Book Review: Inside Out (Maria V Snyder)

Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. One of thousands who work in the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. The Trava family who rules our world from their spacious Upper levels wants us to be docile and obedient, like sheep. To insure we behave, they send the Pop Cops to police us.

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 a lower level prophet claims a Gateway to Outside exists. And guess who he wants to steal into the Upper levels to get the proof? You’re right. Me. I alone know every single duct, pipe, corridor, shortcut, hole and ladder of Inside. It’s suicide plain and simple. But guess who can’t let a challenge like that go unanswered? Right again. Me.

I should have just said no...

I'm a new lover of everything dystopian, so when I was offered the chance to read Inside Out in advance, I jumped at the chance. Apart from Spy Glass, I was not at all familiar with Maria Snyder's work, so this was technically a new venture for me.

I loved it.

At first, it took me quite a while to get into the book. The first few pages establishes the setting and introduces our heroine, Trella. The book does this very efficiently, so despite the fact that I had to draw the basic cubic structure of the levels of Inside to aid me as I follow Trella along, soon you actually get used to the idea. I never since had any difficulties in following our heroine as she takes us readers on a very thrilling adventure.

The setting plays a huge role in how the plot progresses - and it is very claustrophobic. Pipes, air shafts, hidden rooms, cubes - you name it. The whole plot is executed in a very enclosed environment, but interestingly, as one finishes reading, it becomes clear that it is one of those book that comes from 'out of the box'. It is very, very cleverly imagined - it surprised me in exactly the way how I'd want a dystopian novel to.

I also feel like mentioning that I adored the way the social structure of Inside appears to be a reflection of the totalitarianism that modern governments seem to trudge towards. It establishes a sense of possibility in the plot.

I loved Trella as a heroine. She's fiercely independent, head-strong and daring, all of which makes her the perfect revolutionary icon. But she has many flaws, and all throughout the plot we see her being hindered by these flaws. She is cynical and distrusting and can be terribly stubborn. While secondary characters were not quite given enough focus and development, their backgrounds and back stories are not only criss-crossing, but also packed with jaw-dropping surprises and twists. I found it very clever how the author manages to surprise me again and again and again with her characters.

There is also a sprinkle of romance in this book, which was another surprise. At first I wasn't sure if there will a romance angle at all, and then I wasn't sure who Trella's mate will be (because there were quite a few to choose from) and when it all became clear...well, it was fun guessing! There was just enough romance to spice it all up and not change the flavour of the book, which I found very well done indeed!

If there were to be nit-picking the only thing I'd say would be that the high-tension scenes could have been built up better. Although there were several heart-pounding moments, I often found myself surprised that the climatic part is suddenly over. At points it felt like it was missing altogether, however that did not seem to bother me that much. Apart from that, nothing can be said about the action and sense of dread that Trella's adventures incites in the reader.

Inside Out will be appreciated by readers from across the board as there is a lot in this book to delight in -

A definite page-turner, complete with heart-pounding action and a cleverly thought-out plot. A near perfect dystopian novel!

Five Stars.


* Thank you to the lovely people at MIRA Ink for my lovely review copy.