Enders by Lissa Price
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
ISBN: 978-0385742498
Source: Bought
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The thrilling end to the questions raised in Starters is here. Someone is after Starters like Callie and Michael—teens with chips in their brains. They want to experiment on anyone left over from Prime Destinations—Starters who can be controlled and manipulated. With the body bank destroyed, Callie no longer has to rent herself out to creepy Enders. But Enders can still get inside her mind and make her do things she doesn’t want to do, like hurt someone she loves. Having the chip removed could save her life—but it could also silence the voice in her head that might belong to her father. Callie has flashes of her ex-renter Helena’s memories, too . . . and the Old Man is back, filling her with fear. Who is real and who is masquerading in a teen body? No one is ever who they appear to be. Determined to find the Old Man to stop him, and grasping at the hope of a normal life for herself and her younger brother, Callie is ready to fight for the truth. Even if it kills her.

Starters was one of my favorite books of 2012 so its sequel, Enders was highly anticipated which is why I am happy to say that Lissa Price delivered a satisfying conclusion to an incredible story that many would say was satisfying enough with Starters. Price is a gifted storyteller and world builder which makes this and most likely all of her future books page-turners. No matter how long ago you read Starters, it’s easy to jump back into Callie’s world and conflicts that have risen for her. She thought she succeeded in Starters…that was nothing.

Callie is taken on quite the goose chase in Enders with not one but two guys both vying for her attention, for anyone’s acknowledgement really in a world where Starters are either life savers or expendable. People want attention, they want to feel wanted. Price did a wonderful job showing this need of the human spirit throughout all of her characters.

Callie, Michael, and Hyden stay on the move, trying to find the way to a safe world with people they can trust and depend on, a support system – and that’s not an easy journey to take. They are on the move while also trying to figure out what it means to accept who you are and do what it takes to show others the way to do the same. They’re on the move while figuring out what’s true, what matters, what’s worth holding onto and worth letting go. Enders tackles issue on beauty, class, and so much more. If you liked Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, you will without a doubt enjoy this duology.

I enjoyed following old characters and seeing how each of them interacted with new characters but I’d be lying if I said I was 100% satisfied. I wanted more. So much more. The relationship between Michael and Callie lacked its due coverage in the sequel. The same can be said for Tyler, Callie’s brother. Yes, he’s a kid but I expected a tiny bit more from him. He lost his parents and his sister temporarily and he’s changing hands so often, you’d think he’d speak up more and/or want to be more involved. Not to take anything away from the adventure that Callie went on here but I wasn’t thrilled to see Tyler accepting her word without protest, with forcing his way in to help. His parents were both go-getters. Callie is too. Surely, Tyler couldn’t have missed that gene?

Since I absolutely loved Starters, I was very excited for Enders but after reading, I have to go back to my initial thought under my excitement which is that Starters stands perfectly on its own. Enders feels like an unnecessary conclusion because if you were left wanting so much more like I was, I can’t promise you Enders delivers that but just because it’s not what I expected it to be doesn’t mean it’s not good. Enders is a solid conclusion, just not a stellar one. Still, a page-turner indeed so if you missed Starters when it first released, at least read that and then decide from there!

Enders by Lissa Price is available today.