Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

I received an Advanced Review Copy of Outside In by Maria V. Snyder through NetGalley.  What a thrill ride it was!  Outside In is the sequel to Inside Out and continues to follow Trella as life in Inside is rebuilt following the rebellion from Inside Out.  What a beautiful cover, too!

Things haven't been going very well for the committee who has been trying to run Inside in the wake of the rebellion.  The scrubs think that the uppers are lazy and do nothing while the scrubs do all the work.  The uppers want clean clothes, hot food and they don't really want to help build the two new levels of dwellings.  The misunderstandings between scrubs and uppers are hard on Trella who can see both sides of the argument but can't find a way to bring the two sides together- and it HAS to happen for them all to continue to live in Inside.  To compound the stress and strain that Trella is under, Riley- her promised mate, is giving her grief.  Add to that, the fact that Trella is pretty sure she knows who her mom is but she would rather not have to deal with her.  It's a mess all around for Trella in Outside In and it's only going to get worse.  Things are already not running right since the change in leadership when Trella hears the first whispers of another rebellion brewing.  Then the Controllers begin to force changes on the people of Inside.  Is there more Outside than Outer Space?  We know that there was more Inside besides the 2 levels of scrubs and 2 levels of uppers so maybe there is something Outside besides empty space.  What if something Outside wants to come Inside?  Will the people of Inside ever realise how alike they are and work together?

Outside In will be released on February 15, 2011 in the US.  Outside In was a great continuation of the story Trella told us in Inside Out.  We get to see what started in the first book through to what feels like a good solid completion. I loved every second of this novel and raced through it as the story kept me guessing at every turn.  The reader really feels the confusion that Trella feels throughout the story- never knowing who is really on your side or who you can trust.  The plot is never obvious as Trella weaves her way through numerous twists and turns while trying to save her friends and keep the freedom that they fought so hard for.  The ending is so satisfying after the roller coaster ride that is Outside In.  Highly recommended for readers over 13 as there is a lot of death, torture, politics that younger readers will not understand and some sexual talk (but very little really). 

Outside In earns 4 Fairies for a cool dystopian that shows teens changing their world.