Starters

Original Title: Starters (Starters, #1)
Turkish Title: Başlayanlar (Başlayanlar, #1)
English Title: Starters (Starters, #1)
Author: Lissa Price
Pages: 338
My Rating: 3/5

WHY THIS BOOK?:
The reason I bought this book is so simple this time: Just because of the cover.

THE STORY:
During a biological war called the Spore Wars, deadly spores were released killing anyone who was not vaccinated. Prior to the war, those under the age of 20 and over the age of 60 get vaccinated. At the age of 16, Callie has to take of her little brother, Tyler and struggle to survive together with her best friend, Michael. Trying to make life better and easier for her brother, Callie goes to “Prime Destinations”, a company that rents out the bodies of teenagers to those over 60. In Callie’s case, something goes wrong and Callie discovers what her renter was actually after.

MY COMMENTS:

When I read the back cover (after getting attracted by the front cover), I thought it’d turn out to be a promising dystopian novel but it turned out to be an average book for me. Having read books of Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth, it is not easy to love other YA dystopian novels. Still, the concept of the Starters differed. I liked the idea of renting out teenage bodies to old people and body swapping. The plot was interesting but a bit predictable. The boldest move of the author in this book was wiping out the entire population in a society between 20 and 60. However, the character development, especially for Callie, was poor in this book. For example, how can Callie have amazing target-shooting skills and can make perfect use of them without years of practice?

I finished off the book quickly and will read the sequel that will come out at the end of 2012. I think many readers will like this book more than I did as YA dystopian novels are quite popular these days and Lissa Price managed to find a niche in dystopian society.

APPLICABLE CHALLENGES:

I read it in spring so I can count it for Spring Reading Thing 2012.
It is a debut novel and of course, my first book by Lissa Price so I can include it New Author Challenge.
It was a dystopian novel so it can be counted for 2012 Science Fiction Reader Challenge and The Dystopia 2012 Challenge.