Sunday, March 25, 2012

Outside In (the sequel to Inside Out)

Outside In (Insider, #2)Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A fast-paced sequel to Inside Out, it was an enjoyable continued exploration of Trella. I can't say I always understood some of her decisions--sometimes they were too easily explained with "that's just what I do" or with a reason someone else gave for what she does.

Trying not to give too much away, I was a little displeased with the way the romance drama worked out in this book--it seemed too sudden, and then too clean a break. Is it bad to say that I wanted Trella to mope a little longer? She's always so ready to get back to doing what she needs to do, which I can't help but find a little surprising for a woman who spent most of her life barely interacting with people.

Other than that, a good story, and it definitely had some surprised to it, which I appreciated. I hate when a sequel's direction is entirely predictable. I haven't checked to see if there's any information about it, but I so sort of half-hope there will be another book dealing with the Insiders, even if it's not about Trella.



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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Inside Out

Inside Out (Insider, #1)Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Queen of the Pipes is one of those heroines you can't help but like--she's tough and smart, but she has her flaws. She spends too much time alone, hates trusting people, and sometimes makes bad decisions. Despite her wish to isolate herself though, she's going to affect her world, make friends, and find an awesome love interest. This book held my attention, and I raced through it in a matter of days, eager to know what was going to happen.

I gave it four instead of five stars though for a few reasons. Since Poison Study is the first of Maria V. Snyder's books I read, I can't help but always measure up her other books to it, and I liked it better than this one. Trella just seemed a little less complex to me, and the surprises weren't so surprising. That was my general feel for this novel...it was less an adult book and more a YA. Which is understandable, considering it was marketed as YA. But YA books don't always feel young, but this one did on occasion. And it didn't annoy me too much until Trella did things like talk to her love interest though a stuffed animal named Sheepy. That had me rolling my eyes a bit. She also kept informing people she didn't trust easily when her actions seemed to say otherwise.

Still, great book, fast read, and I'm already working on the 2nd one!



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