Book Review: Starters by Lissa Price

Starters
Starters #1
Author: Lissa Price
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Dystopian
Release Date: March 13th 2012
Review Source: NetGalley
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) 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. . . .

I was so happy I was able to get Starters from Netgalley. I had never heard of the book before but the cover caught my eye and boy am I glad I read it. The book is amazing! I was hooked from the very beginning. Just when you think you know what’s going on, the whole story is flipped and the person you though you knew isn’t that person anymore.

Sixteen year old Callie Woodland, her little brother Tyler, and her friend, Michael are left alone to defend for themselves. After the spores war wiped out all the people between the ages of 20-60, including their parents, the only people that are left are the children, who are called Starters and the elderly, who are called Enders. The reason for that is that they were given vaccines first because they were the most vulnerable and susceptible in getting sick. So now, Callie, Tyler and Michael are living off scraps and sleeping in old abandoned buildings trying to survive. The only kids that were lucky were the ones who had grandparents that survived and they were able to live in homes and have food. Just when Callie had lost all hope, she is told about this place called Prime Destinations, aka The Body Bank. There, teenagers rent out their bodies for a period of time to the Enders. They can go skiing, dancing and just live life like they were young again. Callie desperate to help her sick brother decides she has no other choice but to go along with it, especially since they would pay her enough money to be able to buy them a house. But things don’t go according to plan. For some reason Callie is awakened and back in her body before the rental is over. Soon Callie discovers that Prime Destination and the government have some sick plans to completely destroy all the Starters.

Starters is definitely one of my favorite dystopian novels so far. If you can get past the creepy idea of 100 plus year old people renting young teenagers bodies, you will truly enjoy this story. The book is full of suspense and unexpected turns. I can’t wait for the next installment, Enders, which is expected to be released by the end of this year. If you like dystopian novels, this is the book for you. I totally recommend this book.