Inside Out

By: Maria V. Snyder

Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

“Imagine every space in this room filled with people, constantly being jostled and pushed. In the lower levels there is no quiet place. No peace. To a scrub, this room is paradise.

"I drew a deep breath. I’d spoken more in one burst to this stranger whose room I’d invaded than anyone else in weeks. And with a single word he could alert the Pop Cops and send me to the Chomper. We stared at each other for a few heartbeats.

"Before I could retreat, he said, 'My name’s Riley Narelle Ashon. Any time you need peace, you’re welcome to use my hideaway.'

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? Not like it’s all that dangerous - the only neck at risk is my own. Until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

"I should have just said no.…"

©2010 Maria V. Snyder (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“ Inside Out surprised and touched me on so many levels--it’s a wonderful, thoughtful book full of vivid characters and a place--Inside--that is by turns alien and heartbreakingly familiar.” (Rachel Caine, New York Times best-selling author)

Great book!

One of the best books I've read in a while. This book is a great book and I suggest you read it!

Better than I expected -- by a long shot!

Where does Inside Out rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

I was a bit skeptical of the plot line, and wasn't sure if i should get it. I really liked Amanda Ronconi's reading of the Jane Jameson series, and decided to give it a go. I am _really_ glad I did! This is one of the more enjoyable books I have listened to in the past several months.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was intriguing. A seemingly impossible world brought to life in a way that I believed it and kept wanting to hear what would happen next.

Have you listened to any of Amanda Ronconi???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I bought this book primarily because I have liked Amanda Ronconi's narration of other books. This is right up there with the best of her stuff.

Great book

this is a great book. the author was awesome
the narrator was fabulous. I can hardly wait to read book two. outside in.

Sheep Can be Inspiring!

This is a very engaging story and I listened to it in about two days as I didn't want to stop.

Trella is a teenage girl, a Lower, who works as “a scrub”, cleaning pipes on "Inside" which is the world as she knows it. Her best friend, Cogan, is a leader among the Lowers who hate the Uppers who control them and keep them in their places of labor by threat of the Population Control Cops (Pop Cops). One of Cogan’s friends, is a computer genius, Logan. Unknown to the Uppers, Logan makes all sorts of handy gadgets that help Trella to spy and gain information around the systems. Another friend believes he has found information leading to Gateway which will lead them to “outside” with information that Trella can help gain.

Trella moves freely among the pipes, provided she gets her job done and shows up when expected so the Pop Cops don’t harass her. While crawling through the pipes she discovers what appears to be an empty room - which is a luxury to the crowded Lowers. Then she meets a boy there, Riley, and even though he is an Upper they develop a friendship. There is mystery in how the Uppers lord it over the Lowers and Trella and Riley are surprised to learn that life “on the other side” is not as either has been taught. Riley gives Trella a sheep stuffed animal which they call Sheepie. Ultimately that becomes the symbol of the Lower’s rebellion by a “force of sheep.”

This story moves along very quickly with good twists. I enjoyed the characters, the story, the surprises and the good narration. This is YA but that did not lessen the enjoyment and I was anxious to listen to book two. This is an author I really like. I enjoyed her early trilogy, the Study series which I recommend too.

VERY WELL WRITTEN

This book took me by surprise. I did not expect it to go there. Well written and well read.

Interesting world

I like Ms. Snyder's other series (Poison Study, Glassblower, etc.) in which she creates a fairly complete world. So I thought I would try this one. It is targeted a little more towards a young adult audience, but is quite clever and kept me listening whenever I could. I like her character development and exploration of group dynamics.

Worth the credit!

Any additional comments?

I passed by this book many times while looking for other books. I finally decided that I love Amanda Ronconi and I should just try it. I am so glad I did! This is a great take on another world. It is unlike any book I've read and keeps you interested the whole book, before I knew it the book was over and it left me wanting more! I recommend trying it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Better than expected for dystopian YA fantasy

I am a big fan of Maria Snyder's adult fiction (particularly the Poison Study series), so decided to give this book a chance, despite not being an aficionado of dystopian fiction (well, with the exception of those works involving zombies -- I have a soft spot for the occasional zombie romp.) Also, it seems that most YA fantasy books nowadays seem to require a sappy love story (or triangle) interspersed in the plot, so, despite being a fan of Snyder's other work, I didn't start this book with high expectations.

Snyder, though, does a good job of world building here and I became invested in learning what became of the characters, even though this novel wasn't non-stop action. I was glad I stuck it out until the end, though, as this was well plotted and although there was a love interest, it wasn't sappy.

The narrator did a good job of delineating the different characters and her narration didn't distract from my enjoyment of the story.

wonderful use of words

What made the experience of listening to Inside Out the most enjoyable?

i loved this book and the other one that goes with it. I definately do not recommend one without the other though. the author has done a great job, putting you into the story.

The first book is great

What did you love best about Inside Out?

There were some unexpected surprises that I wasn't able to guess ahead of time which I liked.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Riley because he is the only person in the book that ever makes jokes.

Have you listened to any of Amanda Ronconi’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

The first book is definitely worth your time but unfortunately the second book in the series just drags on and on. I am assuming you don't want to begin a series without seeing it through until the end. I am continuing to listen because I want to know how it gets wrapped up but I have never been so bored listening to a story before. I listen to many dystopian YA books and this one is probably my least favorite. Well this series, the first book itself is very interesting but the second book is not exciting at all.