Outside In ★★★★

Outside In - Maria V. Snyder ★★★★ 320 pgs

Snyder has another hit. Trella and the crew have overthrown their oppressors, leaving a power vacuum Inside. The new government isn't working, society is still segregated, and people are starting to give up hope that things will change for the better. Trella, the leader of the rebellion, has stepped back and allowed others to lead. She's still young and unsure of her ability to lead, but when someone starts sabotaging their home, Trella has to find out who it is before everyone is in danger. There is a new peril in every chapter. Someone is out to neutralize the new council's effectiveness and people are getting hurt. There's just one problem... Trella doesn't know who to trust. She can't figure out whether the danger is coming from Outside or Inside.

In Outside In, Snyder has upped her game. There's more drama and danger, making this installment of the series even better than the last. The mix of political, societal, and personal coming of age issues are what makes this a wonderful recommendation for teens, or YA readers. Unlike the weak, fluffy YA books that are flooding the market at the moment, readers of Outside In can take away lessons on human nature. Everyone needs to feel like there's an opportunity for things to get better, or that they're at least apart of something greater than themselves. When that's taken from someone, people can become desperate. While some may wallow in the lose of hope, others stand up and fight. That's what was makes Trella such a wonderful character. She may not want to step up and be a leader, but she's willing to put her life on the line to help those in needs when it counts. The problem is, in this book, Trella and the gang might not make it out alive.

This book will be available for purchase on March 1, 2011. It's worth purchasing.