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Sep 08, 2013artemishi rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Starters is a YA adventure/mystery set in a futuristic Los Angeles. Ignore the cover- although creepily gorgeous it has nothing to do with the story. Which, by the way, is fairly creepy in concept. I thought the book had a unique concept, and it wove some wonderful Cinderella re-telling moments in there. The Starters (teens) and Enders (those in their hundreds- everyone lives longer in the future) are contrasted in a way that reflects the socioeconomic contrasts of today: if we eliminate the middle class (or in the book, those between the ages of mid-20's to 100), what happens? I was glad that this wasn't a stand-alone, but the first novel in a series. There were parts that were a bit Deus Ex Machina, but then Price would turn your expectation on its head with some new revelation. I really liked that Callie realistically was more concerned with the survival of her brother (and self) than taking down an evil corporation. Her voice seemed genuine, and believable. Overall, I recommend this for fans of techno-dystopian YA, realistic female protagonists, overlapping mysteries, and good, creeptastic villains. Honestly, The Old Man freaked me out more than he freaked Callie out (if, after getting to the last page, you don't shudder in revulsion, you have a heartier stomach than I do).