July 22, 2011

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies (Uglies #1)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 8, 2005
Pages: 425
Source: Paperback/Own

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?
 

Tally is about to turn sixteen, 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 repellent 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. 

Review: This book was awesome. This series definitely has the best dystopian novels I've read in a while. I loved how it was set in the future, way in the future from present day. I like how in Uglies, Westerfeld brought out real emotions and changes that teens go through, but with a brand new twist. When you turn 16 you get an operation, which makes you pretty, no more worrying about how you look. But being pretty isn't all its cracked up to be. Its all up to a choice. The choice to have a life changing operation and being pretty, or running away, staying the same, not changing and being ugly for life or being forced into it. I found the book easy to get into. Some of the language was confusing at first but when things are described and talked about more you understand what things are. It was amazing to think about how the world would be like if something like this were to really happen. The book definitely doesn't let down on action either. From the moment Tally made her choice and even before, the action and thrills pull you in. I loved this book. I also loved how the cover showed a really good picture of Tally as an ugly.