Starters by Lissa Price

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 thought the idea behind this story is fantastic. It's more of a plot driven story than a character driven one. There are several characters in the book but we don't get to learn too much background or history about each. The reader gets just enough detail that is required to move the story forward.
The pacing of the novel is pretty intense, there is always something happening and moving along with very few if any breaks from one action scene to the next.
There is a huge mystery happening here, and at first it seems that the story is for us to get to know the world and more about Callie's renter. But no, there is so much more going on here and the whole business behind Prime Destinations is complex and makes for an entertaining read that took twists that I was surprised and happy about.
There were some sections that I wanted to just yell at Callie and ask her what she's doing! Like in a horror movie yelling, "don't go up the stairs" for example Callie's renter tells her not to return to Prime Destinations because if they find out there's a glich in the chip Callie may loose out on the money because she did not fulfill the contract, and what's the first thing Callie does? Jump in the car to return to the company and all I could think is.."Don't go back to the company Callie!"
It was a highly fast paced and fun read, had me on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book. A thriller and a mystery set in a dystopian world. 4 Stars

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