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Synopsis
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...
SCOTT WESTERFIELD
Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He was born in the Texas and now lives in Sydney and New York City. In 2001, Westerfeld married fellow author Justine Larbalestier.He is best know for the Uglies and Leviathan series, and his next book, Afterworlds, comes out September 23, 2014.
His book Evolution's Darling was a New York Times Notable Book, and won a Special Citation for the 2000 Philip K. Dick Award. So Yesterday won a Victorian Premier's Award and both Leviathan and Midnighters 1: The Secret Hour won Aurealis Awards. Peeps and Uglies were both named as Best Books for Young Adults 2006 by the American Library Association.
REVIEW
Before I really start my review I wanted to say this: the author did an amazing job on writing. He thought of an idea that, maybe nowadays seems less shocking, but it came out in 2005. I was surprised at the thought put into the novel, and his attention to detail so I just wanted to recognize the great job on the writers part.
While I was reading this book, it kind of broke down into two sections for me. Before the smoke, and after the smoke. Before the smoke, I hated the book. I was suffering through and trying so hard to read it for the deadline I had set for myself, but it was so boring. Tally was a whiny brat who frustrated the crap out of me. And I actually liked that she frustrated me because it was refreshing from always liking the protagonist.
I imagined Tally like a nice looking young girl, until she would always bang on herself, saying her frizzy hair looked terrible, and her noise was flat, and her lips were too thin. You want to know how I imagined her every time she said that?
I tried so hard not too, but I couldn't help it. She just kept describing herself ugly (go figure). I also got frustrated with the fact that, on the BACK OF THE BOOK, it says"When Shay runs away..." but that didn't happen until about 75-100 pages in. It was frustrating waiting around for the story to really begin. That is what I wished was different about this book; I wanted action from beginning to end.
After she entered the Smoke, Tally got more bearable. I started to actually like her because she changed; she started to see life in another way and I was happy with that. And I actually really liked David too. But I couldn't even tell myself that Shay and David were dating until Shay actually said it to Tally. I thought she just had a crush of some sort but, nope. Apparently they were dating, and when I found that out I kind of saw David in a different light. And I imagined David as an attractive young man.
But then, Tally would proceed to describe him as ugly, and thin, and my mind couldn't help but warp him to a scrawny boy.
Believe me, I tried so hard to go back to the old way but every time Tally would describe his leather clothes, or his large nose, the image would just come back.
I really enjoyed reading the book after Tally left Uglyville because the story really picked up the pace and got exciting. I felt it made up for when I actually hated the book and couldn't get through 10 pages in one sitting. I actually sat down and read 200 pages in an hour because I was so in depth with the story, the characters, that I couldn't put in down for a minute. However, I still couldn't give this book an amazing rating for the fact of the beginning. I actually almost put down the book and wanted to stop reading it in the beginning. I'm really glad I didn't but if I had, that would have been a book I never read. I find the beginning of a book crucial and some of the scenes maybe weren't needed.
Just one final thing to mention: I find it funny that I think the cover of Uglies is ugly. However, I find the cover of Pretties really pretty. I feel that I will continue with the series, but maybe only to book two. And on one final, final note, the ending. Oh, that ending and that cliffhanger.
While I was reading this book, it kind of broke down into two sections for me. Before the smoke, and after the smoke. Before the smoke, I hated the book. I was suffering through and trying so hard to read it for the deadline I had set for myself, but it was so boring. Tally was a whiny brat who frustrated the crap out of me. And I actually liked that she frustrated me because it was refreshing from always liking the protagonist.
I imagined Tally like a nice looking young girl, until she would always bang on herself, saying her frizzy hair looked terrible, and her noise was flat, and her lips were too thin. You want to know how I imagined her every time she said that?
I tried so hard not too, but I couldn't help it. She just kept describing herself ugly (go figure). I also got frustrated with the fact that, on the BACK OF THE BOOK, it says"When Shay runs away..." but that didn't happen until about 75-100 pages in. It was frustrating waiting around for the story to really begin. That is what I wished was different about this book; I wanted action from beginning to end.
After she entered the Smoke, Tally got more bearable. I started to actually like her because she changed; she started to see life in another way and I was happy with that. And I actually really liked David too. But I couldn't even tell myself that Shay and David were dating until Shay actually said it to Tally. I thought she just had a crush of some sort but, nope. Apparently they were dating, and when I found that out I kind of saw David in a different light. And I imagined David as an attractive young man.
But then, Tally would proceed to describe him as ugly, and thin, and my mind couldn't help but warp him to a scrawny boy.
Believe me, I tried so hard to go back to the old way but every time Tally would describe his leather clothes, or his large nose, the image would just come back.
I really enjoyed reading the book after Tally left Uglyville because the story really picked up the pace and got exciting. I felt it made up for when I actually hated the book and couldn't get through 10 pages in one sitting. I actually sat down and read 200 pages in an hour because I was so in depth with the story, the characters, that I couldn't put in down for a minute. However, I still couldn't give this book an amazing rating for the fact of the beginning. I actually almost put down the book and wanted to stop reading it in the beginning. I'm really glad I didn't but if I had, that would have been a book I never read. I find the beginning of a book crucial and some of the scenes maybe weren't needed.
Just one final thing to mention: I find it funny that I think the cover of Uglies is ugly. However, I find the cover of Pretties really pretty. I feel that I will continue with the series, but maybe only to book two. And on one final, final note, the ending. Oh, that ending and that cliffhanger.
I have this one waiting on my TBR for me. Now that I know you enjoyed it, I'm even more excited to read it :) I don't know why it has taken me so long to read this!
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!
Michelle @ Book Briefs
I am actually excited to read the second, hopefully I like it as well.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!! :D