"Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Sometimes, I get to read a book "just for me."  This was one of those times. 

Long before "Hunger Games" and "Divergent", before "Legend" and "Matched" and "Pandemonium", there was a Dystopian series by Scott Westerfeld called "Uglies".  This four book series was so popular when it came out (and for a good number of years afterwards), that I never got a chance to read it.  Like all Dystopian books for the YA market, this one has a fairly predictable outline.  Tally is an "ugly" -- a child in a society which turns kids into "pretties" when they turn 16, using extreme plastic surgery.  There is, of course, an underground that says the surgeries are not what they seem, and Tally gets drawn into the community of rebels living in the deep dark forest away from the city.  So, if the plot seems familiar, what makes one Dystopian tale work, while another seems formulaic?  I'm not 100% sure, but there are a couple of things that drew me to this book, and some of the other Dystopian fiction novels.  First, for me, is character.  Tally isn't your typical revolutionary type.  She wants the surgery (really, really wants it) and spends a huge percentage of the book deeply conflicted.  When she finally does land on one side of the issue, she has made some tragic mistakes.  The flaws are interesting, given that most Dystopian protagonists are super-hero like in their abilities.  Tally, on the other hand, kind of falls into situations.  The second thing for me is twists.  I know what Dystopia is, I know where the book is heading (I could have predicted most of the plot of Mockingjay before I read it) but this book defied expectations.  Every single time I was sure of where it was going, it went someplace a little unexpected.  And I liked that.  The book is action-packed and a page turner.  It takes the hoverboard concept to the next level in some deeply cool ways.  The only aspect I wasn't overly thrilled with was the romantic storyline.  Tally is as gushy and over-the-top as most almost-16 year old girls are, and her love triangle is pretty generic, but it is tinged with a "Romeo and Juliet" level of angst.  I haven't read the other three books, but that analogy is likely to come close to the mark, given the nature of the society in which these characters live.  In the end, I like Westerfeld's writing, and the new covers are notably more creepy than the original ones.  The book is not literary, per se, but it is engaging, lively, accessible and pulls you in.  Bottom line:  This one is a good choice for anyone who hasn't burned out on this overexposed genre.  May the odds be in your favor.