I was blown away by this book, and will be recommending it to all readers I know with anything in common with my tastes. Part of its impact on me is due to the low/moderate expectations I set out with. I'll also be singing its praises to younger readers, especially my nieces and other young girls (not excluding boys - but the body image themes are often more relevant to young women. Research shows that this is changing dramatically to include men, however).
I'm an adult reader who likes a bit of a challenge, so I must admit to needing to adjust my expectations a little bit - but that became very comfortable in a short time. A book to really settle into and live in for a while. The advanced and mature themes are as sublime as any I've encountered in other reading - and it would be a real boost for the culture if this book continued to gain popularity.
Light sci-fi, beautifully written characters. 5 stars from me.

It is actually HARD for me to give a review for this book, for I lack the words. Yet I feel that I MUST describe how unbelievably INCREDIBLE this book, author and series is, so that others may enjoy it. So, I simply say a few words: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SERIES I HAVE EVER READ! The other best series include Harry Potter (J.K.Rowling), Twighlight (Stephenie Meyer), and Witch (Nancy Holder, Debbie Vigue....I suggest that you read those too!

First of a teen fantasy trilogy sent in a future world where everyone is given an operation and turned pretty at the age of sixteen. Since we humans apparently hadn't learned our lesson and our civilization as we know it crumbled because of wars started based on differences between us, the powers that be have decided that everyone should be alike. The operation, based on years of scientific research, gives everyone a perfect, symmetrical face, shiny white teeth, sparkling eyes and a toned, trim body. Gone are the little (and big!) imperfections and variations that make us unique.

Of course, there are always going to be rebels out there, and Tally Youngblood meets one of them, a girl named Shay who shares her birthday. As they get to become friends, Tally, who is very much looking forward to turning from an Ugly (read: normal) into a Pretty, soon realizes that Shay isn't so excited about the operation. When she runs away a week before their birthday, Tally is worried about her--but not worried enough to jeopardize her own operation. Excellent start to a series that I'm very much looking forward to continuing; fiction with a bit of a conscience that gives all of us--teens and adults--something to think about.

This book is excellent! It is the first in the Uglies trilogy (Pretties, Specials) by Scott Westerfeld. They are soon to be made into movies!

These books aren't what I would call fantasy, they are more logical and futuristic and thought-provoking. Though if you like fantasy, you will like this too.

This is one of those books that is meant for teenagers, but manages to be interesting enough that I still enjoyed it. It is a bit simple and quick-reading, so if you're really picky about your sci-fi, you might want to skip it. However, the premise and pieces of the background story as to what has happened to civilization, people, and how things ended up this way is interesting. The teaching-young-people motives are obvious, but there's a good bit more here than a simple moral hammer.

I picked this book up based on a comment in a thread. The premise of the plot sounded so interesting with great potential. It's definitely a teen novel, though! Not my type of book so I won't be reading the others in the series. I wish it had been an adult book with more depth - it could have been a winner.

Really good story of a girl who can't wait until she is 16 so she can have an operation to make her pretty. Very soon she realizes that it might not what she wants at all. Can't wait to read the next in the series, Pretties

Playing on every teen’s passionate desire to look as good as everybody else, Scott Westerfeld (Midnighters) projects a future world in which a compulsory operation at sixteen wipes out physical differences and makes everyone pretty by conforming to an ideal standard of beauty. The "New Pretties" are then free to play and party, while the younger "Uglies" look on enviously and spend the time before their own transformations in plotting mischievous tricks against their elders. Tally Youngblood is one of the most daring of the Uglies, and her imaginative tricks have gotten her in trouble with the menacing department of Special Circumstances. She has yearned to be pretty, but since her best friend Shay ran away to the rumored rebel settlement of recalcitrant Uglies called The Smoke, Tally has been troubled. The authorities give her an impossible choice: either she follows Shay’s cryptic directions to The Smoke with the purpose of betraying the rebels, or she will never be allowed to become pretty. Hoping to rescue Shay, Tally sets off on the dangerous journey as a spy. But after finally reaching The Smoke she has a change of heart when her new lover David reveals to her the sinister secret behind becoming pretty. The fast-moving story is enlivened by many action sequences in the style of videogames, using intriguing inventions like hoverboards that use the rider’s skateboard skills to skim through the air, and bungee jackets that make wild downward plunges survivable -- and fun. Behind all the commotion is the disturbing vision of our own society -- the Rusties -- visible only in rusting ruins after a virus destroyed all petroleum.

Fun read about the future and pretty vs. ugly.

I loved this book so much! I cannot believe how great scott westerfeld wrote this book. The people that have this book on their wish list need to go and buy it because once you read it you will absolutly love it. I know i did! I rate this book a 20 out of 10

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I have to start by saying that I am a 32 year old. This is NOT the kind of book I normally read but I saw a review for it on PBS that raved about it so I thought I would give it a shot. My goodness, I am glad I did! The plot is very clever - teenagers at the age of 16 are made 'pretties', until then they are 'uglies'. Pretties all look the same and act the same. Some seek a different life. I will not give anything away (hate that!) but the book is rife with interesting commentaries on what is 'pretty', ethical dilemnas, and is very well written. It leaves you wanting more. This book would make an excellent book group selection. I highly recommend it!

This was about a girl named Tally, her dream was to turn 16 and become beautiful, so she can be with her best friend peris. Only a few months away, she meets Shay, and her life changes. This was a very good, easy read.

I thought this book was really good. At first the concept seemed simplistic, but quickly details added up until it became a really thoughtful and complicated story. I read the whole series, unable to put it down, and found the ending satisfying.

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