Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Copyright 2005
Simon Pulse - YA/Sci-Fi/Dystopian
370 pages

I read and reviewed Uglies (<---link to my review), the first in Scott Westerfeld's dystopian series about a world where people are divided by looks, and enjoyed it so much that I rushed out to buy the second and third in the series. Pretties is the second.

It's not giving anything away to say that in Pretties, Tally (the heroine of Uglies) has gone through the surgery to make her beautiful and now lives in New Pretty Town. However, there's a little bit of spoilery stuff, here -- which will also spoil Uglies, if you haven't read it, so beware.

****WARNING*****Skip this bit if you don't want to read a potential spoiler!!!!****

Out in the Smoke (the world where the rebellious few who don't want to go through surgery live), Tally found love, betrayed a friend and inadvertantly caused a disaster. During her time in the Smoke, she found out there's more to the Pretty surgery than meets the eye.

Knowing she was on the verge of being caught by the Specials, a police force of cruel-looking pretties, Tally wrote a note to herself to be delivered after her surgery -- a surgery that would take some of her memory away.

****It's safe to read, now. You may come out from behind your chair.****

I'm not going to say much more about the plot because I really don't want to spoil the read for anyone, but I will say that I enjoyed Pretties almost (not quite) as much as Uglies. The further I got into it, the more I liked it. Like Uglies, there were times I thought the author did something that I'd have edited out if I had a red pen and the power (mwah-ha). For example, instead of saying something made Tally dizzy, he would say it was "dizzy-making". In the first half of the book, those hyphenated adjectives were way overdone and then he eventually toned it down.

4/5

- A solid, enjoyable continuation of a fascinating series. Not quite as thought-provoking and discussion-worthy as the first in the series, but a terrific read and highly recommended.

I hope to read Specials, the third in the series, soon.

This is, I believe, my 5th book for the YA Dystopian Challenge -- obviously a challenge I am diving into with enthusiasm.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Copyright 1998
Simon & Schuster Young Readers - Dystopian Fiction
153 pages

Luke lives in a world in which third children are forbidden and has thus been forced to spend his entire life hiding. Until the woods next to his family farm were cut down, he was able to occasionally go outside. Now, with a new housing development quickly being built, he can't go outside at all. He's bored and lonely.

Then, one day he spots a face in the window of one of the new homes. Luke has spent time watching all of the houses; he knows the two children are gone. There must be another shadow child living in the home of this "baron". When he meets the shadow child, Jen, Luke is stunned by Jen's fearlessness. She's willing to do anything to bring herself and other children out of the shadows. But, her plan is risky and Luke is afraid. Will he summon the courage to become involved in Jen's dangerous plan? Or, will he remain in hiding all of his life?

Yikes. This book was really, truly horrifying. I couldn't help but think, as I was reading, how difficult it would be to only be able to interact with one's family, never go outdoors, have to hide and be quiet when anyone showed up at the door. I thought the book drew a sharp parallel to life as a Jewish child in Nazi Germany. Luke's family is what really made the book for me. As awful as his life is, even his big brothers have managed to keep the secret until Luke meets Jen; and, each family member willingly spends time with him, playing games, talking, reading.

This is my second book by Haddix and the first in the Shadow Children series. I liked Found much better, but I appreciated the fact that Among the Hidden makes you think about what it would be like not to have the ability to move freely amongst society. On the cover of the book, the Shadow Children series is described as "chilling". Good word choice.

3.5/5 - Solid start to a series, intriguing and thought-provoking. I found it a bit dark and depressing, but I loved the characters and will continue to read on. The ending is not really a cliffhanger so much as it's "to be continued".

Since this book is dystopian, it's book #4 (I think - losing count, here) of the YA Dystopian Challenge.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner -YA Dystopian Challenge read #2

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Copyright 2009
Delacorte Press (a division of Random House) - YA/Dystopian
374 pages
James Dashner's website

A giant maze. A group of teenagers trapped like rats in an experiment. Dangerous creatures that roam the maze at night. A sting that brings back horrifying memories of life outside.

When Thomas awakes in an elevator and emerges into the center of a maze, in a place known as the Glade, he has no memory at all and no idea how he arrived in this new world. Surrounded by other teenage boys who've been trapped in the Glade for as long as two years, Thomas begins his new life as the "greenie" of the group - learning about the jobs in the Glade, the Grievers that often kill those who don't make it back from the maze before giant doors creak closed, the rules of a strange new life.

Thomas knows he wants to join those who search the maze passages for an escape route from the moment he sees the runners arriving home at the end of his first full day. But, it takes time and training to become a runner and he's new. New people are not allowed to be runners; they're not even accepted until they've had time to prove themselves. Then, everything changes. A girl arrives -- the first female ever to show up. She brings a message and a handful of memories, but they're fading fast. Thomas has a fleeting sensation that he knew her before he arrived in the Glade.

The girl's arrival signals the beginning of the end. Is there any way out of the maze? Or, will everyone die, one by one?

