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    Inside Out
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    Inside Out
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    Inside Out
    Ebook356 pages5 hours

    Inside Out

    By Maria V. Snyder

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "Imagine every space in this room filled with people. Constantly being jostled and pushed. In the lower levels there is no quiet place. No peace. To a scrub, this room is paradise."

    I drew a deep breath. I'd spoken more in one burst to this stranger whose room I'd invaded than anyone else in weeks. And with a single word he could alert the Pop Cops and send me to the Chomper. We stared at each other for a few heartbeats.

    Before I could retreat he said, "My name's Riley Narelle Ashon. Any time you need peace, you're welcome to use my hideaway."

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9781426851780
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Inside Out

    4/5

    66 ratings37 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The scrubs have it rough. They work strenuous, boring jobs in 10 hour shifts. The food is slop (and not only that but the same slop over and over). There is no personal space. Trella escapes this cramped lifestyle by mostly remaining in the pipes, which she cleans as her profession. She explores every inch of Inside and knows it better than anyone, earning her the nickname Queen of the Pipes. This moniker also references her somewhat haughty and distant attitude. She has one friend, Cog, a guy full of hope that Gateway, the way to Outside really exists. When the next in a succession of prophets claims he can find the answer, Trella does not believe him, but decides to fetch the discs he hid to prove him a fraud. Only...he might not be.

      Trella made a pretty good main character for me. She is not really the heroine sort, but she was someone I could very much identify with and understand the motivations of. She is one of the least trusting people and quite antisocial. Quite unexpectedly, she finds herself the leader of a revolution, someone people look up to and help in any way possible. The attention and the role are not something she relishes, but something she must learn how to deal with.

      It was really awesome to watch her grow a little bit as a person throughout the book. Although I liked her growth, I also appreciated the plodding nature of it. Some characters change so fast in novels right at the very end; this change is much more natural and complete with setbacks. As a result of Trella's self-absorption, none of the other characters is all that well flushed out. Still, I think that is acceptable in the circumstances. And I do want to see more of some of the characters.

      The dystopian society was pretty interesting, especially in the construction of the hierarchy. I don't really want to give anything away, but it definitely makes you think about the impressions one has of the lives of others. The grass is always greener, huh? Except that they're inside, so there really isn't all that much grass anywhere, but you get my point.

      What impressed me the most about Inside Out was that I totally did not see the ending coming. Any of it, really. Snyder did a really good job of coming to an interesting and believable conclusion without doing the obvious. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book, Outside In.
    • 3/5
      Concept looked interesting, execution fell flat to me. Nothing bad, just nothing exceptional either.
    • 4/5
      Trella is an interesting character and one of my favorite heroines that I've read about so far. She's a distrustful self absorbed loner who was bullied during her childhood and is still greatly disliked and treated badly by her fellow scrubs. Her personality traits make the romance slow to develop, realistic, and not mushy. Which is something I appreciate. I was expecting an over load of romance because of who the publisher is, but like Snyder's other works, there is just the right amount in my opinion. I like the characters perception of nature on an actual planet. "A blue ceiling that goes on forever!" lol. The ending was interesting. So I'm excited to read the next book and see how that changes life for the scrubs. As for what's outside: That's what I thought would be revealed at the very end. But it wasn't. The characters figured that out a little earlier. And to be honest, I guessed that's what the outside would be before I even started reading the book. But to be fair, I knew it was a scifi story and the characters didn't. :D This is the first scifi book I've read and I only read it because I like the authors other works. Although I've been obsessed with scifi movies and shows, I've never been interested in the books for some reason. But this book has changed that. I'm definitely checking out other scifi books after this.
