"S" is for STARTERS - GIVEAWAY, REVIEW & INTERVIEW w/ AUTHOR LISSA PRICE

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STARTERS
Lissa Price
Delacorte
352 pp.
Ages 12 & Up

In the future, teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. One girl discovers her renter plans to do more than party--her body will commit murder, if her mind can't stop it. Sixteen-year-old Callie lost her parents when the genocide spore wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first--the very young and very old. With no grandparents to claim Callie and her little brother, they go on the run, living as squatters, and fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes via Prime Destinations, run by a mysterious figure known only as The Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, known as enders, who get to be young again. Callie's neurochip malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her rich renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, even dating Blake, the grandson of a senator. It's a fairy-tale new life . . . until she uncovers the Body Bank's horrible plan. . . .

Kami Garcia, coauthor of the New York Times bestselling Beautiful Creatures novels said “Fans of The Hunger Games will love it.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Lissa Price at her launch party in Pasadena last month. I picked up an extra signed copy of STARTERS to giveaway when the time was right - which is now. To be eligible for the drawing, please fill out the rafflecopter form at the end of this post. In the meantime, Lissa has graciously taken some time out of her very busy schedule for a interview. After that, be sure to watch the chilling STARTERS book trailer, and then last but not least, my review. Take it away, Lissa!

1. Tell us about STARTERS in one sentence.

In the future, desperate teens rent out their bodies to seniors, so they can be young again temporarily.

2. What inspired you to write this story? 

I went to get a flu shot and there was a shortage. Only the very young, the very old and the infirm could get one. I thought it would be really bad if it turned out to be a killer flu. Then I realized that I had an imaginary future landscape that was ripe for a dynamic story.

3. What was your favorite book when you were young?

THE HOBBIT.

4. What do you enjoy reading now? 

YA dystopians, and YA science fiction: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, INCARCERON were two I especially loved. On my TBR pile: (out of many) CINDER and WHAT'S LEFT OF ME (not out yet).

5. What's next for you?  

I have two e-shorts to write that are set in the world of STARTERS. I'm very excited about the next one. At www.startersbooks.com you can see when they are coming out.

MY REVIEW:

I had this book on my TBR months before it was released in March. It definitely lived up to my expectations. STARTERS is an intense dystopian thriller set in a post-war society where the only survivors are the young and the very, very old. I felt comfortable with Callie, the protagonist, right from the start. She is likeable and real. She loves her brother and will do anything for him, including rent out her body to an Ender. The trouble starts when she "wakes up" before the rental is over and discovers that her renter is using her body to plot an assassination.

As the story progresses, the plot twists get tighter and the stakes get higher. The Old Man is by far the creepiest bad guy I've ever seen in a YA novel. Lissa Price struck gold with STARTERS and leaves you hungry for more. Luckily, the sequel ENDERS is due out at the end of the year, so we won't have long to wait to find out how it all ends.

I highly recommend this book. It kept my attention from page one all the way to the very last sentence. And even though it is YA, there is nothing in it that I found inappropriate for a slightly younger audience. My 11-year-old snatched it out of my hands the moment I closed the cover. He couldn't wait to read it.

I give STARTERS an enthusiastic:

5 STARS!!!

Violence:  Moderate

Profanity: None

Sex: None

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I have a signed copy of STARTERS to give away to (1) lucky winner! Since this book is so unique, so compelling (and I paid for it out of my own pocket!) to be eligible to win you need to complete the rafflecopter form below. All I ask is that you follow this blog. However, you can earn extra entries by liking me on Facebook, friending me on Goodreads, following me on  Twitter, and leaving a comment.

This giveaway will end on May 5th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway