Book Review: Inside Out (Insider #1)

Inside Out

Author: Maria Snyder

Pages: 315

Rating: 4.5/5

The whole story happened in this place so called Inside. It’s a very big cube divided into 3 rows and 3 columns with 4 floors and assigned as sectors or quadrants. The people living in the upper most floor are called the Uppers, they live in a life of luxury where they are allowed to have a family and a space of their own. The lower level people are called Scrubs. They are called such because their main job is to scrub clean the pipes that sustain their everyday needs, air, water, electricity. The main protagonist is Trella, she is labeled as the Queen of the Pipes because she knows basically all the cris crossing of the pipes and the gaps. One time, her friend Cog introduced her to a prophet who knows something about the Gateway or the way to the Outside. It all started on that and as the story progressed Trella became the hope of everyone both the Scrubs and the Uppers. There where people helping her and with much sacrifice she found the gateway but only to discover that they are currently traversing the outer space and only on the millionth week will they be able to arrive to their final destination, the planet Earth.

“No hope, is worse than fear.” ~Maria Snyder, Inside Out

Book Review: The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride #1)

 

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride #1)

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 424

Rating: 5/5

According to Mr. Patterson, the idea for Maximum Ride came from earlier books of his called When the Wind Blows and The Lake House. Though there are some similar names, Maximum Ride should not be confused with his two prior novels because the similarities end with those names. The Angel Experiment starts when Angel, a 6 year old avian kid, was kidnapped and brought to the School, a laboratory of some sort. Max and her friends ended up rescuing Angel and to escape the Erasers, wolf-like mutants who are cronies of the School, they literally flew to New York. In there, they found out about the Institute, another group like the School, so they decided to go directly to the Institute and find for clues about their identities. By this time, Max already started hearing a voice in her head and most of the time the Voice tells her what to do. For some means, they were able to enter the Institute. In there, they rescued some mutant children and gathered some documents about their biological parents and their addresses. Max was glad about the discovery only to find out that there were no information about her and her family.

I think the first book in Maximum Ride is a great start for a great series. I’m a hundred percent sure that I will be reading the next installments in no time. While reading the novel, it feels like there’s an I am Number Four and  The Maze Runner touch on it. Like in the former, the kids here are developing unknown super powers, they don’t know what they can do and what their limits are. The cluelessness of Max and her friends including the maze like conflicts and challenges seem like the same for the latter.

Favorite Character: I really like the character of Fang. Most of the time he is the Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected but at some times he is the excited, rash, and childish Fang. He serves as the primary supporter of the lead protagonist. He seems to work on the shadows behind the background who makes a big impact on the team without them really realizing.

“He who leaps for the sky may fall, it’s true. But he may also fly”     ~James Patterson, The Angel Experiment