Starters by Lissa Price

Pages - 336
Published by Doubleday in April 2012

Enders gave me the creeps. The doorman flashed a practiced smile as he let me into the body bank. He wasn't  that old, maybe 110, but he still made me shudder. Like most Enders, he sported silver hair, some phony bad of honor of his age. Inside, the ultramodern space with its high ceilings dwarfed me. I walked through the lobby as if gliding through a dream, my feet barely touching the marble floor. 


Goodreads Summary
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 was desperate to read this book from the moment I heard about it last year at the RHCB blogger brunch. The idea behind the story had me curious. How could someone rent out their body? How weird would that be? Imagine being invaded by someone else, completely capable of destroying your body. My mind was completely boggled.

I found I could not stop reading this book. If I could have attached it to my body I would have. Every spare five minutes  found me with my nose buried in the story, desperate to figure out how Callie would get out of the terrifying situation she was in. The book is told from her point of view, so you get to experience just how she feels when she wakes up unexpectedly with a gun in her hand!

The plot was riveting, with each corner turned, Callie found herself in more trouble. She struggled to find the right Enders to trust.  I can only guess at the writing being good, as I found myself so lost in the story I didn't have time to decide on the quality of it, it was a time sucking book! I was flabbergasted at the imagination the author had initially to create such a story. This book is totally different from any other dystopian book I have read recently. 

Callie is an extraordinary character, still coping with the loss of her parents, she desperately tries to keep her brother safe and away from the institution. Selflessly,she risks her life by allowing her body to be rented out by an Ender. Obviously she has reached the end of the line and it is the only way she can provide food and warmth for the future, but it is still such a huge step to take. The growing friendship between Callie and Blake was intriguing and reminded me of Meet Joe Black, a film I would advise everyone to watch. 

The whole concept of renting bodies really blew my mind. I hope that scientists never actually work out a way to do this, as it would be an extremely scary situation. It had that Matrix feel about it, wwhen the machines feed off the energy  created by humans. Not nice at all. 

The book finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving the identity of one of the characters untold. I have my theories on who the character might really be, but I am only willing to discuss it with other people who have read the book. 

I don't think you can write a review about this book without mentioning the AMAZING cover. I think it is creepy yet beautiful. It really depicts the two sides of Callie extremely well. 

A superb fast paced thriller with an original storyline that captures your imagination. I can't believe I have to wait until the end of the year for the final book.