Enders by Lissa Price

My hand went to the back of my head and I swore I could feel the chip underneath my skin. But I couldn’t, or course: it was buried deeply under the metal  blocking plate. It was just the surrounding scar tissue I felt, hard and unforgiving.

Published by Doubleday Children’s Books in December 2013

Pages – 273

Goodreads Summary

Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael - teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations -With the body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn't want to do. Like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save her life - but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena's memories, too . . . and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body?
No one is ever who they appear to be, not even the Old Man. Determined to find out who he really is and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even it if kills her.

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I feel like I have waited ages for this book. Starters may have actually blown my mind, so Enders had really big shoes to fill. The whole premise behind this series is just so gobsmackingly good. Imagine if someone could take over your body when ever they felt like it. Wouldn’t you feel violated in some way? I certainly would and it’s no surprise that Callie wants the chip removed from her brain.

Callie is a gutsy girl who always puts others before herself. Her brother’s safety is paramount to her and she will do whatever she can to make sure he is OK. Her rather unusual and weird relationship with the Old Man is pivotal to the story. There is so much more to him than we ever thought while reading the first book.

Emma was not the character I was expecting. I had such visions of her future with Callie and I was surprised by her personality. I couldn’t warm to her at all.

This book is more explosive than the first and had a strong Hunger Games feel to it as the teens with chips fight for survival. Lots of questions answered by the end  but I did feel the story hadn’t completely fini

shed.

I enjoyed Enders, but I have to admit that in comparison to Starters, it really didn’t match up.  However on it’s own, Enders was very good. I know that sounds a bit lame, but when you think how utterly amazing Starters was, it was a bit of a let down that Enders wasn’t as fantastic, but if you read it as stand alone, I am pretty sure you would love it.

On the whole, a good conclusion to an amazing debut.