    • 3/5
      Trella is a scrub, responsible (like the thousands of other scrubs inside) for keeping things clean, right down to the air and waste ducts. Trella is also a bit of an explorer, and has earned a reputation as Queen of the Pipes, able to travel through the levels and observe in places she has no business being. Her best friend, Cogon, introduces her to a new prophet, Broken Man, who enlists her help in retrieving information discs he'd left in a vent over his quarters, before he'd been sent down to the scrubs. Discs that prove the existence of a gateway--a doorway to Outside. Trella is skeptical, but curiosity gets the better of her and she searches out the discs in a move that will launch her into an adventure she never could have anticipated.

      Dystopian insofar as one family (out of 9) has taken over power Inside. Readalikes: Incarceron, Ender's Game, maybe Across the Universe?

      This scattershot review brought to you by It's Late and I'm Tired.
    • 2/5
      I was looking forward to a matrix-style reality and all kinds of philosophical questions about life, death and whatever... it didn't deliver. I struggled to finish it, I'm afraid.
    • 3/5
      Sometimes 3 stars, sometimes 3.5The first half of the book was a little slow, and Snyder's system of calculating birthdays by weeks rather than years became too confusing at times, so I just accepted it rather than trying to work it out for myself. I found it difficult at times to clearly picture Trella's world of the pipes.Having said that, the idea of living Inside all the time intrigued me, and Trella's character conveyed the impact of that on the scrubs and on her in particular. There was also an interesting twist concerning the Gateway and the Outside. Overall, Inside Out is worth a read.
    • 4/5
      There was something about Inside Out that made me think of Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Even as I say that I know that they are completely different stories, characters, etc. but there's just something...If you've read Across the Universe, when you get to the end of the book, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. That said, I found it just as enjoyable as Across the Universe, and for completely different reasons.Inside Out tells the story of Trella, a lowly 'scrub' on the 'inside' scrubs are a dime a dozen, living in cramped quarters, breeding, and spending their days cleaning up after the 'uppers'. Trella knows she was born an upper but was given up by her birth parents to live in the lower levels. She knows a scrub can't expect much out of life, and she's determined not to get close to anyone, as too often scrubs are feed to the chomper. When she unwittingly starts a revolution, she has to decide whether she is willing to take the risk on trusting others in order to find the elusive 'outside'.Trella is an interesting character. She is aloof and unfriendly, unwilling to trust others, but she is fierce in her commitment to her friend Cog. She spends a lot of time telling everyone, including herself that her goal is to disprove the existence of 'outside' yet by the end, I feel like she is the one that needs it the most.The romance angle was alright. I just didn't feel like it was a necessary part of the story. It's there, but luckily Snyder doesn't try to force it full steam on us. Riley and Trella come together cautiously and it felt more natural than if she had jumped right into love with him.The ending was great, and leads perfectly to a sequel. I am definitely going to be checking out Outside In.
    • 3/5
      Just okay for me. I saw the twist about Inside and Outside coming somewhere around the middle of the book, and that turned me off of it a bit. I like Trella as a character, but the Sci Fi aspect is just not my thing. I also feel like it can be fine to end there, so I don't know if I'll actually read the sequel yet.
