Starters: Review

Synopsis:

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. . . .

***

This book is a little crazy. First is the whole Spore Wars thing. So... I'm assuming the Spore Wars is a kind of war which uses biological weapons to wipe out population? Okay this is not the point, but I'm curious to know about the Spore Wars. Then there is the whole (apparently) Enders can live hundreds of years thing. What's up with that? Is technology so advanced that Enders can live much, much longer? It's a little scary, because they must be a heavy burden in the society. And then there's the whole Prime Destinations thing. Okay, I know Prime Destinations is the body bank and they rent Starters' bodies out temporarily according to the so-called contract. But what I really want to know is that how Prime Destinations was found. I mean, renting body out? It sounds as fascinating as it is terrifying and inhumane. The problem the body bank brings is even more terrifying. I mean, watching somebody else wear your friend's face is not that appealing, even though he or she is just doing his or her job in order to survive? Starters has quite a good and creepy start.

Callie is a pretty good protagonist of the story. First of all, she's strong. But that's typical for a heroine, especially one who lives in poverty struggling to get food for herself and her brother and her friend every single day. The best part about her personality is that she thinks before she acts. No recklessness. No uncontrollable acts. Even when her mind or her heart is screaming with fury, she calculates every move before she strikes. It's a very smart thing to do, which is the main reason why I like her.

The dystopian element in Starters is that the story set after the Spore Wars. It's nice, but it's typical. And the story itself didn't even touch the concept of the Spore Wars. Yes, the aftermath of the Wars is obvious: Starters can't get a job and thus living in poverty, Enders doing all kinds of creepy things on Starter and the Starters can't fight back but comply. But then every war can lead to this result. The sci-fi part in Starters is pretty good, but I can't say so concerning the dystopian parts. 

Starters might not stand out being a dystopian book, but it surely stands out being a YA sci-fi book. I'm reading Enders now and it's great so far. I hope I won't be disappointed.

Rating: 7.5/10