I’m sure I’m close to the last person in the blogging world to read the Uglies series but that’s ok. I am now and I’m loving them. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld was a great read for me. I enjoyed it so much that when I finished it I moved on to Pretties right away (already finished that one too-review on it’s way). What a great series! Anyhow, on to what I thought of Uglies.
Uglies is about a post-apocalyptic world where everyone is changed to a pretty when they turn sixteen. The purpose is if you make everyone pretty then nobody can be judged on their appearance alone – everyone is on equal ground. The rest of the world, our present world presumably, has been destroyed; they called the people of this world the Rusties. The Pretties are pretty much mindless people living life to the fullest or as full as you can when you really don’t do any thinking anymore and the worst thing is they don’t even realize this is what has happened to them.
The book centers on Tally Youngblood. She’s fifteen and living in the dorms for uglies while waiting to become a pretty on her sixteenth birthday. She can’t wait; she longingly watches out her dorm window towards where the pretties are always partying. As well her friend Peris turned pretty before her and she’s lost without him. They were best friends and she can’t wait until they are together again.
Then Tally meets another girl with the same birthday as her – Shay, and they become fast friends playing tricks together and causing the normal ‘ugly’ trouble. Shay is different from Tally’s other friends though. She questions becoming pretty and takes Tally to the Rusty Ruins and tells her about some mysterious place called the Smoke where uglies live like normal people. This makes no sense to Tally. Why would anybody not want to become pretty but it seems that Shay doesn’t.
On Tally’s sixteenth birthday she is ready to go and have her operation and be a pretty. Imagine her surprise when she’s told she can’t become a pretty until she finds Shay who ran away and leads the Specials to the Smoke. At first Tally resists but then realizes that there is no way she’ll have the life she wants if she doesn’t do this. So, she agrees to find Shay and the people of the Smoke.
What Tally doesn’t expect when she finds the Smoke is that these people aren’t so bad and neither is this life. Unexpectedly Tally finds that she cares about these people and doesn’t want to expose them but is it too late? Is it too late for all them, including Tally?
Uglies is a great look into what a society would be if people were manipulated into what those in higher power wanted for them. This book is action packed and keeps you turning the pages until the early morning hours to finish. Keep an eye out for my review of Pretties coming up soon as well.
My thanks…to me. I bought Uglies by Scott Westerfeld all by myself for my eReader.
For some reason, I keep turning away from these books (even though my daughter loved them). You've convinced me to give this one a chance…all I have to do is go upstairs and grab it off her shelf.
Thanks for the review. Have seen the book around and always wondered what the topic was.
No Dar, I have to be the last one 🙂
I have this eBook, but I have no yet got around reading it!
great review!
I thought I was the last one to get to this series! I have plans to get to it this year. Good to know you are enjoying it.
Glad to read that you loved it. I still need to read Pretties. I might try and get that soon from the library.
No, you are not the last one to read this. I also have it on my Kindle and will get to it at some point. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Look forward to hearing what you have to say about Pretties.
You're definitely not the last one to read this! I have it sitting here waiting to be read. I'm looking forward to reading this and Hunger Games as they are different genres than I usually read. I'm up for challenges this year and expanding my reading world. I'm glad to hear that you liked this.
I haven't read this yet, but Carl loved the whole series. He was like you, had to start the next one as soon as he finished with his current book.
My daughter keeps telling me about this book. I need to read it.
Winged Writer
I was part of the miniority that didn't enjoy it. Great writing just not my kind of story.
I am glad you read it 🙂 I liked the freaky world
You're not the last one….I am!! LOL!! but not for much longer. I will read these this year for sure!
I read this one late last year and enjoyed it, but wasn't as captivated as others. I will still read the other books in the quartet though, so it wasn't THAT bad 🙂
Nice review! I loved these books as well. Couldn't get through them fast enough. I haven't read Extras though. I just felt like the series ended in a good place, so I was happy to stop after Specials.
I loved these books too, but to tell the truth, the titles never appealed to me. It took many positive reviews to overcome that!
I haven't read this so you're not the last person! 🙂
Count me in, I haven't read this series too! And I'm definitely adding these onto my wishlist! 🙂
I can't believe I still haven't read this one. I even have it on my shelf and it sounds so interesting.
I need to correct that mistake in the near future.
These are really fun. I liked the first the series the most. No worries about being late in this Uglies series game! There are many books that I have that others have raged about and I have yet to read. It gives us a lot to look forward to, right? 🙂
My daughter read this one, then tried "Pretties" but just didn't really care for them. I wasn't aware exactly what they were about but now I know why she didn't like them; definitely not her kind of book. I think I'll have her keep them tho'; she may want to pick them back up again some day.
I have read 'Uglies'.I loved the plot, but there were many other things which I didn't.May be there was too much written about the Hover board adventures.I want to know what happens next.But I am really not sure if I should proceed reading pretties or not.I have it in my TBR since long time now.please do tell me if I should go ahead with it or not when you are done reading with it 🙂
Thanks 🙂
You are not the last…I haven't read these either…even though I've only heard good things…thanks for the review.
I read this a while back, but didn't enjoy it enough to go any further in the series.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I read the Uglies series last year and loved it!
I've read all of these except the last one and I loved them. It's a great series.
Great review! I haven't read this one yet, but your synopsis makes me want to read it! 🙂
What a great review Dar. The book sounds good. I haven't read them. I am so glad you did so I can refresh my to be read pile.
Nope, you're not the last one! I still haven't read these, but I hope to at some point.
–Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
I need to read this one myself, i've heard such good things.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
I really want to read this series and have heard so many good things about it. I am glad you liked it, Dar and will be interested in reading your reviews of the others.
Ahhh… this is another one I've heard so much about. I'm not sure how long before I succumb to getting it. Thanks for the review, Dar!
Nope I haven't gotten to it yet. I plan to this year though as they sound really good.
I loved this book (and series). I'm excited to read more of Scott Westerfeld's works.
Have you read any other books by him?