Uglies (Uglies #1)

The world concept was just amazing. I did not love the story line. There just wasn't a spark there.

This book was can be totally unengaging to me at times. I've seen this book on bookshelves but i didn't feel like reading it but after passing by it so many times, i decided to give it a go.
It started out alright- Tally tricking her room and sneaking out, bungee jumping etc- but it started getting boring and dragging. I decided to stop reading it many times but i hate leaving a book unfinished so i carried on.
I liked the idea of pretties and specials. This may sound weird but i loved the Special Circumstances, i loved the idea of these secret unstoppable beings trying to keep the world safe and prevent things from outside getting in. Stuffs like hover-cars and hover-boards however, felt so unoriginal to me but i was glad that i read it to the end as it miraculously turned interesting.
The thing that made me sad was Shay turning pretty- been made into what you never wanted to be can be devastating.
Scott Weterfeld has a good concept about how something can be so perfect and yet so evil at the same time.

my opinion:

-on the characters: I liked that the girls ruled in this book. They (Tally and Shay) dared to do more than anyone. And the fact that a man wrote this book makes it even more fantastic. Tally is this girl you want to have as a friend, but you are too shy for. (or at least, I'm to shy for being her friend) and Shay is this one girl that is pretending always. Pretending that she dares to do everything. Pretending her life is perfect. But you will find out her life is not perfect after all when you get to know her better...
-on the future the book displays: Okay, this is very hard to say without spoilers. I liked the world at first, it seemed all perfect and better. But when you get to know this world and its secrets you will be horrified! There are some pretty cool inventions like hoverboards on which you can fly and bungeejackets with which you can bungeejump without the elastic cord :D
-on the way the book was written: The way this book was written annoyed me, a lot. It was way to simply written. Example (book) She wore a green T-shirt. (better) She wore a shirt. It was green, with a few spots on it that showed how often it was already worn. The shirt was a little bit oversized, but she looked very good in it. (or whatever) That was a very bad example, but I hope that you get my point
-on the cover: This cover sucks! There also are other versions of this book, and their covers are way more pretty. But I still think the cover has something to do with the books
-the end: Great, unespected, but a torture. I will say it always, so also now: I hate cliffhangers!

total:
I liked this book, I even liked it very much! The amounts of girlpower, romance and hate are perfectly balanced. I think this book is more enjoyable for children a little younger than me, about 11-12 years old. It was a pageturner, but I could put it away, so it was not a very pageturnery pageturner... I'll give this book

3.5 stars

The very title of the book suggests all the themes and morals that the author wants you to take away from it; I mean, seriously, a book titled Uglies. That said, on to the review.

The writing style was average. Nothing awful, but nothing quite outstanding either.

Tally has got to be one of the least relatable, least likable characters in all of YA. I found her to be selfish, weak, shallow, and unloyal. It takes meeting a boy she has only known for a little bit for her to decide not to betray her friends, rather than thinking about her friends when she made that decision. Yes, she’s flawed…so flawed I wanted, several times, to smack her in the face for being so superficial and actually caring so little about the friends she has had for months. And reading a story from the point of a view of a character that I absolutely despise will do nothing for that book’s reputation in my mind. At least there are some decent characters in the book.

The premise of the book is great! I’m going to assume you read the summary, so I don’t have to summarize it. It’s original (for dystopian), and though one of its themes is rather obvious, it is extremely relevant to today’s society, in which models and celebrities are admired for being underweight. I, unfortunately, felt as if the plot was going almost nowhere. It felt too much like a setup for the next book, rather than being unique and individual in and of itself. For a book that is over 400 pages long, all the necessary plot points can be summarized way too quickly, and most of the time, when there actually was some sort of action going on, I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters enough to actually care about the action.

My review’s a bit harsh, but that’s mainly because of the bad impression Tally left on me. A lot of other people seemed to love this book, so I’d recommend this book for: lovers of dystopian, lovers of romance, and more. If you have no patience for either of these things, as they are both extremely common on today’s YA shelves, don’t bother.

This was a fun and quick read for me. The future world that Scott Westerfeld created was very intriguing and described so well that I felt I could imagine it perfectly in my head. There was clearly a contrast between Uglyville (dull, boring, etc.) and New Pretty Town (fun, colorful, exciting).

