Review for Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Inside Out (Insiders #1)
By Maria V. Snyder
Published April 1st 2010 by Harlequin
Borrowed from Library
320 pages

"Keep Your Head Down.

Don't Get Noticed.

Or Else.

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." ~ Goodreads

 

Inside Out is a fast paced, engaging dystopian that is great for a quick read. 

Trella was a character that I could easily get into the head of (as weird as that sounds). I believed in her personality and found her relatible. I respected her decisions and only offered a couple head shakes of disapproval to her (yay). However, the real star of this book, in my opinion, was her best friend Cogon who not only had a cool name, but was brave, supportive, and sweet. I liked the community feeling that developed among the scrubs; how everyone worked together. What I found interesting about Inside Out was how Snyder fleshed out almost all of her characters, giving each of them equal prominence. This backfired a bit because I was hoping for more detail and depth for the main characters (like Riley). 

The plot without a doubt progressed quickly, sending little hooks out to drag us along.  I loved the idea of scrubs and upper levels, but the rest seemed like a mish mash of what has been floating around already. I will point out that the writing was simplistic and easy to become immersed in; plus, the story was well thought out. The twists and turns added suspense to the whole adventure and it was clear how much planning went into the whole process. I appreciated the author's effort to help the reader envision Inside. Personally, the story just didn't seem quite original enough .

I'd suggest Inside Out to lovers of dystopian, science fiction, light romance, and fast paced books. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

EXCERPT

 A vibration rippled through my body. I awoke in semi-darkness, unsure of my location. Reaching with my hands, I felt smooth sides arching up and in. My fingers touched overhead. Pipe. 

A distant roar caused unease, but with sleep fogging my  mind, I couldn't quite grasp its significance. The pipe's vibrations increased as the thunder grew louder. Water. Coming toward me. Fast.

TRAILER