Published – 1st April 2010
Publisher – Harlequin
Format – Paperback
Synopsis – 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.
I first discovered
Maria V Snyder a few years ago through the ‘Study’ and ‘Glass’ series’ that she
wrote and I ADORED them and the writing style. Inside Out was a lucky library
find and I was pretty anxious to get stuck into it, knowing how brilliantly
Snyder creates her worlds.
For the
first half of the book I honestly kind of struggled. The idea behind the book
was incredible and really gripped me. Whenever I wasn’t reading I found myself
desperately wanting to know what this world was and how Trella fit into it.
Unfortunately, that was most of the
time because when I was actually reading it; my interest sort of...disappeared.
It felt like the story was moving too slowly considering the amount of tension
that was already building up. However, I persevered due to sheer curiosity for
answers and I am so SO glad that I did!
I’m not sure
exactly what point it was that everything suddenly clicked for me, but
somewhere along the line my brain caught on to the fact that the pacing, the
excessive tension, the long drawn out moments etc, were intentional and integral
to the plot. This IS Trella’s life. Once I accepted that, it was easier to see
the social commentary that Snyder is providing. The class divides aren’t too dissimilar
from those we have now and the prejudices against the things we don’t
understand. This is why I love fantasy, science fiction and dystopia so much;
to see our world reflected back at us to give a clearer understanding. By the
end of the book – the big ‘reveal’ if you will, I was left open-mouthed and a
little ashamed that I ever doubted the book to be honest. It’s a little out there but it’s totally believable
and definitely intriguing! Can’t wait to come across the next book, Outside In.
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