melaniemia's review
4.0
More science fiction than dystopian, this book took me by surprise. I had several people recommend it, and it definitely did not disappoint. I was surprised because usually I am very turned off by science fiction, even though I love plausible dystopian. But this book was bordering on crazy and plausible. The entire book was a crazy ride, and I LOVED the main character, Callie. The plot line was very intriguing. I finished the book quickly, as I just couldn't stop reading. I also loved that the author kind of wrapped things up at the end, adding in a cliffhanger (of course) but leaving the reader satisfied instead of pissed off that the sequel isn't out yet (HELLO INSURGENT). I can't wait for the sequel!
ailengarcia's review against another edition
2.0
Creo que tenía este libro en el tren desde 1810, y finalmente lo leí. Me pasó sin pena ni gloria. Sentí que tenía una premisa muy interesante pero que la autora no la supo desarrollar. Tiene un ritmo tan rápido que uno termina sintiendo que es inverosímil lo que cuenta. Es como si la autora hubiese estado apurada por terminar el libro pero a la vez quería que pasaran determinadas cosas, entonces te tira una cosa tras otra y no te explica nada. Le falta desarrollo, mucho desarrollo. Y para colmo de males los personajes son uno más plano que el otro. Fue un gran MEH para mí
nicklelove's review against another edition
1.0
Read the full review in my blog.
That was disappointing. I read this book because the premise was interesting. It was, as well as intriguing, till after 40% into it. That's when it started falling apart. The whole story felt like it was all over the place. There were A LOT of inconsistencies and questionable details.
The ending was unexpected for some but it crossed my mind 90% into the book. I think that would be the only reason for me to read Enders, to find out WHY it became like that.
That was disappointing. I read this book because the premise was interesting. It was, as well as intriguing, till after 40% into it. That's when it started falling apart. The whole story felt like it was all over the place. There were A LOT of inconsistencies and questionable details.
The ending was unexpected for some but it crossed my mind 90% into the book. I think that would be the only reason for me to read Enders, to find out WHY it became like that.
maestrocp's review
3.0
I loved Starter's from beginning to finish for it's lightening fast pacing, the world building and adrenaline and action that comes with this sci fi dystopian adventure. This book explores the depths one will go to for someone they love.
Sometimes it means letting your guard down.
Sometimes it means renting your body out to put a roof over their head.
Sometimes it means,
Revenge.
The spore wars have rendered Callie and her little brother orphans in a world where there is no mercy and very few options.
Her one source of hope lies in the Body Bank. You know, the place the surviving adults known as Enders borrow a Starters body for a bit to recapture their youth. It's creepy right? the idea of letting someone else wander around in your body, so they can have a good time?
But hey.
You get an amazing makeover.
The Enders sign a contract not to endanger the borrowed body.
And you get an obscene amount of money for providing the service.
Enough for Callie to buy a house for her brother and friend and keep them off the streets. So she goes in. She signs up. They put her under and the rental begins.
Except on the last rental session, the program malfunctions, and Callie wakes up. She knows she probably isn't going to get paid because somehow she's managed to ruin the rental for herself and the renter. She's about to head back to the Bank when a voice.....
THE voice. The RENTERS VOICE. tells her she can't, that She has a mission and Callie is going to help her carry it out.
Callie's body has been hijacked, and she's about to commit murder.
You won't believe what this book has in store, sooooooo excited for Enders!!!!!!!
Sometimes it means letting your guard down.
Sometimes it means renting your body out to put a roof over their head.
Sometimes it means,
Revenge.
The spore wars have rendered Callie and her little brother orphans in a world where there is no mercy and very few options.
Her one source of hope lies in the Body Bank. You know, the place the surviving adults known as Enders borrow a Starters body for a bit to recapture their youth. It's creepy right? the idea of letting someone else wander around in your body, so they can have a good time?
But hey.
You get an amazing makeover.
The Enders sign a contract not to endanger the borrowed body.
And you get an obscene amount of money for providing the service.
