Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Put simply, Inside Out is a story about a girl. If you go in depth, it's the story of a girl who changes her society and challenges the status quo. If you ask any reader, it's a story that inspires the reader to go out and change the world. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
3.5 out of 5 stars
Published 3.24.10
Summary from Goodreads:
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.

Trella was the most hard to understand character in the story. Even as the protagonist, I found her to be unreachable, unrelatable, haughty and a little mean. It was a little unsettling that Trella herself knew she was, but I suppose it turns out to be okay in the end. You see, she ends up developing into a more caring, thoughtful person while keeping a bit of her snark. Not too bad for a main character.

Inside Out had a unique plot, if anything. It's not common to read a book involving the questioning of social classes in a dystopian setting with an old man being a prophet. Yes, an old man. Maria Snyder wove in an old man, an execution, rebellion and cruelty into a novel that challenges the status quo. There was plenty of action and suspense, but I felt as if I didn't understand enough of the shafts and pipes to fully enjoy it.

I really liked the guy in the story, Riley. He was smart, thoughtful, interesting and not boring. I hate it when a male character who is meant to be swoon-inducing is boring. Luckily, Riley was not! He seemed real, not just like a some guy from a book. Plus, he had an awesome taste in stuffed animals! (Baa.... I like sheep too...)

This wasn't just Trella's story, though. It was the story of Trella's friends too, new and old. I loved how every supporting character was unique and well-developed. They all had their individual personality, just like in real life. Every individual was individual.

All in all, Outside In was a nice read with a lot of heart. It was pretty relatable (for the most part) for a dystopian novel. The characters were all mostly pretty well thought out. Definitely worth the read!