    • 5/5
      I was first interested in this one because I've read books by Maria V. Snyder before and loved them and also because of my dystopian obsession at the moment. Then, when one of my friends read it and loved it, I decided that I had to read it for myself! And surprise, surprise, Maria V. Snyder has written yet another book that I love!I really loved the characters in this book, I felt like I was able to form connections and attachments to them. I hate it when you're reading a book, yet you don't quite feel a connection with the people that you're reading about. It makes it really hard to get into and to enjoy the book that you're reading. There was definitely no issue at all in regard to that in Inside Out, the characters were fabulous! I think that a good, strong cast of characters really makes the book!I'm a big fan of kick ass female protagonists and Trella sure fit that bill. I loved that she was kind of rebellious and didn't just fit into the mould that she was supposed to. She wasn't contented with living the boring life that had been layed out for her, she seemed to crave something more exciting. She was very skeptical about a lot of things at first, but once she started to believe that there really could be another life wait Outside, she put so much into making to it happen, risked so much. She was really strong and so freaking smart. I honestly would not have done things nearly as well as she did if I were in the same situation, she had a lot of brains and really knew how to use them.Riley, the love interest was awesome. I liked that, despite what he'd always been taught, he didn't treat the Scrubs like they were nothing. When he first came across Trella, he didn't look down on her, but actually found her very interesting. He didn't really buy into all of the crap that almost everyone else had been brainwashed to believe and he wasn't afraid of bending the rules a little bit (a lot, actually!). Riley was also such a sweetheart. He was so cute and caring. He knew that he shouldn't be interacting with a Scrub, but he risked it for Trella, he felt that she was special from the moment he first met her.This book kind of surprised me; I thought that it was one thing, but it ended up being something totally different. I felt like it almost switched genres at the end, but that was just another one of the things that I liked about this book. The ending sort of came out of nowhere and left me thinking "wait... what just happened?", but in a good way! One thing that I didn't like about the ending though was that I felt like it didn't leave an opening for a sequel. I know that there is a sequel (I have it on my book shelf), but with this ending, it almost felt like a stand alone novel. I have no idea where the next book in this series is going to go, but I look forward to finding out!Overall, I really enjoyed reading Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder! I'm a huge fan of some of her other books and this one is no different, I would definitely recommend it! I really look forward to reading the sequel and to finding out where this story is going, it should be interesting!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this. I was prepared to be blase, as I feel I have read quite deeply in the society trapped in a confined space genre, but I didn't find it cliched, and I cared about Trella.As for the reality of outside, silly me, I didn't see it coming at all!
    • 4/5
      I first started out reading Maria V. Snyder's Study series. I fell in love with the characters and the world she created then. When I happened across Outside In on NetGalley, I was intrigued and wanted to read this series. So I picked up Inside Out.I've been enjoying some dystopian novels lately, and this did not disappoint. The characters in this book have been living in Inside for thousands of weeks. They have been separated into scrubs and the Uppers. The scrubs "maintain" the ship (cleaning, cooking, etc) and sleep in crammed quarters, while the Uppers live and relax in plush apartments... or so the scrubs are led to believe. Trella stumbles upon evidence of a Gateway to Outside, which in turn leads to a rebellion.Trella in a very likable main character. She's strong, spunky, edgy and tough. She tries to stay off the radar of the Pop Cops (Population Control Police) but realizes that she can't when it comes to doing what is right, not only for herself but all the inhabitants of Inside.Riley is an Upper that Trella meets through one of her excursions through the pipes, which are her job to clean. They form a tentative friendship at first, but soon come to rely on one another. Riley is a very sweet boy and a great love interest for Trella.I loved the details about Inside, the workings and the day-to-day life of the inhabitants. I soaked it up and built a mental image of their world in my mind.The overall world was completely different than what I had taken from Maria's Study series, but I highly enjoyed it. I wanted to know what happened between the scrubs and the Uppers and I could not put it down.
    • 4/5
      Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder is a dystopian novel set in a futuristic place called the Inside. Trella's world consists of two classes the Uppers and the Scrubs(which she belongs to) Scrubs exist to make the uppers lives more easy and to ensure Inside's way of life. The Uppers and the Scrubs are both governed by the ruling and cruel Pop Cops who will recycle you and send you to Chomper for the slightest questioning. Trella is emotionally detached from her world, having no reason to care for anyone or anything, she sees the scub way of life as hopeless. When the one person she cares for is captured by the Pop Cops she makes sure he doesn't go in vain. Trella and the band of Uppers and Scrubs she acquires along the way will change the world of Inside forever, in the search for the mythical Gateway. Trella will learn to care and love, expose dirty secrets of her life and the Pop Cops, and see how whe affects those around her. This book shows what happens when knowledge and power is in the hands of the few(elite) and the importance of bonding. Most importantly this book shows that when all is lost, one only needs HOPE to succeed. I really enjoyed this book. I am generally a good guesser in plot twists, but not with Inside Out. The twists weren't far fetched, but were crafted carefully with originality at the forefront. I'm glad that I have finally found a book that I didn't know the ending to half way through.
    • 4/5
      Interesting summary up there. I have to be honest. I put off reading this book for awhile because of that summary. I'm not exactly sure why, but maybe it's because I prefer a little more information than what was given. That's just my preference and I know not everyone feels the same way. Either way, I finally got around to reading it and I'm glad I did. Inside Out was friggin amazing. There is something about Maria V. Snyder's writing that I absolutely adore. I loved the Study series, and if it's even possible, I might have loved this book more. The characters were impeccably written. The story was fantastic and suspenseful. The setting was out of this world. Snyder's writing is perhaps a perfect balance of all the things that matter. Everything that makes a book special was there. She makes you care about her characters and her plots are like a movie on paper. I think I like the settings of dystopian novels the best. They are always fantastic and special. There is great world building to be found in them. The hiding in the pipes and the Pop Cops. And then there was the rebelling of the scrubs and Trella sneaking into the upper-levels. The setting and the events that took place in it were just so vivid and compelling. If I have one complaint, it's that I think Trella and the other scrubs got out of sticky situations too easily. Just when you thought something was over for them, they would get saved in an all too convenient way. This happened more towards the end and I found myself thinking, "too easy!" on several occasions. But it is what it is. It was still a fantastic book. I totally want to read the next one, and I will as soon as I can get my hands on it. If you like dystopian novels, I'm pretty sure this will be satisfying. I thought it was pretty special, and it is one I will likely read again in the future if I ever have time to re-read another book. Unlikely.
    • 5/5
      INSIDE OUT, by Maria V. Snyder, is a fast-paced and unique story that will keep you on the edge of your seat....the entire time! Snyder created phenomenal characters, hair-raising plot twists, and a resolution that will make your head spin. I immediately connected with Trella. She was a bit of a loner who kept one good friend. She kept low key, which enabled her to explore her way through the air ducts all over the Inside, and it earned her the name 'Queen of the Pipes'. But, her extended knowledge of the Inside roped her into a situation that affected the lives of everyone on the Inside. Character-wise, I loved the relationship dynamic between Trella and Riley. Two people from different 'levels' finding more in common than they ever dreamed fueled the rebellion and its leader. I hoped and hoped that these two would get together throughout the whole book. And no, I won't tell you if they did!Snyder is truly a fantastic writer. Her prose is amazing and I was able to visualize everything that Trella saw in the Inside. The book was detailed and very thorough and I found myself tuning out everything else around me while reading. At the end of the book in the Acknowledgement section, Snyder said that this was a 'dream book'. She saw the characters, twists, and ending in her dream and wrote it all down. I am always looking to my dreams for inspiration and I am happy to know that it is possible!It's extremely hard to write an un-spoilery review for this book. I spent all my non-reading time trying to figure out what was Inside and Outside and when it was revealed I was absolutely blown away. All I can say is.. GO GET THIS BOOK!
    • 5/5
      The first in a dystopian duo set in the future. Trella is a scrub working (and living) in the pipes she cleans, as part of an underclass in a mysterious society. Whilst there are similarities with Snyder's previous books (in particular characterisation and cliimbing) this is a much bleaker book. However, it's a thoroughly enjoyable book with plenty of intrigue and you really want to know what's going in in this world and whether the Scrubs will gain any freedom.
    • 4/5
      Trella is an amazing scrub. She cleans the pipes in the lower levels and hides in them to keep out of the overpopulated halls. She has animosity for the residents of the upper levels. There is mistrust and misinformation between the levels.Her friend , Cog, introduces her to a "prophet". Cog wants more than anything to believe in life outside of the place where they live. This prophet goes by the name of Broken Man and preaches to the lower levels about the better life awaiting them "outside." He tells them about the reward awaiting them if they continue on almost as drones. This is an attempt to keep the scrubs calm and working. The prophet is really a rebel and gives Trella a challenge she cannot pass up.This begins an intriguing story about the force of the masses and mankind's desire to have a better life. There are many twists and turns. Snyder has written a wonderful story with a few surprises. I loved the Study series by Snyder and was not let down in this sci-fi book. I look forward to reading the next story "Outside In." I purchased my copy as an eBook on my kindle.
