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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars. I read the uglies trilogy for the first time in middle school & fell in love with it. I read it again a couple years ago as an adult & still loved it. When I started reading imposters I had no idea it was a continuation of the uglies world. When I read the summary of this book I thought it was going to be more “what happened to Monday” vibes but I was pleasantly surprised to read tally’s name again. And super excited to read about her world and what happened 20-something years after. There is something just so nostalgic about this series for me. Having said that, I think if I didn’t have such fond memories of this series as a child, I don’t know if I would like this book as much. It’s a tad juvenile which I understand since it’s probably made for a younger demographic. I wish scott westerfeld wrote the book for an older demographic especially since most people that read uglies back in 2006 and are adults now. But it was still a fun nostalgic read for me!
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My review is really a 3.5.
First a disclaimer that I absolutely adore the original Uglies trilogy with my whole being. It was one of my favorite series growing up, and after rereading the series this past year, I can confidently say that it holds up. For YA books I think that they are challenging in all of the best ways.
Tally is not an immediate hero, but a flawed person slowly coming to terms with who she is as a person and the systems of oppression around her. More importantly she is dynamic, continually changing her worldview from book to book. But even while she struggles to understand who she is as a person, you as a reader know who she is as a character; its reflected in her friendships, her betrayals, and her slow burn relationships. And all of the characters in the original trilogy are like this. They have complex interpersonal relationships with one another and strong world views.
But the books are also challenging because of Westerfeld's writing, both the content and form. The original trilogy asks readers to deconstruct the systems that surround Tally (with the hope that they will then turn this critical eye to their own world). The young reader is trusted with being able to handle the nuance of these issues. And Westerfeld trusts the reader with the form of the book as well. The plot of the books are written in long passages, with an emphasis on detail; they're not quick and easy reads.
I bring all of this is up because these are the things that I loved most about the original trilogy and they are absent from Impostors.
I had no sense of who Frey was as a character until close to the end of the book. And, yes, part of the point of the book is her figuring out who she really is after all of these years. But, again, Tally struggled with her identity, yet I always had a clear sense of who she was as a character. It would maybe be forgivable if it was just Frey who was an underdeveloped character, but it was also Rafia, Col, and Frey's father--you know, all the main characters.
Also, in terms of the form of the book, Westerfeld caved to the current conventions of the genre. The chapters are short, the paragraphs are shorter, and there's some sort of cliff hanger at the end of each chapter. I get why he did it, but I know he can write better and more complicated, and I'm frustrated that Westerfeld took the easy route, which in turn makes it easy for his readers.
I know that I've really judged this book in comparison to its earlier counterparts, but I feel like it's fair since they all exist in the same universe. However, on its own, Impostors is a good enough read, even though its a little generic. There's romance and action and a tyrant to overthrow.
The real reason that this was a 3.5 for me and not just a 3 is the ending. Things get complicated in a unique way, and there are a couple storylines set up for the next installment that are promising. Also more of that badass enby Yandre, please.
First a disclaimer that I absolutely adore the original Uglies trilogy with my whole being. It was one of my favorite series growing up, and after rereading the series this past year, I can confidently say that it holds up. For YA books I think that they are challenging in all of the best ways.
Tally is not an immediate hero, but a flawed person slowly coming to terms with who she is as a person and the systems of oppression around her. More importantly she is dynamic, continually changing her worldview from book to book. But even while she struggles to understand who she is as a person, you as a reader know who she is as a character; its reflected in her friendships, her betrayals, and her slow burn relationships. And all of the characters in the original trilogy are like this. They have complex interpersonal relationships with one another and strong world views.
But the books are also challenging because of Westerfeld's writing, both the content and form. The original trilogy asks readers to deconstruct the systems that surround Tally (with the hope that they will then turn this critical eye to their own world). The young reader is trusted with being able to handle the nuance of these issues. And Westerfeld trusts the reader with the form of the book as well. The plot of the books are written in long passages, with an emphasis on detail; they're not quick and easy reads.
