily reach 200 years of age. Everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty are dead. The only place for a minor is in an Institution or slave labor, and neither of those are viable options. Callie has been living on the streets with her brother for a year and just when she establishes a deal with Prime, they are kicked out of their home and forced to leave behind everything they own including the memories of their beloved parents. Before donating her body to be rented by an Ender, Callie ensures that her brother is safe while promising to return with food and money.

Donating your body is a simple enough arrangement. Your brain is connected to a body computer interface and then you’re placed into twilight sleep. Your body is rented for a week on average and then returned. When it’s all done, you get a healthy stipend that will allow for a different lifestyle and quality care. Callie is assured by the Enders in charge of this operation that there are limited dangers and in twelve months of business they have had no complications. Callie signs a contract and agrees to rent her body to an Ender three times. She is assured that Enders are prohibited from bringing injury and if they do so they are forced to pay a hefty fine. There is renter’s insurance to cover whatever problems may occur to the physical body, and there are rules each Ender must agree to following in order to rent a teen body.

Rules for Renters:

1. You may not alter the appearance of your rental body in any way, including but not limited to piercings, tattoos, hair cutting or dyeing, cosmetic contact lenses, and any surgical procedures including augmentation.

2. No changes to the teeth are allowed including fillings, removal and imbedded jewelry.

3. You must remain inside a fifty-mile perimeter around Prime Destinations. Maps are available.

4. Any attempt to tamper will result in immediate cancellation without refund, and fines will be levied.

5. If you have a problem with your rental body, return to Prime Destinations as soon as possible. Please treat your rental with care, remembering at all times that it is an actual young person.

Be advised that each neurochip blocks renters from engaging in illegal activities.

NOTHING in this story is what it seems and just when you think you understand what will happen next, another twist is thrown in. I had to keep an open mind so that the plot made sense and I could keep up with the characters, but reading this story made me feel like I was on roller skates, and Callie was pulling me along with every revelation she picked up along the way! She spends most of the book running or figuring out her next move as she escapes from danger several times. Starters is the teen version of Total Recall. It plays with your mind, it leaves you guessing the whole time, and it pulls you in so that you experience what Callie is going through at every turn.

I absolutely love the cover of this book, but there was very little information about it to decide if the plot was really as good as it sounds. It’s also compared to Uglies and Hunger Games (other dystopian settings). Uglies is one of my favorite series in all YA books; Starters lives up to the same potential and has no offensive content in it. For those of you who read my reviews, there is no profanity in this book which is always a treat for me  The violence in this book is as follows:

*Marshals in this story carry ZipTasers, weapons that, upon contact, will electrify, and they only go after minors. There are two incidents where a minor gets zapped and their skin is charred afterwards.

*Callie is in two fights at different times; one she escapes, and one she gets punched.

*One child is murdered; it’s not scary but heart wrenching.

*Callie shoots an Ender in the arm. In other scenes she handles different guns without shooting them. She threatens people by pointing a gun.

*There’s one car crash where the airbag explodes.

*There’s a chip in Callie’s head so that Prime will always know where she is. When the chip is tampered with, Callie gets a deafening noise that causes her to almost black out.

*The chip causes Callie to black out a few times.

*Callie is constantly driving or running away from renegades and guards, trying to figure out how to escape a situation or receiving threats/warnings on how to proceed

Callie’s renter is Helena, and they are constantly communicating throughout the story. Helena’s granddaughter, Emma, goes missing and Callie finds out that Prime Destinations is involved with her disappearance. Callie risks everything to find out what’s going on and discovers that Starters are disappearing. After putting demands on Callie and tampering with her chip, Helena ends up helping Callie in several ways that enhance the story in unexpected ways. Callie is determined to do the right thing and even though she is bribed more than once in tempting ways, she will only make decisions that benefit her brother and keep him safe. She is not a reckless teen, despite the risks she takes, and she considers every lesson her parents taught her along the way. She is appalled at the injustice shown to Starters, they literally have no rights, and she works hard to change that.

Starters ends in such a way that my jaw dropped. Have you ever read a book that’s so good you have to see exactly how many pages it is towards the finish so you know the moment it ends??? That’s what this book was like for me. There are a few unsolved dilemmas in Starters, but it is implied that they will be dealt with in the sequel Enders. Wow, I so want a copy of that!! I’m amazed that this is Price’s first book. It’s quite the original story that pulls you in until the last page and then keeps you wanting more! Even though it’s for young adults, this story will entice readers of all ages. It has enough action, romance, suspense, and drama to satisfy anyone looking for a good book. Get your copy today and let the Starter in you experience a new adventure! To learn more about Lissa Price and to see the Starters book trailer, please visit www.lissaprice.com.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for the copy they provided for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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