Review: "Uglies," by Scott Westerfield
This interesting dystopian-society story is about a girl, Tally Youngblood, who's main goal in life is to become a Pretty, which is what you are called after a plastic surgery that you get at the age of 16. But before all of that, you are an Ugly. But after a journey to a society where everyone is an Ugly, she changes her mind and realizes the dangers of being a pretty. Now, these are obviously the very broad details, but I'm definitely not a spoiler. Now to my opinion of this book. The story was very original, but the writing was bland. There wasn't much personality, and the romance was too easily-achieved. I sort of believe that this is true because of the male writer and the female main character because, let's face it, romance is VERY different on the two sides of the spectrum. There was conflict but not nearly enough. Now don't get me wrong, I really liked the idea, but there just wasn't enough. But something I did like about it was the ending. I won't go into detail, but it did leave a MAJOR cliffhanger. I am on the fence about reading the next book, considering the "meh" factor of the first book. But if you are looking for a great story, this book is for you, yet strong writing was slightly sacrificed in the midst of the intriguing plot.
Final Thoughts:
Rating: 7/10 - Really lacks "hook", needs more conflict.
Age Range: 12+ - I feel as though all futuristic stories are a little advanced, and this is no exception.
Would I see the movie? Sure, if there was one - I would be curious to see how it came out.
Would I recommend this book? No - It was a little tough to read, and there are other good stories out there.
Thanks for reading!
-TheBookWorm