    • 4/5
      This dystopian young adult book is an entertaining quick read with aspects of a survival story, a mystery (complete with twists) and of course a coming-of-age romance.Seventeen-year-old Trella lives in a giant cube with other “Lowers” like herself. They all work for the “Uppers,” never seen by the Lowers except for the Upper police force. The Lowers do the dirty work of the cube, and are known colloquially as “scrubs.” Trella, because her job is to clean the ducts, has been able to make her way (illegally) all around the pipes of the cube. She also is pretty much of a loner, except for Cog, her best friend from when they were toddlers. Cog believes there is an “Outside” to which they can escape someday. He convinces Trella to meet with yet another ”prophet” who periodically appears among the scrubs to assure them that if they are obedient in this life, they can get from the "Inside" to the "Outside" in the next.Everything changes when the prophet is in danger and Cog wants Trella to help. She is in a unique position to do so because of her duct work, so to speak. And when Trella accidentally falls through a vent and meets an Upper – Riley, a young teen about her age who is also hiding out – all her preconceptions are challenged. Soon they are all fighting to survive, and it seems like their only hope is that there really is an Outside.Discussion: For some reason, strong female teen protagonists in dystopias also tend to be self-absorbed, bristly, cynical, and defensive. In other words, they seem to be the teen equivalent of the strong female adult who is considered to be a witch for playing on the same field as men. I suppose if you’re trying to negotiate a dystopia, it won’t help you much to be an Anne of Green Gables, but I’d like to see a little more balance.I loved, however, how the author expressed the way Trella coped with emotions that might weaken her:"Distractions would be dangerous, and all our efforts would be for nothing if we were caught… I squashed my fear and worries into a small metal box and dropped in the shattered remains of my heart for good measure. Locked with an obnoxiously big lock, I pushed the container into a far corner of my thoughts.”Trella does grow a bit in the book, especially with the help of the sweet and caring Riley, but she never loses her edge. Evaluation: I wasn't crazy about this book, but it's nevertheless appealing and has likable characters - even Trella, who clearly has her thorns out only to protect herself from hurt and pain. I did have a couple of quibbles though.Riley is, in my opinion, a little too soft to be a good match for Trella – I wasn’t buying the chemistry there.Also, the author came up with an abstruse time system that I felt needlessly complicated the story. Thank heavens Trella also gave her age in “old style” because I was totally not going to do the math!
    • 4/5
      One thing I love about Maria V. Snyder is I can always count on her to give me a nice, strong female protagonist. I wasn't disappointed with Inside Out as a result.Although part of the story reminded me a bit of Uglies by Scott Westerfield (especially the beginning) it quickly veered away into a story of secrets and uprising against the unfair. Mix in a bit of mystery and you have the makings for a heart-pounding thrilling tale.Although I loved this book for it's own reasons, it isn't by any means, perfect. One of the surprise "twists" could be seen coming from a mile away and there were a few parts in the book that just seemed to be a bit too neatly handled - everything falling into place a bit too easily. But overall I was very pleased with Inside Out and will happily recommend it to any fans of dystopia.
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure what I had expected, but Inside Out took me completely off-guard! With nail-biting suspense and a crew of uniquely-talented and passionate characters, I found myself anxious to find out what exactly is going on in Trella's world! Unexpected answers that lead to more terrifying questions, but I totally loved the journey! This book can standalone, but if you want to know what happens next, then check out the upcoming sequel Outside In!
