Starters by Lissa Price is a gripping post-apocalyptic story. In a future America where only the elderly and the young survived an act of biological warfare, gangs of impoverished "unclaimed" teens and children live hand-to-mouth on the streets, squatting in abandoned buildings. Callie and her younger brother Tyler live this way, running from government officials who would put them in institutions and rough renegade teens who would kill them for their meager possessions. Tyler needs expensive medical care, as well as nutritious food that Callie can't afford. When she hears about Prime Destinations, a service that uses advanced technology to "rent" the bodies of teens to rich elderly people who want to experience youth again, she thinks that the hefty stipend they are offering may be her only hope to help her brother. What she doesn't realize is that the CEO of Prime Destinations, a mysterious figure known only as the Old Man, has much darker and more nefarious plans in mind. And when Callie unexpectedly wakes up in the middle of a "rental" with a gun in her hand, she discovers that she is more deeply involved than she could have imagined.
This was a fairly good story. I thought there were a few plot holes in the world-building, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of this as a fun, fast-paced read. I'll be looking for the sequel, Enders, when it comes out this winter.
(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)
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