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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wasn’t even that I didn’t like this one, it was just genuinely not a good book and not necessary. Also Tally sucked? Just no.
I liked how this had new main characters, but it still had the old.
The book itself was okay but it did not fit the rest of the series and felt like an after thought.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I enjoyed this one the most? Being inside of Aya's head was a fresh perspective on the world of the Uglies series. Particularly in a post book 3 landscape.
Check out my video review of the whole series here: https://youtu.be/gRUsm1eEXJ8
When I originally learned that this was an additional, companion-style novel to the Uglies trilogy and not a true fourth book of the Tally Youngblood saga, I expected disappointment, but this is actually one of my favorite of Scott Westerfeld's books that I've read so far. This depicts the world of the Uglies series three and a half years after the events of Specials and half a world away (in futuristic Japan rather than the futuristic USA of the original series), and I enjoyed the way that society had developed in that intervening time and alternate cultural bubble. The new worldbuilding layered onto the original story well and allowed for the addition of new themes, such as fame and truthfulness, to be added to those of the original story. I found the plot of this book somewhat less predictable that that of the original trilogy and I liked the freshness that it brought to the series. I look forward to continuing on to the new Imposters series now.
When I originally learned that this was an additional, companion-style novel to the Uglies trilogy and not a true fourth book of the Tally Youngblood saga, I expected disappointment, but this is actually one of my favorite of Scott Westerfeld's books that I've read so far. This depicts the world of the Uglies series three and a half years after the events of Specials and half a world away (in futuristic Japan rather than the futuristic USA of the original series), and I enjoyed the way that society had developed in that intervening time and alternate cultural bubble. The new worldbuilding layered onto the original story well and allowed for the addition of new themes, such as fame and truthfulness, to be added to those of the original story. I found the plot of this book somewhat less predictable that that of the original trilogy and I liked the freshness that it brought to the series. I look forward to continuing on to the new Imposters series now.
This "extra" to the original trilogy just wasn't as interesting. It had some parts that grabbed my attention, but was a pretty boring read for the most part (as demonstrated by my taking a full month to read it).
I just felt like the plot had been used over and over. Tally trying to save humanity, someone gets in the way, the system reveals itself after almost imploding.
It was definitely interesting to see that the crazy bubble headedness was world wide, not just in Tally's world. It did take me a while to figure out they were in Japan though.
Ok enough to finish the series, but I'm glad to be moving on to my next book.
I just felt like the plot had been used over and over. Tally trying to save humanity, someone gets in the way, the system reveals itself after almost imploding.
It was definitely interesting to see that the crazy bubble headedness was world wide, not just in Tally's world. It did take me a while to figure out they were in Japan though.
Ok enough to finish the series, but I'm glad to be moving on to my next book.
I don't think I've liked any of the books in the [book: Uglies] series as much as the first one, but Extras was better than I expected. It takes place a few years after the other books in the series and deals with a different main character - Tally, the heroine of the other three, is talked about, but doesn't make an appearance till the very end. Inexplicably, this book takes place in Japan, but Tally still manages to be close at hand (that part really confused me). Protagonist Aya lives in a city where popularity and wealth are determined by your rank, which is to say your "buzz" - the more people talk about you, the higher your rank is, and the better access you have to the best housing, possessions, and parties. Aya, being young and not having done anything spectacular to date, has a rank so low she's an "extra." However, she uncovers a huge story and sees her rank shoot through the roof - only to discover that her story is much bigger than she realized and that she's now in mortal danger.
The new world is cool. Where, instead of being pretty is the best, popularity is everything. Your wealth and fame is determind by your rank. People try to be popular in any way possible, by changing their bodies, making stories, or being in a cult. That part is cool, but the plot isn't. I didn't know that the Aya lived in Japan, until the middle of the book when she told her camera to follow her and Tally is Japanese. And when they were looking at the "missile" at the end, I knew it was rocket, they were just stupid. The plot could have been better.
Not the strongest of the series, but I appreciated the look in to other parts of the world affected by the Prettytime.
This novel is not really part of the Westerfeld saga (comprising of Uglies. Pretties and Specials) but rather as a sort of add-on, like a small afterthought if fans could not get enough of his dystopian world. In fact, our heroine in the trilogy, Tally, appears as a minor character, and it is a young fifteen year old girl called Aya who we follow, in her hungry attempt to seek fame. The destructive government in this world has been defeated (thanks to Tally & Co), and teenagers are living in a strange, fame-obsessed society, where your face rating determines your entire social status – which for a teenager, is pretty terrifying, especially as it makes you a “nobody/extra.” Then Aya comes across a group of girls that attempt dangerous feats of daring – jumping off high objects, riding on the top of high speed trains, etc. As nobody has managed to get evidence that these girls actually exist, Aya sees a great opportunity for sharing their story with the world, and obviously increasing her own face rating, to the point where she might actually be a SOMEBODY. But her plan has far-reaching effects that propel her into precarious situations that could involve er…. the end of the world?
Just to say, I did really enjoy the Uglies trilogy and it is a fantastic piece of dystopian fiction, but probably without the addition of this book. Not that I found it terrible, I actually love reading about this particular world that the author has created, it makes for some great imagery and is full of unique, imaginative moments. However, it probably says something when my favourite character out of the book is Moggle, a non-speaking hovercam that tends to blind people when over-flashing its headlights. Furthermore, I wasn’t sure about any of the characters, and even the return of our heroine Tally felt slightly strange, as she did not seem to be quite the same person that the author wrote into the trilogy. Maybe its due to the fact that she became a hardened Special and is in all probability, incapable of any real emotion or empathy? Hey, who knows, I just didn’t find it as exciting personally as the trilogy, and would probably only recommend this book to a die-hard fan.
For my full review please see http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
Just to say, I did really enjoy the Uglies trilogy and it is a fantastic piece of dystopian fiction, but probably without the addition of this book. Not that I found it terrible, I actually love reading about this particular world that the author has created, it makes for some great imagery and is full of unique, imaginative moments. However, it probably says something when my favourite character out of the book is Moggle, a non-speaking hovercam that tends to blind people when over-flashing its headlights. Furthermore, I wasn’t sure about any of the characters, and even the return of our heroine Tally felt slightly strange, as she did not seem to be quite the same person that the author wrote into the trilogy. Maybe its due to the fact that she became a hardened Special and is in all probability, incapable of any real emotion or empathy? Hey, who knows, I just didn’t find it as exciting personally as the trilogy, and would probably only recommend this book to a die-hard fan.
For my full review please see http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com