Book Review - Inside Out
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
In my attempt to have some reviews up during the first week or two of January this is another book I read between Christmas and New Year. I couldn't have you folk left without anything decent to read on here while I actually *read* some books!
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Date: 31/12/2010 AM
Source: Bought
Description: Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else.
I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. (Description taken from Goodreads)
My Review
If you didn't know already I am a big fan of Maria's Study and Glass trilogies so when I heard she was writing a dystopia novel my inner fangirl got rather excited. I love me a good dystopia novel anyway but from one of my favourite fantasy authors? Double whammy of awesome!
As the story starts we are dunked straight into Trella's world of cleaning pipes, dodging Pop Cops and generally avoiding mingling with her fellow Scrubs. We get a very no-nonsense view of life in the lower levels, while many of the people crammed down there often get excited by rumours of a Gateway out of the four floor facility where the Uppers and Lowers live, work and die, Trella remains realistic and dismisses such rumours as ploys used by the Controllers to keep the scrubs from revolting.
At first Trella can come across as rather cold and detached from the world she lives in but over time you begin to understand how hard it is to form lasting friendships with people who could get snatched away from you at any time by the authorities for the smallest of offences. And also since the majority of the people around Trella don't explore the pipes and the Gaps in between the four levels like she does, no one quite knows what kind of place they are living in.
I really liked her meeting with the boy from the Upper Levels - Riley, he gave us the other point of view although both his and Trella's idea of each other's lifestyle was marred by prejudice. She thought the Uppers were all snobs living in their spacious apartments while he just thought of the Scrubs in the blissfully ignorant way people staying in hotels think about the housekeeping staff. He was quite the sweetie though and had the most adorable way with stuffed sheep toys.
Maria creates a very interesting and gritty world that brings up many questions as the story unfolds. What is Outside? Is there a Gateway? How did everyone get Inside? What was the world like before they started counting the weeks? What will happen when they reach the whispered Millionth Week?
Some of these questions get answered, some don't and some answers leave you yearning for further explanation. As one set of problems get resolved the next set rise to the forefront, political and social orders are tested and life Inside may never be the same again.
We're pulled through the story fairly quickly and get to experience all the strange new discoveries about Inside right along with Trella although there are a couple of surprising moments that weren't obvious early on. The ending leaves you anxious to know what will happen in the next book Outside In and I certainly can't wait to read it!
If you loved Maria's other books then I'm sure you'll enjoy this exciting new series. Trella is a feisty no-nonsense heroine with the compassion to help others to do what's right.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
Inside Out was released in the UK on the 1st January 2011, and the second book in the series Outside In is due to be released on the 18th March 2011. So keep an eye out for that!
That's the last 2010 review I'll do, now it'll be all about the 2011 reads.
Enjoy!
LadyV
As the story starts we are dunked straight into Trella's world of cleaning pipes, dodging Pop Cops and generally avoiding mingling with her fellow Scrubs. We get a very no-nonsense view of life in the lower levels, while many of the people crammed down there often get excited by rumours of a Gateway out of the four floor facility where the Uppers and Lowers live, work and die, Trella remains realistic and dismisses such rumours as ploys used by the Controllers to keep the scrubs from revolting.
At first Trella can come across as rather cold and detached from the world she lives in but over time you begin to understand how hard it is to form lasting friendships with people who could get snatched away from you at any time by the authorities for the smallest of offences. And also since the majority of the people around Trella don't explore the pipes and the Gaps in between the four levels like she does, no one quite knows what kind of place they are living in.
I really liked her meeting with the boy from the Upper Levels - Riley, he gave us the other point of view although both his and Trella's idea of each other's lifestyle was marred by prejudice. She thought the Uppers were all snobs living in their spacious apartments while he just thought of the Scrubs in the blissfully ignorant way people staying in hotels think about the housekeeping staff. He was quite the sweetie though and had the most adorable way with stuffed sheep toys.
Maria creates a very interesting and gritty world that brings up many questions as the story unfolds. What is Outside? Is there a Gateway? How did everyone get Inside? What was the world like before they started counting the weeks? What will happen when they reach the whispered Millionth Week?
Some of these questions get answered, some don't and some answers leave you yearning for further explanation. As one set of problems get resolved the next set rise to the forefront, political and social orders are tested and life Inside may never be the same again.
We're pulled through the story fairly quickly and get to experience all the strange new discoveries about Inside right along with Trella although there are a couple of surprising moments that weren't obvious early on. The ending leaves you anxious to know what will happen in the next book Outside In and I certainly can't wait to read it!
If you loved Maria's other books then I'm sure you'll enjoy this exciting new series. Trella is a feisty no-nonsense heroine with the compassion to help others to do what's right.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5
Inside Out was released in the UK on the 1st January 2011, and the second book in the series Outside In is due to be released on the 18th March 2011. So keep an eye out for that!
That's the last 2010 review I'll do, now it'll be all about the 2011 reads.
Enjoy!
LadyV
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3 comments:
This one just keeps on popping up in my Amazon recommendations (no doubt because I bought all of the Study and Glass series last year...) and I was hesitating because I didn't want to see an author I loved try something different that I didn't like and have it tarnish my impression of "her work" (because that's just how I am...). I think I might finally stop avoiding it! So thanks :)
Great review hun! I'm even more excited to read it now knowing how much you enjoyed it :)
Thanks so much for the great review! I am a fan of Snyder's so I'm going to check out this novel since I've heard nothing but good things about it.
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