Inside Out (Harlequin Teen) [Paperback]

Maria V. Snyder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | Series: Harlequin Teen

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Trella is a scrub. She works on the lower level of a community where she and her ilk do the dirty work that keeps the operation going, mostly for the benefit of the Uppers. Known as Queen of the Pipes, Trella’s job cleaning ductwork also allows some privacy, as she finds places to hide. To help her only friend, she becomes involved protecting the Broken Man, a prophet who preaches about a mysterious Gateway. Then the trouble begins. Snyder has written a science-fiction thriller that is as surprising as it is exciting. With cliff-hangers ending every chapter, readers will be compelled to devour this quickly, but there’s plenty to think about, too, as Trella must decide who her friends are, what’s important to her, and what she is willing to sacrifice for an abstract, possibly false vision of hope. The romance Trella encounters ups the stakes as well. Snyder does a great job of tying up enough loose ends to make the story satisfying yet leaving enough questions open that lead right to a sequel. Grades 8-12. --Ilene Cooper

About the Author

Maria V. Snyder has been writing since 1995 and has published numerous articles in magazines and newspapers. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780373210060
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210060
• ASIN: 037321006X
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I was in sixth grade, I learned about meteorologists and decided I wanted to be one. My visions of chasing tornados throughout the Midwest and flying through hurricanes didn't pan out. Mostly because I wasn't good at forecasting, and my grades weren't exactly stellar. Let's face it, I'm a daydreamer--always have been, always will be.

I did graduate from Penn State University and was hired as an environmental meteorologist--try and say that five times fast ;) and I started writing when bored at work. It's never a good idea to get caught just staring out the window, so I wrote my daydreams down. After fooling around with short stories, I wrote my first novel, Poison Study. It was published sixteen years later. A lesson in patience and persistence! I had caught the writing bug and Magic Study and Fire Study soon followed.

Even though I went on to earn a Masters degree in writing from Seton Hill University, I never lost my fascination with storms, which is evident in my Glass Series (Storm Glass, Sea Glass and Spy Glass), and I still consider myself an environmentalist. The green part of me comes out in both Inside Out and Outside In. Trella's world is contained inside a big metal cube and they must reuse and recycle everything. One thing they got right in one otherwise messed-up world!

My latest series is about a healer and I happily let my nurturing side take over. Touch of Power starts the series with Avry on the run in a world recovering from a devastating plague. Scent of Magic is the second book and the third, Taste of Death will be out December 2013.

Aside from a writer, I'm also a teacher and mentor for students enrolled in Seton Hill University's MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. I enjoy working with aspiring writers and helping them complete their novels. I've won a half dozen awards and been on the New York Times bestseller list, but nothing compares to being the proud mentor come graduation day!

Other things I enjoy are playing volleyball, photography and traveling. I'll go anywhere at anytime - much to my mother's dismay since my husband and I frequently bring along our son and daughter on our adventures.

I love my job. Where else can you take fencing lessons, learn how to ride a horse, study martial arts, learn how to pick a lock, take glass blowing classes and get a personal tour of a maximum security prison and call it all research? I'll give you a hint--not working as a meteorologist.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from The Neverending Shelf April 1, 2010

By Kate B. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Going into reading Inside Out, I was a little worried since I had tried to read her other series, Study, without much success. Thankfully, my fears were quickly pushed aside as I began reading.

Inside Out begins slowly as Snyder introduces Trella's world. This is a world full of life and issues that many of us have not encountered before, so I really enjoyed that Snyder took her time to ease the reader into this new world. Snyder's attention to detail also is shown in her characterization of Trella. She is not a happy-go-lucky type of person. Instead, she is complex: a ruff exterior to hide the soft inside. She is spunky, headstrong, and vulnerable at the right moments... the perfect character for a dystopian novel. Like Trella, the secondary characters are outstanding. They add tons of depth to Trella's character as well as make the novel more fun. Riley, Trella's love interest, was totally a swoon-worthy kind of guy, who definitely helped to soften Trella's hard edges... that and his adorable stuff animals. Seriously, if I could buy these little guys I would.

