Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- Reviewed by Elphie

I must admit- I am a huge fan of YA fiction, having two teens in the house means my supply is plentiful however I really felt the book suits both kids and adults alike.
With that being said, WOW what a book! When the first sentence reads " The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit." then you know it's going to be an interesting book!

The book "UGLIES" is the first in a trilogy by author Scott Westerfeld. In a futuristic society of beautiful people, anybody normal is considered ugly.
The main character Tally Youngblood, is more than anxiously awaiting the arrival of her 16th birthday because that is the magical age when you undergo an operation that changes you from an "Ugly" to a "Pretty" and you move from boring old Uglyville to New Pretty Town to live with the other Pretties where everyday is a party (& little does she know;) where beauty's specifications are cunningly determined by the Pretty Committee.
Extremely lonely because she is the youngest & all of her friends have had the operation & left her behind, Tally then meets Shay a girl with whom she shares the same birthday & they soon become fast friends. Together they pull the typical pranks that Uglies who are about to turn pretty pull. Much like our "Senior Pranks" in high school.
Shay, a master on the hoverboard, teaches Tally how to hoverboard and together they and go on adventures outside of Uglyville to the off limit "Ruins" which happens to be the remains of our current civilization. We are referred to as "The Rusties"
But as the operation day comes closer and closer, Shay isn't really sure she wants to be a pretty, while Tally is positive that she does. So Shay runs away to a backwoods utopia known as "The Smoke"-where the government can't get at you. Needless to say this rebellion does not sit well with the government and a unique group the "Special Circumstances" are enlisted to do whatever it takes to crush The Smoke and its rebellion
What Shay doesn't know is shortly after her escape Tally is confronted by the Specials & forced into a decision, make a deal with them to lead them to The Smoke & betray Shay, or to forever lose her chance at becoming pretty.
This book is a real page turner and is a quick read. Each chapter leaves you hanging and you feel propelled to read the on to next one to to find out what happens. The deal with this is it means theres never a good point to put the book down, so you find yourself finishing the book in record time.
I am already halfway through the next book in the series "The Pretties" and plan on doing my review on that book for the June TBR list, so keep your eyes peeled. :-)
- Elphie