Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Imagine a world where you would be cosmetically recreated to look beautiful on your sixteenth birthday. That is the premise of Scott Westerfield's series for teens, Uglies. The first instalment in the series follows heroine Tally Youngblood as she waits for her sixteenth birthday so that she may be turned pretty and reunited with her friends who are all a few months older. A surprise twist comes in the form of a new friend, Shay, who is not interested in turning pretty and runs away. Tally is then issued with an ultimatum from the police. Find her friend and turn her in, or never become pretty and spend her life as an outcast ...

I found Uglies to be a pleasant and often page turning read. There were a number of twists and turns that I was not expecting and it dealt with themes of change, identity, relationships and loyalty in ways that were unexpected but still quite believable. I felt that Tally's character could have been fleshed out a lot more--she came across as very bland in places and I had a much easier time warming to her headstrong friend Shay. That said, this one is a lot of fun for young and not-so-young readers alike.

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