The Maze Runner is my kind of book -- thrilling, action-packed, suspenseful and unique. The pages flew so fast I felt like I needed a seatbelt.

I probably should have done a self-interview for this one because I'm afraid I'll gush if I get going. So, I'm looking at my old Q/A format to nudge myself into talking about the right things. What, for example, did I think of the characters? I thought Dashner did an excellent job of creating believable characters with a broad variety of personalities. The leaders were a little difficult to distinguish from one another and most everyone could have used a bit more development, but I'm pretty sure I went where the author wanted to take me. I liked Thomas, adored his friend Chuck and thought Teresa was funny. When a character was angry or rude, I tended to side with Thomas because he seemed level-headed and reasonable in his curiosity.

The way Dashner doled out just a little information at a time and kept the reader hanging irritated me, at first, but then I began to actually like that style. Bread-crumb trails of clues not only kept the pages turning but also helped to reveal important details about Thomas, like the fact that he was clever and saw clues to potential escape from the maze as if they were pieces of a puzzle.

Gladers have their own slang, which practically sounded like a foreign language, at first. Little by little, Thomas finds out the meaning of the slang terms and begins to use their expressions. I loved the way they said, "Good that," much like the Australian, "Good on you." The word "klunk" and its meaning bugged me, though, because it was a little too graphic.

And, oh, those Grievers were scary. Grievers were like the Reavers of the Maze -- utterly terrifying and somewhat baffling. If that group of teenage boys were part of an experiment, as it appeared, why would anyone let loose deadly creatures in the Maze? Wasn't it bad enough that they were trapped and had to work hard just to survive? I had this image of the Maze, shrunk down to size with humans peering over the top, watching how the kids behaved, as I was reading.

I don't want to spoil the book, of course, but I will say that the ending was expected in many ways and yet satisfying. There was enough information held back that it still managed to surprise me. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. And, isn't that a terrific cover? My copy is an ARC that I requested from Shelf Awareness -- black and white, darn it. I absolutely love the dripping moss and vines, the huge concrete walls. That cover is by far one of the most accurate, apropos, perfect bits of artwork I've seen, this year.

I should also mention that one of the things that really jumped out at me was Dashner's skill level. The Maze Runner is loaded with the senses; you really get a three-dimensional feel for the atmosphere, the emotions, the feeling of being trapped in a maze and not knowing what's going on. This is a book worth buying, saving to reread just before the next in the series is released.

4.5/5 - Excellent, very tight writing, suspenseful, high on senses - a fascinating little world. Half a point off for heavy violence and the word "klunk" (because it's my blog and I can take off for a word, if I want to).

I'm going to call this book #2 of the YA Dystopian Challenge, even though I finished it just before the challenge began, primarily for the sake of linking back.

Other reviews:

Heather, the Capricious Reader

Devourer of Books

My Friend Amy

Suey's It's All About Books

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - #1 for YA Dystopian Challenge

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Copyright 2005
Simon Pulse - YA/Dystopian
425 pages

I bought Uglies last weekend when I was all reading-slumpy after finding out a friend's son was killed in Afghanistan. After a couple of days of bawling and finding it impossible to concentrate, Uglies saved the day. It's light; it's dystopian (a worse world than ours is always helpful when you're feeling bad about your own). It was perfect for the moment.

****Warning* - This review may contain spoilers. I hope not, but you never know and I'm too polite not to warn you. ****

Tally lives in a world that is divided by looks and age. Children, or "littlies" spend the first years of their life at home, with their Pretty, surgically-enhanced parents. At the age of 12, youngsters leave their parents and attend boarding schools in Uglytown (or, maybe it's Ugly Town -- I can't be bothered to look, at the moment . . . too tired) till they reach the magical age of 16. At 16, they graduate and are taken for the surgery that will make them physically perfect, then they can live in New Pretty Town.

Pretties are privileged. Uglies spend their time looking forward to becoming Pretties, calling each other ugly nicknames, playing tricks on each other and finding ways to sneak out of the dorms. Special Pretties patrol on hovercars to keep the Uglies in their place; bridges and hoverboards tattle on those who try to break the rules and leave the zones in which they belong; interface rings track people.

Tally just wants to hurry up and become a Pretty. Since her childhood best friend, Peris, has already been 16 for several months, Tally is lonely and eagerly awaits the day she can rejoin Peris. She misses him so much that she decides to sneak across the river to New Pretty Town for a visit. But, the Pretties spot her and she has to make some quick and clever maneuvers to get away. In the process, she meets another daring Ugly, Shay.

Shay and Tally find out they have the same birthday, immediately become friends and begin sneaking out and playing tricks together. Shay teaches Tally how to use a hoverboard and how to trick it so that she can't be tracked. She takes Tally further into the ruined city where the Rusties used to live before disaster struck, guides her on longer trips to a place where nature rules and, eventually, reveals her secret: Shay has no interest in becoming a Pretty. Instead, she wants to escape to a place called the Smoke, where a group of people who don't want to go through the surgery hide out and live in the old-fashioned way.