I bring all of this is up because these are the things that I loved most about the original trilogy and they are absent from Impostors.
I had no sense of who Frey was as a character until close to the end of the book. And, yes, part of the point of the book is her figuring out who she really is after all of these years. But, again, Tally struggled with her identity, yet I always had a clear sense of who she was as a character. It would maybe be forgivable if it was just Frey who was an underdeveloped character, but it was also Rafia, Col, and Frey's father--you know, all the main characters.
Also, in terms of the form of the book, Westerfeld caved to the current conventions of the genre. The chapters are short, the paragraphs are shorter, and there's some sort of cliff hanger at the end of each chapter. I get why he did it, but I know he can write better and more complicated, and I'm frustrated that Westerfeld took the easy route, which in turn makes it easy for his readers.
I know that I've really judged this book in comparison to its earlier counterparts, but I feel like it's fair since they all exist in the same universe. However, on its own, Impostors is a good enough read, even though its a little generic. There's romance and action and a tyrant to overthrow.
The real reason that this was a 3.5 for me and not just a 3 is the ending. Things get complicated in a unique way, and there are a couple storylines set up for the next installment that are promising.
Spoiler
I'm most interested in how Rafia will handle her new found freedom (will she heal or spiral more out of control?), watching Frey and Col go head to head with her father in such close quarters, and the potential conflict with Boss X.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She’s twenty-six minutes older than me. That’s why she gives the speeches and I train with knives.
Frey is Rafi’s twin sister and body double. Their powerful father has many enemies, and the world has grown dangerous as the old order falls apart. So while Rafi was raised to be the perfect daughter, Frey has been taught to kill. Her only purpose is to protect her sister, to sacrifice herself for Rafi if she must.
When her father sends Frey in Rafi’s place as collateral in a precarious deal, she becomes the perfect impostor. But Col, the son of a rival leader, is getting close enough to spot the killer inside her. As the deal starts to crumble, Frey must decide if she can trust him with the truth...and if she can risk becoming her own person.
My father makes his own reality. Sometimes with force. Sometimes with atrocity.
The Imposters series is supposed be about dealing with the consequences of ending the Pretty Regime. However, in doing so, I feel like Westerfield took all that I loved from the Uglies dystopian universe and stripped it out.
After the "mind rain" (what they've called the events that happened during [b:The Uglies|13477446|The Uglies|Thomas Burchfield|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1332970581l/13477446._SX50_.jpg|19008198], [b:The Pretties], and [b:The Specials|15719589|The Specials|Kel Pollard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1340733740l/15719589._SX50_.jpg|21401807]), it feels like we've gone back in time to the Rusty era, albeit with attack drones and spy dust because Frey and Rafi's father is a tyrannical leader that wants to steal all the metal and take over the world...kinda like what the Rusties did, amiright?
What I liked about [b: The Extras|13451247|The Extras|Kiran Nagarkar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348218833l/13451247._SY75_.jpg|18973441] was that it took a whole new take on the society itself. I was very disappointed that this was not the same...and therein lies the rub. It seems like a lackluster fantasy when I know it's supposed to be in the Uglies universe.
My whole life, I always thought that I was the only impostor. That everyone else was certain they were real in some way that I could never understand. But what if they’re all just faking too? Maybe none of us know who we really are.
I did really like Frey's character development as she finally accepts that she's a person in her own right, not just a spare tool to be thrown away, though.
Not recommended for fans of the Uglies universe or haters of insta-love romance but an okay read none-the-less.
adventurous
Good premise. I didn’t realize initially that this was a spinoff from the Pretties Series. I think I might have liked it better if it wasn’t. I felt like it called back to that series too much rather than establishing its own story.
Fast-paced starter to the Imposters series, a future-based offshoot of Westerfeld's popular Uglies series.