    • 4/5
      I'm such a sucker for dystopian fiction. I love it possibly too much, and I absolutely devour pretty much anything out there on the subject that looks even the smallest bit interesting. As a fan of Maria V. Snyder's Study and Glass series, I was even more excited to see what she could bring to the dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction genre. I've also been noticing a surprising jump in the amount of this type of fiction being released in the YA genre (ex: This World We Live In, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Hunger Games). It's interesting to see the popularity of the genre in the YA market and, while I sometimes would like to see these novels being a little gritter, there's something about a YA approach to dystopian futures that gives them an added level of fascination.Snyder's first entry into the genre (and, in some circles due to the argument over the classification of her other novels, into the YA genre) is an interesting trip through a unique world. In Inside Out, readers meet young Trella, a Scrub who works in a dark world known only as "Inside." When Trella meets a Prophet claiming he knows how to get Outside, her world will never be the same.Perhaps my biggest issue with this novel is the exposition and the explanations of the world. While I typically don't have problems with writers inventing their own slang or terms, etc., I felt like Snyder just started using all of the vocabulary of her world without a lesson for readers. This left me scratching my head for much of the book and I'm afraid I missed out on a few things. While the world is very well-crafted and unique, it didn't quite get explained to readers well enough and I found myself frequently getting confused.Overall though, Inside Out is a decent entry into the growing YA post-apocalyptic genre filled with wonderful action and an exciting premise, but with a few small kinks. I hope that later installments of the series are a little more solid, but look forward to them nonetheless.
    • 2/5
      I really, really wanted to like this book. I tried so hard, but about halfway through, I realized that I hated it, hated the main character, and just wanted the 'oppressors' to take over and be done with it. Heh. Not usually a good sign in a dystopian novel.What went wrong for me was the way the book was set up: Rather than present a main character in a situation where something major happens that forces a change or action, we're given a character already stuck in an established situation with no apparent reason for zooming in on her life. Nothing remarkable is happening. There's no catalyst for her to change. There's no reason why she should be acting differently from the other people around her, no understandable reason for why she should question authority or think that life should change.And that's what bothered me. When you have an individual living in a dystopian society, there must be a catalyst or specific reason that causes that individual to question the status quo and come to the major realization that things are not as they should be. If someone is living a certain way for their entire life and doesn't know any better (particularly in the way this story is set up), why would they just wake up one morning and decide to rebel? That's not logical. I found nothing likable about the main character, and I didn't have a reason to root for her because there was nothing that spurred her to action in the first place (that I could tell, anyway). If it happened, it happened before the story opened, and that doesn't exactly make for interesting reading. And the 'big twist'? Made me groan audibly. Sorry Snyder fans, but I won't be continuing with the sequel.
    • 3/5
      make me want to find out what was going to happen next. I was happy to pick it up whenever and got easily distracted. I liked Trella. I liked how she grew and that her opinion of other scrubs and the uppers changed. I bought into her world view shift. And the whole cube where she lives is brilliant. The way they count time, the organization, the differences between the uppers and scrubs. Cool. Yet, Trella's romance fell flat. I love romance in my novels, kissing scenes are my favorite. I didn't buy into her and Riley and worst of all, the kissing was Wimp. So between the lack of romantic tension and low excitement for the plot (though it was cool), I wasn't all that impressed.BUT THEN I read the ending and it was awesome. In the context of what is going on outside of their cube, it's an awesome premise. It got me REALLY excited to read the next in the series, Outside In.
    • 5/5
      This reminded me of a lot of young adult science fiction I read as a child: Monica Hughes's Devil on My Back and H. M. Hoover's This Time of Darkness immediately spring to mind, and I'm sure there were many others. Those were books I loved and that really got me interested in science fiction at that age, so I really loved the trip down memory lane as much as I loved the story itself! Hopefully Inside Out will lead many new readers to discover science fiction as well.
