Book Review- Audible- Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

An exciting dystopia read. If you liked Hunger Games and other stories in this genre you will like this.

Inside Out (Harlequin Teen)  by Maria V. Snyder

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (February 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373210116
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210114

 Genre: Sci fi Fantasy, Dystopia
     My Rating:  4.75 of 5.0

Product Description
"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.

Review:  This is a very engaging story and I listened to it in about two days as I didn't want to stop.

Trella is a teenage girl, a Lower,  who works as “a scrub”, cleaning pipes on "Inside" which is the world as she knows it. Her best friend, Cogan, is a leader among the Lowers who hate the Uppers who control them and keep them in their places of labor by threat of the Population Control Cops (Pop Cops).  One of Cogan’s friends, is a computer genius, Logan. Unknown to the Uppers, Logan makes all sorts of handy gadgets that help Trella to spy and gain information around the systems. Another friend  believes he has found information leading to Gateway which will lead them to “outside” with information that Trella can help gain.

Trella moves freely among the pipes, provided she gets her job done and shows up when expected so the Pop Cops don’t harass her.  While crawling through the pipes she discovers what appears to be an empty room - which is a luxury to the crowded Lowers. Then she meets a boy there, Riley, and even though he is an Upper they develop a friendship. There is mystery in how the Uppers lord it over the Lowers and Trella and Riley are surprised to learn that life “on the other side” is not as either has been taught.  Riley gives Trella a sheep stuffed animal which they call Sheepie. Ultimately that becomes the symbol of the Lower’s rebellion by a “force of sheep.”

This story moves along very quickly with good twists.  I enjoyed the characters, the story, the surprises and the good narration. This is YA but that did not lessen the enjoyment and I was anxious to listen to book two.  This is an author I really like. I enjoyed her early trilogy, the Study series which I recommend too.
My review of the second book, Outside In, is my next post.