In a dystopian future, the majority of the adult population has been killed by chemical warfare. Because vaccinations were in short supply, only the very young and old were inoculated, leaving two very different groups of survivors. The elderly, known as Enders, are often rich and powerful, and thanks to advances in technology, they are able to live well past one hundred. On the other hand, unclaimed minors, known as Starters, live on the streets, scrounge for food, and struggle just to survive.
Starters
by Lissa Price
Delacorte
March 2012
Enter Callie, a Starter living on the streets and trying to support herself and her sick younger brother, Tyler. Desperate for money, Callie agrees to take part in an experimental procedure that allows an Ender to take temporary control of her body and live as a teenager for a full month. But something goes wrong with the process, and Callie finds the she and her body have been drawn into a dangerous world of kidnapping, murder, and political intrigue.
Starters, by Lissa Price, is a young adult novel that tells the story of a young girl's attempt to survive in a world where her rights and home have been strippedfrom her. There are actually quite a few dark moments in the book involving assassination, police brutality, and what essentially amounts to slavery.
Where the book faltered abit for me was it's focus on Callie and her feelings for a cute boy she meets. The details of the love story were certainly interesting, and the resulting twists and turns it takes adds an even deeper layerto the story as a whole. But because this is novel aimed more at young adults, some of the darker details were glossed over while more time is spent on Callie's relationship woes.
Overall, I feel the book could have been darker and grittier, but given it's target audience, I can see why the decision to focus on love and emotion took precedence over dirty politics and economic strife. Still, I can't help but wonder what this novel would have looked like if Ms. Price had aimed for an adult audience.
That said, I look forward to seeing more from this particular author and definitely recommend this book for young adults and fans of young adult literature. I greatly look forward to seeing more from this author.
