Uglies - reviewed by Maggie Devero

Uglies (1st in Series) - by Scott Westerfeld

Reviewed by - Maggie Devero

Would you betray your own friend, to choose for both of you, a life of parties, fun, and being physically transformed into a beautiful human being? 

Tally Youngblood had always yearned to become one of the Pretties. She watched them in the shadows during her late-night escapes from Uglytown, captivated by their soft pretty faces and crazy ongoing parties, all happening right across the bridge from her own home. Tally had waited almost sixteen years, and soon enough it would be her turn, same as all Uglies when they came of age, to get the operation that would turn them beautiful and allow them a life in Prettytown. On one of her escapades, she makes a new friend named Shay, and they have their own adventures together. There is only one big difference between Shay, and Tally herself...and that is that Shay has no intention of turning pretty. Tally cannot began to comprehend why Shay is so against the operation, because who wouldn't want to be perfect? But before she knows it, only a week before the scheduled operation, Shay is gone. She disappeared to some broken down, old-fashioned, empty city called Smoke, where rumor had it no one was pretty and it was just like the old society had been. The day Tally is supposed to turn pretty, though, she is called in and told to find her friend and all those others who have escaped the town and operation. So Tally begins a new journey, to find her friend and the others, and eventually become a pretty herself. Little does she know that the things she will learn on the outside, will change her perspective completely.

I gave Uglies three out of five stars. I know the series was (and still is) a hot series to read, and is well liked among the YA readers, but I don't think I caught the same hype as everyone else did about the book. The plot took some foreseeable turns, and I think I had just had too high of expectations for this book. It was still pretty good, an enjoyable read that I hope to get around to finishing the rest of the series.  The scifi idea of the book, that people turn pretty at a certain age and then are accepted into the "perfect society" is interesting, and the futuristic elements such as hoverboards and the software to make yourself look pretty fit in with the storyline well. I have just personally heard so much rave about this book, that I expected it to b e little bit better than it was. Then again, scifi/futuristic genres have just never been my thing, so that might just be it! If you do read this book and like it, I would suggest you finish the series, the other books are: Pretties, Specials, and Extras!