This is an amazing book about a young girl who is crowned Queen of the Pipes since she doesn't like the company of the other 'scrubs' that crowd the lower levels. It all begins with her only friend taking her to see the latest prophet that sends her on a whirlwind adventure that is full of danger, suspense and an unexpected romance. Although this book does have some romance in it, it is very minimal and it focuses on the challenges and experiences of Trella. I would recommend this book to fans of the Hunger Games trilogy and dystopian world stories.

This book, was recommended by my sister Leanne, and i am so glad she let me read it, (even though i have read most of her books which she has bought). This book is about in away lower and upper classes like us, people who are poor and people who are rich, but this is about 4 levels , the bottom 2 levels being where the scrubs live, where they do labour work and have hardly any time for themselves, and the 2 upper levels being where they have there own families and have more time to do what they want to do. But throughout the book there is some things similar to each other. A girl called Trella is a scrub and she keeps to herself like everyone else, and tries to not get noticed by the pop cops. She has a friend called Cogon, which she has been living with since the start and spending time with each other. She sometimes sneaks to the upper levels (you are not meant to) but this only risks her own life but soo she starts up a rebellion and risks other peoples life's, this is all because of a prophet who asked her to find some information on the location of a gateway to the outside. Trella at one point lands into a room and meets an upper, similar in age, Riley, they grow to trust each other and you can see that they will grow to be more than just friends on the first time they meet, Riley plays a part in it all as well. Other characters also play main parts , Cogon, The two Tech-No's Logan and Jade- Anne, Sheepy (sorry but i had to put this down, the sheep was amazing), the Prophet, of course Trella and many more. Trella is shown as a brave and loyal person and in my case the heroine of the book. The ending was a surprise and i am so glad that there is another book called outside in, i hope the characters Riley and Trella develop more and get to each other more in it.

Not her usual fantasy work. As this book has a slight futuristic feel. Yet still wonderful work from the author. Very gripping, always something happening in each chapter. Slightly confusing on the first few pages but as you read on everything comes together and gets clearer.
Great book, very enjoyable. I'm sure the sequel will be just as hooking.

Inside Out grabbed my attention on so many levels, not just because of the insanely unique storyline, but also because of the way it made me feel by reading it. Now usually, i'll say a book made me feel happy, sad, or made me laugh, or something along those lines. In this case, the imagery and the events are so well written, i felt claustrophobic! Just the thought of being stuck in Inside had me shudder, mainly because i hate small spaces, but regardless of that this book is so descriptive I easily imagined the world Trella was living in and nothing could have prepared me for the revelations at the end. Trella is a Scrub, one of many people living in the lower levels of inside and brought up to do manual labour, waste, cleaning and other such tasks. Like all the other scrubs, she does her job and keeps to herself, not caring much about anyone. Or at least she tries to, that is until a prophet claims to know how to get Outside and her friend Cogon gets her to listen to him. One small trip to prove the prophet wrong leads Trella into a dangerous series of events and starts a rebellion so huge it has the power to change Inside forever, as she tries to find a way to Outside. If I had to pick only one thing to praise any of Maria's books it's the quality of world building and the characters. Very few authors can describe a world so well that you can almost imagine the rigid shape of Inside, the smell of the air and imagine the way in which the lower levels are treated like cattle. I could easily picture Trella climbing through pipes and ducts and I loved the sense of excitement and tension as the story progressed and she relied more and more on her hidey holes and escape routes, the feeling of being cornered and trapped a huge theme in this novel. And it wasn't just the themes and surroundings, it was the actual world. Sex is only for producing children, babies snatched from their parents, ridiculous punishments for silly mistakes and very cruel pop cops. To say i was left horrified in some instances was an understatement. Yet don't let that depress you, there is a lot of uplifting moments, friendships and loyalty throughout to balance out the more saddening parts of the novel. As for the characters, the most amazing thing is that all of the characters in this book are flawed to some extent. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with perfect people, but since people aren't perfect I prefer characters to be at least a little flawed. Trella, despite being a wonderful hero makes mistakes and messes up frequently, yet this did not take away anything from her character. To me it was a wonderful reminder that those who make a big difference are often imperfect. It's a comforting thought. With regards to the other characters, I have to admit I have never seen such a varied and colourful cast as I have in this book. Whether it's the bad guys or the good guys, there's no doubt that a lot of thought went in to each and every one of them. Cogon was a personal favourite of mine and I loved his positive attitude and his willingness not to give up, he was a big force behind Trella whenever she nearly gave up, and more than often he sacrificed a lot to keep her safe, the ultimate mark of a true friend. The two Tech-No's Logan and Jade-Anne were wonderful as well and i absolutely loved there rebellion among the recycling, it takes re-using broken goods to a whole new level and some of the things they invented were completely awesome and really made me wish I could have them. Broken Man was a character that, at times, drove me nuts. He could be so helpful at times but at others just annoying and making stupid mistakes (such as hacking things before he's supposed to!) Ultimately though he was a great guy, even if he did make rather annoying demands at times (maybe I just have a problem with bossy people). My other favourite character was Riley. Confident, loving and open minded, he was definitely the Ying to Trella's Yang, and she would never have been able to do what she did without his help. And the romance between himself and Trella was beautifully written and utterly believable. And I will never think of sheep in the same way again, because whenever I do I think of Sheepy :-) Overall I have to admit I loved this novel and I will most definitely be reading the sequel; Outside In. If I were to sum up this book in a five words I would describe it as exciting, inspirational, romantic, pulse-racing and utterly fantastic. Maria has once again written a truly amazing and awe inspiring work of fiction.

this is not the normal sort of thing from Maria V Snyder, but it is very good all the same. It's exciting, keeps you wanting more and feeling for the characters adn wanting to know what's going to happen to them, I am looking forward to reading Outside in.