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Review: Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Published on February 22, 2015February 23, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books1 Comment

Extras by Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure
Published by: Simon Pulse
Pages: 417
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book takes place three years after ‘Specials’ in a completely different city. ‘Extras’ is based on a world where reputation is everything. In a Tumblr-esque way, resident ‘kick’ and ‘re-kick’ news stories in order to gain popularity. The more popular you are, the higher your rank and the more privileges you earn as a result. Out of the one million citizens, to be considered famous, you need a ranking of at least 1,000 or above.

It’s too bad that our protagonist, Aya, is about 450,000. ‘Extras’ follows Aya quest for fame and how far the fifteen-year-old will go in order to come out on top.

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Review: The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

Published on February 21, 2015February 19, 2015 by Heart Full Of Books4 Comments

The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure
Published by: Simon Pulse
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: GoodReads | Amazon

A sticker on the Uglies series reads, ‘Before the Hunger Games there was….’ This is one of my pet peeves, which probably deserves a post by itself. The idea that there were dystopian books before ‘The Hunger Games’ rose to popularity seems to astound people.

The concept of this series is all people are born ugly. When they turn sixteen, they become pretty, through surgery and genetic implants. It was interesting to read a book that discussed beauty and how its presented in a way that didn’t seem glaringly obvious. When you pick up this book, you’re not bombarded with a social agenda to redefine beauty. Tally, the protagonist, just wants to be pretty. Shay, her best friend, doesn’t.

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Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Published on January 26, 2015February 7, 2015 by Heart Full Of BooksLeave a comment

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Steampunk, Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure
Published by: Simon & Schuster Children’s
Pages: 434
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Leviathan is an interesting blend of contextually accurate historical details and fabricated alternate histories. What if the Archduke Franz Ferdinand had a son? What if Darwin had developed his Theory of Evolution even further? If you are unsure on the contexts of these ideas, then conveniently Westerfeld has explained them in the back of the book!