Uglies Review
I finished Uglies Thursday morning and I'm just now writing up the review. Tsk tsk. I also got Pretties on Thursday afternoon. I haven't started it yet, but I will soon. As usual, there may be spoilers.
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
First in a series of four so far: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras
In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.
Summary:
Tally is about to turn 16, and she can't wait. Not for her license--for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellant ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer 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.
Idea:
I love the whole general idea. The idea that you have to be pretty and that there's a certain way everyone has to look. It's just such an awesome concept for a story and works so well here.
What I like:
The plot is great. It's an awesome concept for a story and very well done here.
Characters are believable. Tally is consumed by her desire to be pretty just so she can be friends again with Peris, a childhood friend that has already been turned. Shay doesn't want to be pretty at all. She likes the way she looks. I really like David, a boy that was born outside of the society.
The beginning. Introduces the characters and the world to the reader right away. I already have a feel for Tally and the world that she lives in.
How they view the "Rusties" the humans that lived before their society was formed. As Uglies takes place in a future time, the Rusties are essentially us. It's amazing to read how they view us. Really made me think.
Of course there is the added plus of Shay and Tally's transportation: hoverboarding! Made me wish they would hurry up and invent ones for everday use already. :) The technology is pretty cool. The rings they use to track everyone, the hoverboards, the rooms that talk, and apparently the bridges also talk because they can "tattle" on anyone that crosses when they shouldn't. That's a pretty neat idea right there too.
What I didn't like:
Cliffhanger ending. I hate those with a passion, but now I've got Pretties. :)
Tally's behavior about halfway through the story where she's trying to decide whether or not to alert the authorities. She's in love with David and semi-happy out there and it takes her so long to decide what she wants. And then instead of throwing the locket over a cliff, she throws it into the fire. She just drove me up a wall with her indecision.
David and Shay's relationship which I'm not quite understanding. Shay loves David, but David doesn't love her back. So what were they doing before Tally showed up that deluded Shay into believing he was in love with her?
Overall:
I'd give Uglies a 4.5/5. I do love this book, but I'm not going insane because I haven't read the next installment like I do with some series. I will read Pretties, but I'm not all that anxious to start.
First in a series of four so far: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras
In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly. Tally is about to turn 16, and she can't wait. Not for her license--for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellant ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.
But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer 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.
Idea:
I love the whole general idea. The idea that you have to be pretty and that there's a certain way everyone has to look. It's just such an awesome concept for a story and works so well here.
What I like:
The plot is great. It's an awesome concept for a story and very well done here.
Characters are believable. Tally is consumed by her desire to be pretty just so she can be friends again with Peris, a childhood friend that has already been turned. Shay doesn't want to be pretty at all. She likes the way she looks. I really like David, a boy that was born outside of the society.
The beginning. Introduces the characters and the world to the reader right away. I already have a feel for Tally and the world that she lives in.
How they view the "Rusties" the humans that lived before their society was formed. As Uglies takes place in a future time, the Rusties are essentially us. It's amazing to read how they view us. Really made me think.
Of course there is the added plus of Shay and Tally's transportation: hoverboarding! Made me wish they would hurry up and invent ones for everday use already. :) The technology is pretty cool. The rings they use to track everyone, the hoverboards, the rooms that talk, and apparently the bridges also talk because they can "tattle" on anyone that crosses when they shouldn't. That's a pretty neat idea right there too.
What I didn't like:
Cliffhanger ending. I hate those with a passion, but now I've got Pretties. :)
Tally's behavior about halfway through the story where she's trying to decide whether or not to alert the authorities. She's in love with David and semi-happy out there and it takes her so long to decide what she wants. And then instead of throwing the locket over a cliff, she throws it into the fire. She just drove me up a wall with her indecision.
David and Shay's relationship which I'm not quite understanding. Shay loves David, but David doesn't love her back. So what were they doing before Tally showed up that deluded Shay into believing he was in love with her?
Overall:
I'd give Uglies a 4.5/5. I do love this book, but I'm not going insane because I haven't read the next installment like I do with some series. I will read Pretties, but I'm not all that anxious to start.
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