The premise of Uglies is very sad: Tally spends her whole life pining for the time when she turns 16 so she can be "pretty" and go live in New Pretty Town to finally have fun. It's a representation of the importance society puts on looks, but it also reflects the feelings of teens who just want to fit in. Tally doesn't want to be the prettiest girl after her surgery, she just wants to look like the rest of the popular kids who live in New Pretty Town. Sameness is desired while uniqueness is seen as ugly with no exceptions.

I think Scott Westerfeld did a good job making his point though I wish there was a little more explanation of the world Tally lives in. For instance, I'm not sure what the deal is with the adults in this world. Her parents and teachers seem to be just as clueless as Tally. Apparently that's just the way life is in this world, but I'm still wondering why?

A great idea for a book, this story just needs a little more fine tuning for me.

Reader reviewed by Hailey

This book was slightly read. The small spots of action were what made it readable. The whole idea is very unique and creative, albeit hard to believe. I blew through this very quickly. The ending is a bit dramatic, but it leaves you on your toes, itching to find out what happens next.

Reader reviewed by Amy Ward

When I first picked up this book, I thought the premise was very intriguing. A world full of beautiful people sounds like Heaven. But as I got into the book more and more, it sounded more like you know where! It took me a few chapters to really become engrossed in the book Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I was waiting for all the excitement to start happening. The story is based around Tally Youngblood, an ugly about to turn pretty. She meets Shay, an ugly that doesn't want to turn pretty. Shay runs away and Tally is forced to bring her friend home or never turn pretty. The events that follow start building up to the climax. After the climax, the story doesn't really slow down. The last sentence in the book will chill you to the bone and make you very excited about the next book. After a slow start, I really started to care about Tally and her friends. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Pretties.

Reader reviewed by BooksObsession

This book was alright. It didn't stand out to me, and I've already forgotten most of the chapters. Since it's based on a futuristic world (that the author never really explained) it was hard to connect to the characters and their daily life. I think that the plot was very creative, but that Westerfeld didn't give it his full potential. It could have been a much better book, but maybe the next in the series will be a little bit better.

Reader reviewed by AlliBalli

I actually usually try to stay away from science fiction books, but this one was a pleasant surprise. I thought Scott Westerfield really knows how to catch a readers intention. At first the book was kind of slow, but right as I was about to give up on it, it took a turn for the better.
I actually went out and bought Pretties and Specials. Luckily, my library had gotten Extras in before I had even known that it had come out.

This book, like I said, was a surprise. It kept me turning the pages, and I almost got in trouble reading in class, because I could not put it down.

Reader reviewed by erica

If you've heard about how this story is similar to "The Giver" and are expecting this book to be thought-provoking and dark, don't. It's almost anything but. Tally Youngblood has been waiting all her life to turn sixteen. In her society, sixteen is the age when you recieve an operation to turn "pretty." Before this operation, you are considered an "ugly," separated with all the other uglies from the pretties. Every ugly goes through the operation and looks forward to it because when you become a pretty, you move into New Pretty Town where you spend the rest of your life having fun. However, Tally learns the darker side of the operation when she is forced to find her runaway friend, Shay. Shay has runaway because she does not want to be pretty like everyone else. It is through the small town that Shay runs away to, that Tally realizes how horrible the society she once lived in really is.

In the operation, the doctors purposely give the patients brain legions, in order to prevent opinions from forming among the masses. Also, by preforming the operation, everyone already looks the same, so racial and ethnical differences are completely eliminated. In short, the authorities were controlling the civilians by damaging their ability to think for themselves. Subject matter like this, is very similar to the material that Louis Lowry showed in "The Giver." This was a very serious, dark book that gave the reader alot to think about. Like a good science fiction book, it showed what mistakes humans should avoid and where we do not want to be headed as a society. Subject matter like this is best handled seriously in order for a book to reach its maximum potential. Scott Westerfield, did anything but.

The book was light-hearted and felt a bit "lightened up" in order to sell more copies and appeal to more readers. It felt like he was trying to appeal to a younger age group that could not fully comprehend the seriousness of the subject. It even felt like he did not understand how serious material like this is. Honestly, I cannot believe how he presented the subject in such an innocent, ignorant way.

If you want a good plotline and some pretty decent characters, I highly recommend this book. Sure, Westerfield did do a good job in that department. The setting is believable and the characters are very well done. The only unbelievable thing is how David fall in love with Tally almost instantly to the point where it seemed like a fairytale. Otherwise, it's full of action, drama, and plot twists. If you like more mature, dark books, don't look for too much in this one. The younger age group might not notice, but matured readers will. Overall, it's a good read, but afterwards it leaves you wondering why he handled material like this so lightly.