Trella is a truly strong heroine. She is skilled, independent, and stubborn but flawed. I was instantly drawn to her, despite her less-than-nice character at times. Her character growth was very realistic and satisfactory. We see her develop from a loner, looking down on those around her, uninterested in her fellow Scrubs who she thinks of as sheep, and only looking out for herself, to gaining their respect and vice-versa, forming friendships and alliances, and finally, fighting for them.
But what I loved most about Inside Out was that we have a heroine who (inadvertently) starts and continues a rebellion, not for some boy she just met, but for herself and the Scrubs she lives with every day, even for the Uppers. It’s not just Trella who is the heroine. An entire band of people from both the Lower and the Upper levels joins together to bring about a change, resulting in some touching moments, as even those who don’t know exactly what’s going on risk their lives to help and cover for Trella anyway. It’s a very powerful message.
There is a hint of romance in this book, but it is very low-key and not the main storyline at all, which I found refreshing. It also meant the potential relationship was slowly developed, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it in the next book.
I will admit that I found the description of the various levels slightly confusing! If I had any issues with Inside Out it would simply be that I could have done with fewer descriptions of Trella crawling around the piping – but understood that they were necessary for the progression of the plot. It certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment.
This is a solid dystopian novel with a sophisticated story and narrative. While I didn’t love it (hence the 8 ratings), I would recommend it to all dystopian lovers. Inside Out is definitely one of the stronger YA books out there in its genre.
