Review: Inside Out - Maria V. Snyder

Inside Out (Harlequin Teen)


Trella is a scrub. She lives in the lower levels of Inside with all the other scrubs - or at least she's supposed to. Trella mostly lives in the pipes. Her job is to clean them but she also prefers to be there when she's not working. Trella doesn't like scrubs much so she'd rather be on her own ... except for Cog.

Cog is Trella's best friend and almost like a brother to her. They grew up in the care facility together and he's the only one Trella trusts and cares about. That's why she agrees to talk to the Prophet. She hopes she can convince Cog that the prophet's tales about Outside are wrong. Instead, she finds herself involved in a revolution.

Inside Out is an amazing, action packed fantastically written story full of twists and turns that keep you guessing what is going to happen. Everytime I thought I'd worked it out, something happened to make me think otherwise.

The book throws you straight into the action. The rules and customs of Inside aren't explained outright but you pick them up as the plot develops which is a great way to do it. If it had all been set out at the beginning it would have been a slow start.

The characters in this book are great. It's obvious that they all have a detailed backstory that fleshes out their personality and they all have their own important part of the plot. While Trella isn't the most loveable character, I definitely found myself identifying with her. Living in a cramped over-populated area, It's fully understandable that she'd much rather be elsewhere. Her doubts about Outside existing and her efforts at not becoming close to the other scrubs are just her way of not being hurt or disappointed later on. 

A fantastic read for dystopian, sci-fi fans.

Other reviews of this book:
Can't Find a Bookmark
Page Turners
The Book Cellar