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karrama's review against another edition
4.0
I really got into this book. It's about three years after the Uglies trilogy and a new world order is chaotic. In Japan, though, something like social media has taken over the way that people interact and earn their livings. Our protagonist is a girl trying to fit in when her world is nuts. If fitting in doesn't work, well, break the story. The end was so disappointing. It was like Scott Westerfeld decided to stop writing when he needed to work on another project and then came back and made a very anticlimactic ending because it was better than redoing the world again.
phoenix2's review against another edition
3.0
Extras is not a Tally Youngblood story, but she appears in it. It takes place in Japan, where the economy is based on popularity. Aya Fuse wants to become famous by "kicking" a story that will attract everyone's attention, just like her brother, Hiro. So she goes undercover, and she stumbles on a very "kickable" story that will make her famous but also set her in danger.
To be honest, I liked Aya better than Tally. Tally was a great heroine and one of my favs in Uglies, but in Extras she is hardly relatable. She is, in fact, kind of unlikable. Aya is sweet and I think and many people can relate with her, as she wants to be famous and be noticed for once. In a society that your status is uploaded on social media, Aya is closer to us than Tally; the first is a teen who struggles to find her own identity through others, the second an older teenager who had her momentum and now is saving the world. The story itself is okay, though the meanings that it gets through, like celebrity status and growing up are better than the actual story. The action isn't that great, and, to be honest, I've got a little bored by it towards the end. Speaking of which, the ending wasn't that good either, though Aya did develop as a character. Lastly the romance. Okay, I have to admit that, although I love Westerfeld's writing and consider him a great author, he just can't write romance. It always feels awkward in the end. I think the best he did was with Tally and Zayn, but Tally and David and Aya and Frizz seemed to luck chemistry, and the romance was underdeveloped.
Other than those two facts, that cost the book two stars, Extras was a great book. I like that the author gives us food for thought through his teen adventure stories and characters that one can easily fall in love with and relate to. So, three out of five
To be honest, I liked Aya better than Tally. Tally was a great heroine and one of my favs in Uglies, but in Extras she is hardly relatable. She is, in fact, kind of unlikable. Aya is sweet and I think and many people can relate with her, as she wants to be famous and be noticed for once. In a society that your status is uploaded on social media, Aya is closer to us than Tally; the first is a teen who struggles to find her own identity through others, the second an older teenager who had her momentum and now is saving the world. The story itself is okay, though the meanings that it gets through, like celebrity status and growing up are better than the actual story. The action isn't that great, and, to be honest, I've got a little bored by it towards the end. Speaking of which, the ending wasn't that good either, though Aya did develop as a character. Lastly the romance. Okay, I have to admit that, although I love Westerfeld's writing and consider him a great author, he just can't write romance. It always feels awkward in the end. I think the best he did was with Tally and Zayn, but Tally and David and Aya and Frizz seemed to luck chemistry, and the romance was underdeveloped.
Other than those two facts, that cost the book two stars, Extras was a great book. I like that the author gives us food for thought through his teen adventure stories and characters that one can easily fall in love with and relate to. So, three out of five
schofield24's review against another edition
3.0
It has been awhile since I read the first three books in the series, and perhaps that's why I didn't get into this one as quickly. It was still a fun read and is an imaginative look at how twisted some of our society's obsessions can get.
timelordash92's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nattiehewitt's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
grhuberg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
actual review: 4.75
this book was everything i missed from Specials. i remember being bored by it as a child, but upon reread (and perhaps this is led by me having just finished teaching my first year of american history) and many years later, i think it’s brilliant. funny, emotional, tense, and everything you wanted but didn’t find in our time with tally as a special. on that note, it was exciting to get to see her from an outside perspective, from someone without the desire to justify her actions. one thing i have always appreciated in these books was the presence of the romance arcs, they have always felt realistic without being overbearingly intense, and this stays true to that. aya is 15, she has a crush, and she isn’t prioritizing her new boy toy over saving the world. that’s what i like to see!
this book was everything i missed from Specials. i remember being bored by it as a child, but upon reread (and perhaps this is led by me having just finished teaching my first year of american history) and many years later, i think it’s brilliant. funny, emotional, tense, and everything you wanted but didn’t find in our time with tally as a special. on that note, it was exciting to get to see her from an outside perspective, from someone without the desire to justify her actions. one thing i have always appreciated in these books was the presence of the romance arcs, they have always felt realistic without being overbearingly intense, and this stays true to that. aya is 15, she has a crush, and she isn’t prioritizing her new boy toy over saving the world. that’s what i like to see!
elsa_reads99's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
4.75
byp's review against another edition
4.0
The best one since Uglies. I wish this were the first book in a new trilogy.
eggjen's review against another edition
5.0
Just when I thought this series could not get any better, Westerfeld sucked me back in to prove me wrong! I adore his writing style, constantly find myself thinking (or talking) with his made up lingo - to put it mildly, this entire series is awe-making! :P It did take me a few chapters to embrace the main character, and get over Tally not being present (in the beginning), but to be honest, as much as Aya annoyed me, Tally was the same way in Uglies, and let's face it Pretties and Specials, too. Something about being 25, trying to get back into the mindframe of a 15 year old can prove challenging I think. But I love it! I love the love stories, I love the way Westerfeld forces you to look more critically at our own society and all the ways we could be different - and all the ways those different societies could go horribly wrong, too. In short, Westerfeld is a genius and I <3 him.
authorcoralelizabeth's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, I actually waited to read this when I finished Specials because it felt like a completed trilogy and I didn't think I needed the next book.
I was right about one thing- Specials did finish the Tally Youngblood story, Extras was something else entirely! It was super fun to get into someone else's head and see a fresh perspective on the new world created in the first three books.
It definitely didn't feel like a book four, though. Extras is its own book, set in the world of the Uglies series, but not a direct continuation. It has a lot of interesting things to see and fun characters to explore, the only reason I don't give it five stars is it does leave some pretty gaping questions unanswered, but those related to spoilers so I will leave them out of here. They certainly didn't ruin the story for me, so I still recommend it if you enjoyed Uglies!
I was right about one thing- Specials did finish the Tally Youngblood story, Extras was something else entirely! It was super fun to get into someone else's head and see a fresh perspective on the new world created in the first three books.
It definitely didn't feel like a book four, though. Extras is its own book, set in the world of the Uglies series, but not a direct continuation. It has a lot of interesting things to see and fun characters to explore, the only reason I don't give it five stars is it does leave some pretty gaping questions unanswered, but those related to spoilers so I will leave them out of here. They certainly didn't ruin the story for me, so I still recommend it if you enjoyed Uglies!