Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies #1
Genre: Teen Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars!
The Overview: Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait for the operation that turns everyone from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to party. But new friend Shay would rather hoverboard to “the Smoke” and be free. Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn’t very pretty. The “Special Circumstances” authority Dr Cable offers Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.
The Review:
Although the market has been flooded with futuristic post-america settings, I’m of the opinion that this trend first began with the “Uglies” trilogy. It’s fantastic and one of the most entertaining series in the entire genre. Scott Westerfeld really knows how to tell a good story.
This is one of those books that sticks with you. I’ll talk a bit about how much I liked the writing style, but the overall concept was my favorite element of this series: To remove the favoritisms that arise from appearances, society decided to make everyone gorgeous. At sixteen, all people undergo major surgery and begin their privileged, materialistic lives. As a young girl about to undergo this procedure, Tally Youngblood decides there might be more to life than pretty faces and endless parties. As the series progresses, it digs deeper into this society, revealing that not everything is as perfect as it seems.
The author has an engaging writing style that keeps you riveted throughout the story. Adding to that, he is incredibly creative, and often used a subtle touch with certain setting and language elements that just made the story that much more dynamic and interesting. I liked it so much, I bought the sequel before I was even halfway through it.
Definitely in my top 10 favorite teen books of all-time, Uglies is well worth picking up, especially if you’re a fan of the teen genre. What’s more, every last customer and coworker I’ve talk to about this series share my thoughts – this is a trilogy that’s worth reading!
Other books you might like:
- “Partials” by Dan Wells
- “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver
- “Matched” by Allie Condie
- “Skinned” by Robin Wasserman
- “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
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