Book Review: Inside Out/ Outside In

Inside

By: Maria V. Snyder

Published by Harlequin Teen

Release Date: February 21, 2012

Genre: YA sci fi

600 pages 

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

 or Barnes and Noble
Source: purchased by reviewer



My thoughts: 

Here's a great deal for you: two novels, Inside Out and Outside In, published as one paperback volume, and selling for less than $10. If you're looking for a gift for a YA reader this holiday season, this is a great option to maximize your dollars and put a smile on a face.

I picked this one up because I'm a fan of Snyder's Study series. Being the loyal little book nerd that I am, I wanted to support a favorite author, so I bought this book as well.

The back copy sums this book up pretty well: four walls. Four levels. Eighteen thousand people. No escape-ever. The story follows one member of this society- Trella. She is a member of the lower class, and as such is assigned regular cleaning duties in the pipes and ducts of her world. Since the levels to which her kind are confined are crowded and loud, Trella often escapes into those pipes. 

Trella has never been particularly friendly- yet she agrees to help a man hide from the authorities, putting herself in danger. As she learns more about why he's being pursued, she feels more strongly about helping him- and soon, she's up to her ears in rebellion.

I really enjoyed the structure of this story; the discovery of history and infrastructure alongside the character kept me guessing, and the constant questioning was a big part of the entertainment factor. I liked this fresh take on what a futuristic society might look like, as well as the bit of romance that pops up for our somewhat misanthropic heroine.

This duo is a great escape (pun intended) from reality. So go- escape.

Summary from GoodReads:

The world of Inside is simple. Do your job, stay out of the way and don't dream of anything better. Because as every Scrub knows, there are no other options.

Until Trella—the Queen of the Pipes, as some call her—gets involved with a revolution that will rock her world….

Trella was just doing a favor for a friend—her only friend. Hiding an injured man from the Pop Cops seemed easy enough—though dangerous. But then she discovered that the myths of Outside might be real….

Being Inside's hero only left Trella with more work. Ducking those responsibilities, she continued to explore her stark world—and found something she never expected. Strangers. From Outside…