Inside Out

I began reading Inside Out with a bit of apprehension. I had loved Poison Study so much, that I didn't think Inside Out could ever live up to it. Fortunately it did! But in a completely different way, which is to be expected since Poison Study was fantasy and Inside Out was more science fiction. But the components that made me love Poison Study were still evident in Inside Out. There were parts where I found myself thinking that there was no way that the book could be tied up neatly by the time it ended, and yet somehow it did. While definitely leaving very much for the next book, enough questions were tied up to satisfy me in the end. There was even a fact revealed that I hadn't expected!

Trella was an interesting, strong female character that I could relate to without having anything in common with her. I enjoyed watching how her character grew and learned throughout the story. Which was great! I loved Riley too! He was so funny and sweet, and the whole bit with Sheepy was so cute! Actually now that I think about it, all the characters were great and interesting. I especially liked Logan and Anne-Jade, they were awesome!

I loved the world that was created! I've been finding that more and more I enjoy the world that authors create nearly as much as the story and the characters. Reminiscent of Logan's Run and 1984 and other such futuristic worlds it still kept a unique feel.

Trella made a pretty good main character for me. She is not really the heroine sort, but she was someone I could very much identify with and understand the motivations of. She is one of the least trusting people and quite antisocial. Quite unexpectedly, she finds herself the leader of a revolution, someone people look up to and help in any way possible. The attention and the role are not something she relishes, but something she must learn how to deal with.

It was really awesome to watch her grow a little bit as a person throughout the book. Although I liked her growth, I also appreciated the plodding nature of it. Some characters change so fast in novels right at the very end; this change is much more natural and complete with setbacks. As a result of Trella's self-absorption, none of the other characters is all that well flushed out. Still, I think that is acceptable in the circumstances. And I do want to see more of some of the characters.

The dystopian society was pretty interesting, especially in the construction of the hierarchy. I don't really want to give anything away, but it definitely makes you think about the impressions one has of the lives of others. The grass is always greener, huh? Except that they're inside, so there really isn't all that much grass anywhere, but you get my point.

What impressed me the most about Inside Out was that I totally did not see the ending coming. Any of it, really. Snyder did a really good job of coming to an interesting and believable conclusion without doing the obvious. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book, Outside In.

Reader reviewed by Ruthie

Although I can easily say that Maria's Study Series was better, Inside Out definitely has promise. It almost seemed to have a sort of steampunk-esque in it except for the fact that it takes place in the future. It had a great mystery to it and I liked when it was finally resolved. Additionally at times I felt that Trella, however, had a strong shell and she didn't care about anyone. Luckily she began to lose this during the book. The ending was great and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel, Outside In

Reader reviewed by Kelsey

Inside Out is a GOOD book, but
not a GREAT book. A lot of imaginative thought and plotting went into
it, but I still feel like it could've been deeper and the story more
intricate.

*SPOILER* I
should've guessed that the doctor was Trella's mom, but for some reason
I didn't. I guess this is why I'm terrible at solving mysteries before
the end of the book! *END OF SPOILER*

I will definitely be waiting to read Outside In,
the sequel. I just hate to wait a whole year until its release. I know
I'll forget everything that happened and be all "Huh??" when I'm reading
the second book.