Enough for Callie to buy a house for her brother and friend and keep them off the streets. So she goes in. She signs up. They put her under and the rental begins.
Except on the last rental session, the program malfunctions, and Callie wakes up. She knows she probably isn't going to get paid because somehow she's managed to ruin the rental for herself and the renter. She's about to head back to the Bank when a voice.....
THE voice. The RENTERS VOICE. tells her she can't, that She has a mission and Callie is going to help her carry it out.
Callie's body has been hijacked, and she's about to commit murder.
You won't believe what this book has in store, sooooooo excited for Enders!!!!!!!
leah_reads's review against another edition
4.0
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you, Random House*
At the risk of sounding completely teen-like, this book was so cool! I loved it. It is a post-apocalyptic novel showing the lives of the teenagers Callie and Michael along with Callie's younger brother Tyler following the Spore Wars. Similar to many young adult novels, the children are orphans and must struggle to survive in this new world. Enders (older folk, i.e. the retired) have complete control and many of the Starters must live on the street until they are of legal age to work. Things get more sinister as we learn of Prime Destination, a place where the bodies of Starters are rented out to the Enders so that they can live in a younger body. With Callie's chip malfunctioning, things begin to get complicated from there on.
It was such an exciting and enticing book! Full of action, suspense and mystery, I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen with the variety of characters. The world building was great, it sucked you straight into the heart of the novel and it was a rude awakening when I put the book down. I'm really looking forward to Enders! Starters is full of twists and turns, with every chapter drawing you further into this dark world. The thing I love about really well-written and developed dystopias is that I never get bored of them, and this is certainly one of them. It reminded me in parts of Madeline Ashby's vN, another book that I really enjoyed.
Callie was an incredibly likeable character. I really just wanted everything to work out for her. I'm looking forward to finding out more about her and her past. It would be great to hear more from little Tyler too. Both such lovable characters, I loved how strong and maternal Callie was to her younger brother, and it was great seeing her efforts appreciated. She is such an incredibly kick-ass figure, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and was definitely ready to protect all those that she cared about. Her struggles seem so realistic, it really made me feel for her with all of her adventures and struggles.
This was a really great book. The only reason for the 4* is that the very first chapter had me a little worried. I was also a little unsure about certain aspects of one of the final few chapters. Other than that I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next one in the series :).
*Thank you, Random House*
At the risk of sounding completely teen-like, this book was so cool! I loved it. It is a post-apocalyptic novel showing the lives of the teenagers Callie and Michael along with Callie's younger brother Tyler following the Spore Wars. Similar to many young adult novels, the children are orphans and must struggle to survive in this new world. Enders (older folk, i.e. the retired) have complete control and many of the Starters must live on the street until they are of legal age to work. Things get more sinister as we learn of Prime Destination, a place where the bodies of Starters are rented out to the Enders so that they can live in a younger body. With Callie's chip malfunctioning, things begin to get complicated from there on.
It was such an exciting and enticing book! Full of action, suspense and mystery, I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen with the variety of characters. The world building was great, it sucked you straight into the heart of the novel and it was a rude awakening when I put the book down. I'm really looking forward to Enders! Starters is full of twists and turns, with every chapter drawing you further into this dark world. The thing I love about really well-written and developed dystopias is that I never get bored of them, and this is certainly one of them. It reminded me in parts of Madeline Ashby's vN, another book that I really enjoyed.
Callie was an incredibly likeable character. I really just wanted everything to work out for her. I'm looking forward to finding out more about her and her past. It would be great to hear more from little Tyler too. Both such lovable characters, I loved how strong and maternal Callie was to her younger brother, and it was great seeing her efforts appreciated. She is such an incredibly kick-ass figure, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and was definitely ready to protect all those that she cared about. Her struggles seem so realistic, it really made me feel for her with all of her adventures and struggles.
This was a really great book. The only reason for the 4* is that the very first chapter had me a little worried. I was also a little unsure about certain aspects of one of the final few chapters. Other than that I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next one in the series :).
pollyroth's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Starters had an originality that is hard to find in dystopias these days. Renting young bodies out to the old? So cool!