When Shay disappeares close to their birthday, she leaves a cryptic note behind -- just in case Tally wants to join her. Tally misses her new friend. But, she still just wants to be a Pretty and chooses to go through with her operation so she can move on with her life. And, that's when things get complicated. Instead of being taken in for her surgery, Tally is escorted to Special Circumstances, where she's given an ultimatum: Find Shay and the rest of the Uglies who have escaped to the Smoke or remain an Ugly, forever.

****Okay, I think it's safe, now.****

Good golly, Miss Molly. I had no idea what a fun, fascinating dystopian tale I was voluntarily missing out on by letting a title sway me. I'm so glad I bought Uglies!! It's entertaining, thought-provoking, and I want to buy the next book immediately. It's more than just an enjoyable tale; it's a social commentary that hits on some thoughts I've had, myself. My ugly face and I have thought about such things. Anyway, I want Pretties, now!!!! Only, that's not going to happen, at least until Saturday. Thank goodness for Borders and their hoopty fine weekly coupons. Please, please, please have a copy of Pretties, O people at the Flowood Borders!!!!

There were times I thought Mr. Westerfeld screwed up a little on his world-building, but then he managed to explain whatever I thought was missing and I had to give myself a lecture. I really enjoyed this book. It's a 5/5, for me.

This is my first book read for the YA Dystopian Challenge.

In other news:

Carpet! We have carpet!!! I'm so excited!!! And, now I can really see just how dinky my den is, but that's okay. It's soft! It's not bare concrete!!! I can do aerobics, again . . . or will be able to when we move the TV into that room. I have sooo missed my den. Two years we went without a den -- so long that we gave away our couch so we'd have a place to walk. That's a long time to go without a den in a fairly small house with no basement, let me tell ya.

Books, books, books!!! - Way too many have arrived in the past week. I got a lecture from my teenager about the influx, actually. One time, he even ran away with a parcel in his hands and wouldn't let me see what UPS had brought me! But, then he gave it back. Big meanie. Among other things, my copy of The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton has finally arrived, which made me say something to the effect of, "Squeeee!" I also received a copy of A Novel Idea - a book about writing Inspirational Fiction, for review. Very timely with NaNoWriMo coming soon.

From Paperback Swap, I received The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (SuziQ's fault), Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (Andi gets the blame), Covered Wagon Women: Diaries & Letters from the Western Trails, 1850 (Sharon is guilty) and Handling Sin by Michael Malone (blame my book buddy Bob).

ARCs of Spellbinder by Helen Stringer and Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon have recently arrived.

From Audra, the Magnificent Publicist of B & B Media, I have recently received No Idea by Greg Garrett -- not sure I mentioned that, last week, but I'm reading it. She also sent The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason, The God Sightings Bible and its Companion Guide (reading it, too -- it's a chronological Bible, so I can read it and also use my new Mosaic Bible, which means I have a super cool life) and I have a copy of The Church of Facebook on its way. Now, you know why I adore Audra.

From Hatchette, I got Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby and A Climate for Change by Hayhoe and Farley (reading - loving).

Sterling Kids sent me two beautiful illustrated classics: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by Robert Ingpen and The Wizard of Oz, illustrated by Charles Santore. Even my husband gasped at their beauty. And, he's really not interested in anything but business, history and How People Seriously Screwed Up and Everyone Died books (you know, Charge of the Light Brigade type mistakes).

The only question I have is "When the heck am I going to find the time to read all of them?" I shall do my darndest.

I have a guest post scheduled for tomorrow, but haven't heard from the guest as of tonight. If he doesn't show up, next up will be my review of The Maze Runner, which was so totally awesome that I had to let it roll around in my head for a while. You know how that goes.

I have to go to bed, now, so I'm sending out happy, smiley fairy dust, wishes for health and excellent reading material, and a request for someone to bring a wheelbarrow to take away some of my older books. Nighty-night bookish ones!

Bookfool. Yeah. Still buried. Not looking hopeful that we'll dig out anytime soon.

YA Dystopian Reading Challenge

Oh, Bart. You're killing me. I have absolutely no choice in the matter, when it comes to joining in on this challenge. There are dystopian young adult books out the wazoo, these days, and I love YA; I gobble dystopian books. Seriously. No choice. I had to join.

The YA Dystopian Challenge takes place from October 15 - the end of 2009. And, it's easy. You can read anywhere between 1-4 books. I've got 4 on hand and I'm afraid I am going to have no choice but to buy The Knife of Never Letting Go because Chris said so. Here's what I've got and will attempt to read before the end of the year:

1. Uglies - Scott Westerfield
2. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
3. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (assuming I get it back from the teenager who borrowed it)
4. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

I just finished The Maze Runner by James Dashner and it would have fit this challenge perfectly. I'll get to my review ASAP, but in the meantime I highly, highly recommend The Maze Runner.

I just started reading Uglies. So far, so good!