The Uglies series

The month is about to end and I hadn’t talk about any books lately, well except than mine. So, I decided to discuss with you the Uglies. For those who don’t know, this is a series of books, written by Scott Westerfeld and it’s about a young girl, named Tally Youngblood and her ‘weird’ world. The story begins in Uglies, continues in Pretties, ends in Specials and there is another story in that same world, Extras. So, join me in a discussion about those four books, but be careful, it might get Ugly. (Just kidding, join me. J)

Before I start I have to say that there is some spoiling. I just can’t discuss the four books without telling what’s going on. It will be like you read the synopsis, nothing big.

Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen and she can’t wait to turn Pretty. It’s a big day, the day when you finally have the operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into an attractive pretty. After that your only concern is to party.

Is it not good to make society full of beautiful people? Starts the book with the words of Yang Yuan, quoted in The New York  Times.

In a society that separates people whether they are pretty or not, Tally tries to earn her right, but in order to do that, she has to sacrifice. The story moves fast, naturally with a particular interest and I found myself amazed by that world. Not because there are pretties and uglies, but because there were the Rusties once.

Westerfeld describes us as the Rusties, the ancient people who ruined the world and caused the oil plague. I’m still impressed by the  way he managed to describe the catastrophe the human race had caused, and by the way he built a new world from those ashes.

Moving to Pretties, Tally finally managed to have the operation, but now she is someone else. Turning pretty is not only about a new face, new eyes and a new city. Beauty has a cost and Tally, has to pay it.

Turns out when they turn people pretty, they mess with their minds too and take away their wants, beliefs and personality. But Tally has to fight despite that her minds is bubbly. This time is different. She knows too much and the government won’t allow it. So she had to decide. She will fight to forget or fight for her life?

One other interest part in this series is Tally’s relationship with her best friend, Shay. It’s not a usual relationship, since there are fights between them, anger, jealousy and even a little hatred. Everything is even worse, when they learn about the cure. Does Tally want to be cured though?

Tally’s story ends in Specials and I must tell you, this book is amazing. Tally is special now, which means she has a cruel beauty and she is more powerful than ever. Her whole body has been transformed into a weapon and she is ready to destroy. One more time she finds herself lost and now she is fighting against the people she loved, the ones she believe in. She’s fighting against those who want to cure the world.  

Specials took my breath away. Many times I found myself trapped inside those pages and I had no clue how the story would end. I loved that I didn’t know, and I loved the ending so much. It’s one of the best endings I have ever read. I want to share it with you but it would be such a huge spoiler. So, I won’t. But read this series, if it’s only to read that ending. I’m not kidding. :)

And there is also Extras. Well, I can’t say that I loved that book. I didn’t hate it either, but it just … it wasn’t like the others. This time Westerfeld talks about fame. It’s a very interested topic, but the story was a little flat. We follow a young girl again, Aya, who is trying to be famous, so she can have more money, and other stuff. Once again, the world building is really interesting and I enjoyed reading about that reality.  Of course, when Tally Youngblood appeared, the story lit up, but it wasn’t Tally’s story.

Well, these are my thoughts about this series. The books, are well-written, descriptive with  amazing topics, and Tally Youngblood is just an amazing MC. I know you’ll love her as much as I did.

What about you? Have you read Uglies? Pease share your thoughts.