Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

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.

Grade: B

Review
This book was unlike anything I've ever read. In Uglies, Westerfeld presents a very thought-provoking scenario of what could happen to the world in years to come. You can not help but notice the scary similarities between the"Rusties" and the way people are now. I've come to notice that most worlds and societies created, that are meant to be utopias, consequently turn out to be dystopias. This book is an excellent example of how things go wrong when you try to make them perfect.

Uglies was full of action and suspense that kept me wanting more. The characters were also very well written with each showing a different and distinct personality. I could not help but sympathize with Tally. She surprisingly realistic and very easy to relate to. Westerfeld does an excellent job of exploring teen emotions of jealousy, fear, betrayl, intimidation, joy, sadness, love, self-consciousness, confusion, and the need to belong, through his characters.

This was an excellent book that I would recommend to everybody, even adults. I can't wait to read the rest in this series.

Overall
A terrific beginning to an excellent series.

Cover: A
An excellent cover that fits this book perfectly. Very original and it screams read me! The only thing I'm not crazy about is the fact that part of the title and author's name are printed on Tally's face.