The premise of the novel has the distinct dystopian feel about it with slight hints of science fiction. In Trella's world, there are basically two types of people: the Uppers and the Scrubs. While the novel does not go into too much detail about the Uppers, the Scrubs' lives are throughly detailed. The reader understands everything from day to day life to how things are recycled. For Trella, her life is the pipes. She knows them backwards and forwards, and did not earn her nickname, Queen of the Pipes, for nothing. Everything changes for her one day when she becomes tangled up in a revolution... one that she wanted no part of.

Like the pipes that Trella calls home, Inside Out is full of twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Synder does a magnificent job of unveiling every little plot detail slowly and with the greatest care. There will definitely be some twists that you will not have seen coming. Especially, the finally twist. That was one that I never saw coming in a million years. While the novel feels complete, there are definitely some questions that need answers. Thankfully, Outside In will be released in 2011. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next installment. And I am crossing my fingers for some more of the adorableness that is Riley and his stuffed animals.

Readers should be aware: This novel contains minor usage of curse words. As well as minimal kissing and talk of sexual acts, which pertains to inner workings Terella's world. The novel also contains a far amount of violence.

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Amanda Jean June 4, 2010

By Tannis Watkins

Format:Paperback

I've read all of Maria Snyder's books. I have noticed that her main character, always female, is basically the same character just different name. All the women feel alone. They feel abandoned. They have a hard time accepting their fate. Trouble always follows. And there is always a man. Finding that man and falling for that man is always painful to read. It takes forever then it goes nowhere. As in you are lead to believe it has a "happily ever after" ending. Not saying I don't want "HEA" just saying that's the original. Snyder built a beautiful world with The Study and Glass series. Granted its the same setting, it's still wonderful. As for Inside Out, I kind of figured it would be "Spoiler Alert" space. Nothing else fit. I'm eager to see where Snyder will go with the next book. Week one million is very far away and I'm not sure Trella will live to see it. Maybe it should have been week 500,000. I'm really hoping Snyder keeps this to a three book max.

Overall I thought the book was o.k. I don't feel like Snyder tried hard enough. I think she has a powerful imagination and I want her to push herself to do better. I know she has a great character and story somewhere that isn't a repeat. Don't get me wrong, Yelena is one of my favorite literary characters. I need to believe Snyder hasn't written her master piece yet. This first book isn't that hoped for work of art. Synder writes on the edge of greatness. I just don't feel she reached her stride.

As for the lame review that comments on her references to "mating" and vulgar language, disregard that. It's the most absurd thing to point out. I can't recall a single cuss word, I thought for sure a few places could have used a four letter word. Come to think of it Snyder never cusses, that I can remember. And mating?! Really Snyder was so mommy about it, it's laughable. I would think YA readers would feel insulted about the lack of enthusiasm used to describe sex. It sounded more like what animals do rather than what people do. Either way, get a grip.

My overall opinion. Wait for the whole series to be complete then borrow the books from someone. It left much to be desired. It could have been great but it wasn't.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the author's best... August 31, 2010

By H. Millay

Format:Paperback

Snyder's Study series is one of my all-time favorites, so I was super looking forward to her latest effort. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite do it for me.

The premise is simple enough: a bunch of people live in a self-contained community in the form of a giant cube. The folks on the lower levels (the "scrubs") do all the work, while the folks on the upper levels run the show. Nobody knows what lies outside. One of the scrubs, Trella, starts a rebellion of sorts, totally by accident, and the story takes off from there.

Although Trella has hints of the Study series' Yelena, she's not nearly as impressive or impassioned or downright awesome, and the love story here is pretty halfhearted, too - nothing compared to Yelena's and Valek's (again with the Study series - sorry, but if you haven't read these books, you must do so at once; if you think The Hunger Games' Katniss is kickass, you need to meet Yelena!).

I had the same problem with most of the characters in Inside Out, actually. They all seem underdeveloped, and in some cases they're little more than stock characters. The story is rather predictable, too (except for the big reveal at the end, which I probably should have seen coming but didn't so it totally blew my mind).

All that being said, I do like the idea behind this new series (yes, *another* YA dystopian sci-fi trilogy), and I'm curious to see where the story is going. So I'll read the next book. In general, however, I can recommend this only to diehard, must-read-everything YA fans who aren't embarrassed to carry around a book with the Harlequin Teen imprint and a super cheesy cover. The rest of you, go read the Study series.