My reasoning for three and a half stars? Blake. By far worst love interest I have ever read about. First off, Callie obviously feels nothing for him. She's leading him on to get what she wants. So when she talked about falling for this boy, I sat there rolling my eyes and groaning. He's probably the flattest character ever. Right up there with Bella from Twilight actually. He's nothing like a seventeen year old guy, he's boring, and instantly falls for Callie. All that "I feel a connection I can't explain crap".
Now, I'm not sure what to make of that plot twist at the end. Can I really still hate Blake's character? I justify it with he still could have had more depth.
I didn't quite understand Callie and Michael's relationship. There was no background on Michael and how they really became a team.
I loved Callie. She's strong, independent, careful, and free at the same time. She's that heroine you just want to succeed because she deserves it.
I read this book in one car drive. Mind you it was 8 hours long, but still. At no point did I really feel like putting the book down to go watch Pitch Perfect. I was too immersed in Starters pages.
All in all an interesting read and I will definitely be reading the sequel!
Starters had an originality that is hard to find in dystopias these days. Renting young bodies out to the old? So cool!
My reasoning for three and a half stars? Blake. By far worst love interest I have ever read about. First off, Callie obviously feels nothing for him. She's leading him on to get what she wants. So when she talked about falling for this boy, I sat there rolling my eyes and groaning. He's probably the flattest character ever. Right up there with Bella from Twilight actually. He's nothing like a seventeen year old guy, he's boring, and instantly falls for Callie. All that "I feel a connection I can't explain crap".
Now, I'm not sure what to make of that plot twist at the end. Can I really still hate Blake's character? I justify it with he still could have had more depth.
I didn't quite understand Callie and Michael's relationship. There was no background on Michael and how they really became a team.
I loved Callie. She's strong, independent, careful, and free at the same time. She's that heroine you just want to succeed because she deserves it.
I read this book in one car drive. Mind you it was 8 hours long, but still. At no point did I really feel like putting the book down to go watch Pitch Perfect. I was too immersed in Starters pages.
All in all an interesting read and I will definitely be reading the sequel!
neenor's review
5.0
I got suggested to read this book by my friend over my work experience last week, and was told that it was absolutely amazing. When I started it, I thought it was going to be a lot like The Host, a book by Meyer that I really enjoyed, despite my dislike for Twilight, and that Starters would have a lot to live up to. And it was alike in some ways - but it was oh-so-much better. This novel knocked me off of my feet.
The plot circles around this girl, Callie, who lost her parents after the Spore Wars; so she is on the run in the streets with her little brother, Tyler. But he's sick, so eventually she goes to the Body Bank, a place where young teenagers get paid a huge amount to rent their bodies out to the older generation - these are the Starters and Enders. However, when a malfunction happens that makes her regain her consciousness during her last rent, she discovers that her renter plans to assassinate someone. This realization and her further actions starts a domino change of events that completely turns her world upside-down - well, more so than it already has. Throughout the whole novel, the thickness and depth to the plot was consistent, and at some points I actually had a knot of anxiety in my stomach; I couldn't wait even just a single page to find out what happened next. It was truly gripping, and it absolutely captured my imagination.
I also liked the characters, especially Callie and Tyler. Their sibling bond came across strongly, and I could definitely relate it to mine and my own brother's relationship - it was incredibly realistic, and I really liked that the overall plot was based on her trying to protect her brother - her actions weren't caused by pride, or love, or fear. She mostly did everything for him, and I thought their whole relationship formed a major part as to why I liked the book so much. However, for the rest of the characters, their personalities and overall character wasn't too clear, and I found myself wondering how Callie came to trust Blake so much, even though they barely seemed to know each other. But that was all I found slightly off, and the next novel, Enders, could be improved by making sure that each of the main character's are properly introduced and showed off, without going over-the-top.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I can't believe have to wait for about five months before the next one is out! I also can't believe this was Price's debut novel; it's absolutely breathtaking. If you've seen this in shops and haven't bought it yet, I strongly suggest that you do. If you like dystopian novels with a lot of techie stuff, then you'll love this.
