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A review by pensnfeathers
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
3.0
In my mind there are three main tiers of YA: imaginative YA, unimaginative YA done well, and unimaginative YA done pooly.
Imaginative YA is the top tier, in which authors bring something unique and creative to the body of YA lit. Books like Everlost, Harry Potter, Scythe, Ender's Game.
Unimaginative YA done well hits all of the tired tropes that have turned YA into an endless sea of teenage heroines rebelling against the segregated dystopian society in which they were raised, but does so without the writing pitfalls that make so many of these books practically unreadable. These are books like the first two Hunger Games novels and the first Divergent novel.
Unimaginative YA done poorly hits all of the same tired plotpoints as described above, but is written poorly, clearly exists for no reason other than to pander to YA readers, and has completely lost the plot. Books like The Selection, Wither, and the Divergent sequels.
Uglies falls very distinctly into "unimaginative YA done well." This, of course, means there's not much to say that hasn't already been said. Is there a mild-mannered teenage girl who somehow finds herself at the head of a rebellion and is surprisingly well equipped to handle that? Yep. Is these a totalitarian government that has separated society into groups in a way that makes no sense? Yep. Is there a male best friend who appeared to be a love interest at first, but then gave way to a rough-around-the-edges older rebel who falls in love with the MC shockingly quickly? Yep. It's all very cookie cutter. It's not particularly risky or creative. But it scratches that YA itch without being offensive like the books that fall into "unimaginative YA done poorly."
Imaginative YA is the top tier, in which authors bring something unique and creative to the body of YA lit. Books like Everlost, Harry Potter, Scythe, Ender's Game.
Unimaginative YA done well hits all of the tired tropes that have turned YA into an endless sea of teenage heroines rebelling against the segregated dystopian society in which they were raised, but does so without the writing pitfalls that make so many of these books practically unreadable. These are books like the first two Hunger Games novels and the first Divergent novel.
Unimaginative YA done poorly hits all of the same tired plotpoints as described above, but is written poorly, clearly exists for no reason other than to pander to YA readers, and has completely lost the plot. Books like The Selection, Wither, and the Divergent sequels.
Uglies falls very distinctly into "unimaginative YA done well." This, of course, means there's not much to say that hasn't already been said. Is there a mild-mannered teenage girl who somehow finds herself at the head of a rebellion and is surprisingly well equipped to handle that? Yep. Is these a totalitarian government that has separated society into groups in a way that makes no sense? Yep. Is there a male best friend who appeared to be a love interest at first, but then gave way to a rough-around-the-edges older rebel who falls in love with the MC shockingly quickly? Yep. It's all very cookie cutter. It's not particularly risky or creative. But it scratches that YA itch without being offensive like the books that fall into "unimaginative YA done poorly."