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Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld
In a world where everyone is pretty, what could go wrong?
In “Uglies,” Scott Westerfeld paints a very disturbing but enthralling portrait of the future. Tally Youngblood lives in a world where everyone is ugly, until they turn 16. At 16, everyone undergoes a full-body operation to make them a standard “pretty” and goes to live in Pretty Town where they party all night and essentially do whatever their hearts’ desire. Tally has been counting down the days till her 16th birthday for as long as she can remember, but then she meets Shay. Shay is the only person Tally’s ever met that has a problem with becoming “pretty.” Just before the two girls are supposed to undergo their operations, Shay shows up in Tally’s room in the middle of the night, begging her to run away to the Smoke – a makeshift camp in the middle of the wild where the small number of people who wish to evade the “pretty” surgery hide out from the authorities. Tally refuses and Shay leaves without her, but it’s not over. As she’s heading to the hospital, Tally is intercepted by the government organization everyone has always thought was a legend: Special Circumstances. They’ve noticed Shay’s absence and want Tally to help them track her down and lead them to the Smoke – or else. That’s how Tally finds herself setting off into the wild, all alone, to play traitor to her best friend. What she finds, however, is more than she bargained for. The founders of the Smoke know something horrifying about the pretty operation, something that could bring the world Tally knows tumbling down.
Westerfeld’s startling portrait of a “pretty” future is fascinating. The world he creates feels utterly realistic, despite the extraordinary circumstances and events. Tally is a flawed heroine, but one that will win readers’ hearts almost immediately. The adventure she unwillingly embarks on is heart-pounding and combines both physical danger with mental stimulation for an absolute page-turner. Nothing is as it seems, and readers will be on the edge of their seats trying to figure out the truth behind the pretty façade. Westerfeld’s descriptive writing puts the reader in the middle of the fantastic world he creates. Special Circumstances will chill readers to the bone and have them rooting for the triumph of the rebels of the Smoke. The characters are quirky and fascinating, and the potential leading man, David, is lovable and winning. Readers will be anxious for the continuation of Tally’s story in the sequel, “Pretties.”
Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 9780689865381
Review written by: Casey Blackwell
Reviewer's Rating:9
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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