Friday, March 19, 2010

Review: Inside Out by Maria V Snyder


Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Reading Level: Young Adult
Available: April 1, 2010

Description from Goodreads:

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.



My thoughts:

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Inside Out. The synopsis was vague and left me wondering. Being the inquisitive sort I found myself intrigued. Let me just say this book grabbed me from page one and didn’t let go until the end. I can’t recall a single moment where my mind wandered or that I wished it would end. I was sucked in and sad when the ride was over.

In this book we meet Trella. Trella is a scrub who lives in Inside. In my mind (at least in the beginning) Inside is like a large factory with lots of metal and machines. Trella was assigned the job of cleaning air vents and pipes due to her small size. She’s quite the explorer and is familiar with almost every inch of Inside’s air vent system. This has earned her the nickname “Queen of the Pipes”. Trella’s a loner and the only person she considers a friend is Cogon. He was her care mate growing up and like the big brother she never had. What is a care mate you ask? When children are born the child is taken and raised by a Care Mother until they are considered old enough to start their trade. Trella and Cogon were assigned to the same Care Mother and therefore their bond was formed.

Inside is divided into two sections. The areas are referred to as Upper and Lower Inside. The scrubs reside in Lower. As you can tell from the name "scrub" the folks in Lower are treated as a lower class of people. There is no socialization between Uppers and Lowers with the exception of the police force that is referred to as the “Pop Cops”. All that the scrubs know of the Uppers is what they’ve been told.

Cogon is desperate to believe that there is something beyond Inside. There are rumors of a place called Outside. Some believe this is just a myth but the scrubs who long for a better life hang onto the hope that it does exist. In Cogon’s attempt to convince Trella of the Gateway to Outside he takes her to a prophet who has requested her assistance. The prophet is wheelchair bound and aptly named Broken Man. Broken Man was banished from Upper and requests Trella’s help in retrieving discs that he claims will lead them to Gateway. He also shares some unsettling news about Trella’s past. Trella the disbeliever as always decides to help simply to prove Broken Man a fraud. Instead she stirs up loads of trouble.

I could go on and on about this fabulous book but I don’t want to give too much away. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games or The Forest of Hands and Teeth. My only complaint is the ending seemed rush. This could just be my selfishness for not wanting the story to end. I would have loved to see the resolution spread out over a few more pages.


3 comments:

  1. What an awesome review! I cannot begin to tell you how much I want this book, it's number one on my wishlist. Ever since I finished the Study Series I have been longing for this book. Once again, thanks for the really great review!

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  2. Gosh, thanks for the reminder that I need to put this on my reading list! I'd read about it before, and thought it sounded good...

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  3. I am going to read this book now! That sounded awesome!

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