Uglies (Uglies,#1)

 

 

★★★★

4.5 ★

 

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? 

 
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. 

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

 

 🌼

 
I discovered Uglies during my senior year of high school. It was the first novel I had read by Scott Westerfeld, and it would not be the last. I had read it several times and consider it one of my favorite books, but it had been a few years since I had read it. I decided to reread it before watching a movie on Netflix. It reminded me of why I loved this book so much, one of which was because it was unlike anything I had ever read before. I have a feeling that I will be returning to this book again in the future. Uglies is the type of novel; you'll be observing not just the story but also the character's lives; by the middle of the book, I felt as if most of them had become my friends. Every page and chapter kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering how things would turn out for Tally and the rest of her friends. 

There was something about Tally; you couldn't help but love her, yet there were times when you found yourself questioning her decisions. A part of me understood why she took that decision, but I was also concerned that she would be exposed, and things would not go well for her. I found myself praying she wouldn't go through it and that no one would discover out why she went after Shay. I was mostly anxious about David and what he would think, given how much he cared for Tally. I was also intrigued about the Specials, and whether they would transform everyone pretty if they found them, as well as why they wanted to go through all this effort. There was something that they were hiding. 

Despite having read it before, I couldn't get enough of the story; it kept running through my mind. This is not like any other fantasy story you've read before. You'll want to read the next book straight away to learn what happens to Tally, Shay, David, and the rest of the characters. I am eager to see how the movie turned out. Prepare for an unforgettable ride!