Inside Out Review

Inside Out

-       Maria V Snyder

Publisher: UK – MIRA Ink

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? Not like it's all that dangerous - the only neck at risk is my own. Until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution...

Trella is a scrub – a maintenance worker in the crowded levels one and two of the Inside. There is little space for the scrubs while the uppers have the luxury of space and families. So from a young age she learned to escape into the pipes and conduits and earned herself the name Queen of the Pipes. Trella is a loner by choice – at the beginning she has only one friend, Cog who acts as a big brother to her. And while she may not be happy, she doesn’t have any hope that things will change. It’s always been like this and it will probably always be like this. Probably. Somehow Trella ends up learning more about the Inside than anyone else and perhaps even the existence of a mythical Gateway to Outside...

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Maria V Snyder’s work – I adored her Study and Glass trilogies and here she offers a very different novel, moving from fantasy to science fiction. However, she still manages to pack in a lot of action, relationships and some surprising twists into this YA novel. I have to admit I was swept up with Trella and loved the way she really didn’t have a plan but was making it all up as she went along. She acted on instinct and had to learn to trust others. She had no big ambitions – she just wanted to be left alone. Yet, by the end she manages to make numerous friends and explore parts of Inside no-one had ever been to before.

There is a sweet romance in the story with an upper, Riley, but it doesn’t really become the focus. I loved the way Maria Snyder manages to convey different personalities in just a short space and even manage to include a variety of twists and turns. There are a few that genuinely startled me and along the way Trella learns that if you want things to change, you have to do something. There are lessons learnt about freedom and propaganda throughout. There’s enough action, conspiracy and discoveries to keep you reading and enjoying the journey throughout. Great fun and where can I get my own sheepy?

And stop by again tomorrow for my Inside Out Giveaway! :)

Recommended for fans of Richelle Mead and Rachel Vincent. 9 out of 10.