    • 3/5
      Inside Out is a unique view of the usual conflicts between the societal class structure of haves and have nots. The Lowers are charged with the care taking of the world in which both they and the Uppers live. Keeping mechanics purring, maintaining the cleanliness of duct work and a variety of other custodial tasks the Lowers are thought to truly be the bottom of the barrel.To add insult to injury they do this all as a result of living in a police state. They are made lower not by choice or even by circumstance, they are such by being oppressed by the higher class. They are forced into labor, made to dress a certain way and even eat according to the choices of others. These people do not have any freedoms at all.Main character Trella is a Lower, her responsibility is to crawl through duct work sanitizing it so that the Uppers have clean air. She should be a relatively simple character but Snyder has created her with depth and complexity. Sure, she knows her station in life and she knows she shouldn’t want more but she does. She wants to know what Upper is like, she wants to experience the differences and what she perceives as the luxury and most of all she wants the freedom to do so.This is where everything in her life (and frankly the lives of everyone) starts to change. Trella explores the duct work, memorizes its every nook and cranny until she’s fluent in the language of her surroundings. She’s bold and in some ways carefree enough to expand her exploration over time until she finally finds herself in Upper. Only now she’s not entirely alone. She’s met Riley, an Upper boy.Their romance is certainly intriguing as it builds over their mutual desire to seek a better understanding of how the division of power both came about and can further be destroyed. The latter is where most of the story is told. Will there be a revolt? Will there not? How do they get there and stay safe if it does? All questions to ponder as you read this book.In addition to building a convolutedly simple and sparse world — it seemed quite box-like to me — Snyder does an excellent job with character development. From the almost rabid Pop Cops to the group of unexpected conspirators from Upper and Lower we meet a great variety of personalities. Through them all we learn lessons on trust and loyalty, love and friendship, but above teamwork.Inside Out is an excellent dystopian read with a strong female in the lead. It has the potential to teach readers valuable and useful lessons all while keeping them entertained.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed Snyder's Study series and was looking forward to her YA debut (because, despite common belief, the Study and Glass series are considered adult novels). Unlike Yelena, the Study series's heroine, Trella takes a while to warm up to. However, her story was unique and riveting and her voice did it justice. Also, Trella softened during the course of the novel and I found my feelings about her softening as well. My one complaint (and it's kind of a big one) - the story felt like a Disney version of a dystopic society. While the issues were serious, the characters were caricatured. Despite this, there are plenty of twists to be found in this book and I can't wait to see what the sequel, Outside In, has in store.
    • 5/5
      I'm having a love affair with Maria V. Snyder! Everything she writes, I love. Nevertheless, I'm such a big fan, I'm almost anticipating major disappointment. Thankfully, that disappointment never came!Inside Out was so good, I could not stop reading it. Ms. Snyder simply picks up the reader and drops him or her right into a new world. Usually, when you read one of her books, it takes you awhile to figure out what the heck is going on. What time era is this? What technology are they talking about? Who are these people? Well, that happened here as well. And I LOVED it. For one entire day, I lived with Trella as she climbed the pipes, met the Uppers for the first time, doubted herself when wondering whom to trust, and ran from the Pop Cops. The plot has been told in other reviews so I won't repeat it but it will make your heart race!Will I read the next book?I'll probably pre-order it months ahead of time!
    • 4/5
      I really liked Inside Out. It had a nice arc for the main character, who goes from caring about no one to being fully involved in her world. I like stories about plucky heroines who figure out how to overcome a fascist system. The world is interesting and a little creepy. It is kind of a cross between Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series and the movie The Cube, but Snyder's storytelling abilities overcome the fact that it's slightly derivative.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this story "Inside Out" by Maria V. Snyder. Its unique in that Snyder builds this whole universe that really is just built like a square disected into four levels. The Lower level citizens are Scrubs like Trella. They do all the dirty work keeping the world running. They are overcrowded to the point that no one even has their own beds and they have to sleep in shifts. They are taken from their mothers at birth and run in care facilities. The uppers, they believe, are housed in suites with their families. They get all the good jobs and are lesser in number than the scrubs. Above the uppers are the Controllers...those select few that run the entire world. This gives you a brief idea of the world Snyder has set forth, but its only a glimpse as the world is far more involved and complex. This is all very compelling and original. As a reader, I wanted to know where these people were really? Why were they being herded and watched over like sheep? What were the uppers and controllers hiding? The book works on so many different levels. A class of middle or high school students could argue and debate the many themes found in this novel. However, here is why this book suffered in my opinion. Trella uses the air ducts to pass secretly through the levels. Understandable in a great idea...however the first 2/3 of the book feels like endless passages of her moving through those ducts in great detail. It became repetitious and slowed the book down dramatically, at least for me. I was bored enough at the beginning that I began another book, which I nearly never do. I always knew I would pick back up and keep reading about the Inside, because the world set up was so fantastic. I just needed to break up the many dull trips through the vents. That said, if the plot of this book even slightly catches your eye, do pick it up. It is intriguing and well worth reading. You probably won't forget this world soon. I do plan to pick up the next book
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked this book up. I've only read Snyder's Storm Glass and heard great things about her Study series but this story sounded so different from those two series. If you enjoy dystopia's I think this is a nice book to add to the list. The first half was solid but not "I can't put the book down" and the second half really had me hooked. I think one of the greatest parts of this book is seeing the transformation Trella's character goes through in how she views her fellow scrubs, the uppers and herself. The supporting cast of characters are also great. Each person has to face the prejudices they hold about the Uppers and the Scrubs and see past the propaganda they have been fed about each other in order to find out the truth about the world they are living in. And call me cheesy but I really enjoyed the relationship between Trella and Riley and how they use mama sheep and baby sheep to push past some awkwardness (yes, you need to read it to understand). LOL. Probably the only minor issue I had was keeping track of the time units in the book. I was never good at math and started losing track of how long their "weeks", "centiweeks", etc was so I had no real idea of how old these characters were or how long this "world" had been in existence. Other than that I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
    • 5/5
      Okay. Let's begin with the fact that I got a digital copy of this early, which -- no, no, no, let's go back farther. Let's begin with the fact that I met MVS back in November (and I never posted pictures or notes of the rollicking good time that was had by all), and at dinner, she told us about the book she was working on that was due to come out in, oh, 1/2 a year (the tease). It was a YA dystopian novel she says, and then I drifted out a bit, because could she have said anything more up my alley? Maria V. Snyder, she of the series' and the characters that make my book club get really loud and inappropriate and, dare I say, fangirlish, was writing a YA. DYSTOPIAN. NOVEL. She somehow read my dreams.But I didn't want to get my hopes up. Too 'up', anyway, because that's not fair, and there were all kinds of what ifs. YA dystopia is not her norm -- what if she can't write YA? What if she can't write dystopia? What if I *gulp* hate it.What if I drive myself crazy with worry slash ineeditnow, when I know damn well that it's going to have her talent and character-driven goodness behind it. What was I worried about?All of the things I loved about Snyder's adult books are her in Inside Out. I care about the characters, I see a budding romance, but on a YA level, the writing is super fast paced and catching, and it flows wonderfully. Trella is definitely rootforable, and ya love her even when you want to shake her. There was great tension and edge-of-your-seatness, and the world is fully realized and intriguing, just as her worlds always are. All of this I've come to expect from Snyder. AND there are 2 more good things, which I wasn't expecting. 1 - the beginning had me right from the start. Now, this isn't to say that her beginnings don't generally grab me, because that would be a lie, but they sometimes feel like beginnings to me -- they feel clunkyish or awkward. This was a "plunge right in, sink or swim" beginning, and it worked beautifully. #2 - she shocked me. ME. I'm never surprised by anything that happens in a book. I always see it coming, at least in part, and it's generally a question of how well it's done. But even though I perhaps should have known -- clues were dropped, I'm not an idiot -- she shocked me. I didn't think it could be done. Hats off, Maria.So I think that's all I can say. I don't want to give anything away, I just want you teased enough that you'll go out and grab this, because trust me, it is well worth it. And then you can sit and wait anxiously with me for the sequel, Outside In.[laughs diabolically]