The plot circles around this girl, Callie, who lost her parents after the Spore Wars; so she is on the run in the streets with her little brother, Tyler. But he's sick, so eventually she goes to the Body Bank, a place where young teenagers get paid a huge amount to rent their bodies out to the older generation - these are the Starters and Enders. However, when a malfunction happens that makes her regain her consciousness during her last rent, she discovers that her renter plans to assassinate someone. This realization and her further actions starts a domino change of events that completely turns her world upside-down - well, more so than it already has. Throughout the whole novel, the thickness and depth to the plot was consistent, and at some points I actually had a knot of anxiety in my stomach; I couldn't wait even just a single page to find out what happened next. It was truly gripping, and it absolutely captured my imagination.
I also liked the characters, especially Callie and Tyler. Their sibling bond came across strongly, and I could definitely relate it to mine and my own brother's relationship - it was incredibly realistic, and I really liked that the overall plot was based on her trying to protect her brother - her actions weren't caused by pride, or love, or fear. She mostly did everything for him, and I thought their whole relationship formed a major part as to why I liked the book so much. However, for the rest of the characters, their personalities and overall character wasn't too clear, and I found myself wondering how Callie came to trust Blake so much, even though they barely seemed to know each other. But that was all I found slightly off, and the next novel, Enders, could be improved by making sure that each of the main character's are properly introduced and showed off, without going over-the-top.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I can't believe have to wait for about five months before the next one is out! I also can't believe this was Price's debut novel; it's absolutely breathtaking. If you've seen this in shops and haven't bought it yet, I strongly suggest that you do. If you like dystopian novels with a lot of techie stuff, then you'll love this.
lazygal's review
3.0
Yet another dystopian series (at least there's definitely a sequel in the works, if not more books). The twist here is that the Spore Wars (enemy unknown) have led to a situation where adults between 20 and 60 have essentially died off, and those minors without grandparents (or great-grandparents, or great-aunts/uncles) are either institutionalized or living as squatters. Because this is set in Los Angeles, there's an even greater disparity between the really rich of Beverley Hills and everyone else.
Callie has been taking care of her sick younger brother, Tyler, while trying to avoid the marshals who will separate and institutionalize them. One day she hears about an opportunity to earn a lot of money as a rental body - Elders (and in this world, that can be anyone from about 90 through 200 years old) who want to re-experience a young body pay to have their brains "implanted" (via a computer chip) into a Starter (who could be 13-19 years old) body. Of course, things are never as easy as they seem, and it turns out that Callie's renter, Helena, has only joined because her granddaughter, Emma, has gone missing. Working with an amazing brain surgeon-turned-computer genius, she's had her (and Callie's) chips altered so they can communicate... and I'll stop there to avoid spoilers.
As with many of these series, editing this down to a good single volume would have made for a better read; having said that, this isn't a bad execution of a dystopian vision. There are some interesting twists, only a few of which were telegraphed from afar.
ARC provided by publisher.
Callie has been taking care of her sick younger brother, Tyler, while trying to avoid the marshals who will separate and institutionalize them. One day she hears about an opportunity to earn a lot of money as a rental body - Elders (and in this world, that can be anyone from about 90 through 200 years old) who want to re-experience a young body pay to have their brains "implanted" (via a computer chip) into a Starter (who could be 13-19 years old) body. Of course, things are never as easy as they seem, and it turns out that Callie's renter, Helena, has only joined because her granddaughter, Emma, has gone missing. Working with an amazing brain surgeon-turned-computer genius, she's had her (and Callie's) chips altered so they can communicate... and I'll stop there to avoid spoilers.
As with many of these series, editing this down to a good single volume would have made for a better read; having said that, this isn't a bad execution of a dystopian vision. There are some interesting twists, only a few of which were telegraphed from afar.
ARC provided by publisher.