Review - Blue Noon

by Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Eos
Date of Publication: February 2006
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 378
Source: local library

From Goodreads:

The darklings will hunt once again.

The secret hour when time freezes arrives every night at midnight in Bixby, Oklahoma. It's a dangerous time, when five teenagers are the only humans awake and dark creatures crawl out of the shadows, but at least the midnight hour is regular and predictable.

Until suddenly, the blue time comes . . . in the middle of the day.

The noise of school stops. Cheerleaders are frozen in midair, teachers brought to a standstill. Everything is the haunted blue color of the midnight hour.

The Midnighters can't understand what's happening, but as they scramble for answers, they discover that the walls between the secret hour and real time are crumbling. Soon the dark creatures will have a chance to feed after centuries of waiting, unless these five teenagers can find a way to stop them.

A desperate race against time, a mind-blowing mystery of paranormal logic, a tale of ancient evil and spine-chilling sacrifice: blue noon is the exhilarating third volume in the Midnighters series by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld.

This is the third and final book in the Midnighters Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. Out of the three, I'd say that this is my second favorite Midnighters book after Touching Darkness.

This book begins a couple of weeks after the big ordeal at the end of the last book. Though life is never normal for the Midnighters, things are going as normal as possible until the blue time of the secret hour happens during the day, and it's up to the Midnighters to fix things. This book was a fitting end to the trilogy, full of the usual action and twists.

I only had a couple of issues with this installment. First, the plot seemed to be stretched out when it didn't have to be, but then ending went rather fast, which was a little jarring. Second, the epilogue was unsatisfying.  It did give enough information to tie things off, but I don't think it gave the audience enough time to process what the recent events really meant for the characters. Plus, it just made me a bit sad, because not only is it the end of the series, but the end of the Midnighters as they were before.

The perks of this book were the major leaps and bounds some of the characters took. By the end I loved Rex and Melissa more than ever before. Unfortunately my favorite character, Des, had less plot time than ever, and I missed her being truly important to the story. Jessica and Jonathan were about the same, and Beth's appearances were great for the family tension but I think more could have been done with her spying on Jessica.

Just as with Touching Darkness, I enjoyed Blue Noon, and Westerfeld definitely ties up the loose ends with the darklings, the Midnighters, and the secret hour. However, the ending was open enough to allow another book or two in the Midnighter world, though they probably would not be anything like this series since the Midnighter world is so changed.

I'm glad I picked up this series. It was a step out of my reading comfort-zone, but Westerfeld proved to me that his reputation as a good author is well-deserved.

Where you can buy Blue Noon:

Amazon / IndieBound / The Book Depository

*Note: This review originally appeared in its unrevised format on Writer Quirk.

Review - Touching Darkness

by Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Eos
Date of Publication: March 2005
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 330
Source: local library

From Goodreads:

The Midnighters of Bixby, Oklahoma, know that their town is full of secrets. These five teenagers are the only ones who know about the mysterious hour at midnight when the world freezes, except for them and the creatures that inhabit the darkness.

But they do not know why earlier generations of Midnighters all disappeared, or why they are now the only Midnighters in town. As they learn more about the secret hour's twists and turns, they uncover terrifying mysteries woven into the very fabric of Bixby's history, and a conspiracy that touches both the midnight hour and the world of daylight.

At the same time, the Midnighters' own secrets start to emerge, including some that were never meant to come to light, changing the fragile dynamics among the five.

This time Jessica Day is not the only Midnighter in mortal danger, and if the group can't find a way to come together, they could lose one of their own — forever.

A story of courage, shadowy perils, and unexpected destiny, the secret hour is the first volume of the mesmerizing Midnighters trilogy by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld.

Though I had to stop and start many times (work, sleep, life, etc) I read this book quickly.  The more I learn about the individual Midnighters, the more I'm interested in their fate.

Des is still my favorite character. There was a lot going on with her in through most of this book, so that was great. It became less from her perspective toward the end, but the action in the plot didn't really concern her, so while I missed her, I understood the necessity. Unlike the others, who are coupled up somewhat, Des is her own person, even before all the mess with Jessica. She continues to be herself, but I found it interesting how she reacted to Madeline and what Madeline's existence (or lack-there-of) in Bixby meant.

The dynamics between Melissa and Rex changed through this story and I found myself liking them more. Though I probably wouldn't want to be super-close with Melissa, she did grow as a character, which is always fun to watch. That didn't mean she stopped being Melissa, but I understood her better. And while Rex was still pretty neutral, what happens to him in this book makes me want to read more about him to see how he's dealing and what the changes in him mean for the group. More character growth expected.

Another character that grew was Jessica. I mentioned in the review for The Secret Hour that she seemed a tad out of character while with Jonathan. This quirk continued, but the way it played out in this book seemed more like growth and less like OOC-ness. While she was still fairly flat while near Des, Melissa, and Rex, possibly because they are each strong personalities, she was consistent in being bold around Jonathan.  Jessica's relationship with her sister, Beth, also played into this story, which was a great way to learn about both of them. I think Jessica may actually be less passive than I originally thought and is only really herself when comfortable, which seemed to be only when Beth or Jonathan were involved. I also liked seeing how her midnight power affected her, which was interesting considering my view of her.  There were very subtle hints about something being off with Jessica, something about her eyes, and these hints were in the first book also. I'm anticipating what that means, hoping I'm not reading too much into it.

Jonathan is steady through this book, not really changing any but having a couple hero moments. Beth was a great addition. Madeline was a completely new character and her story along with the new revelations about the darklings and the humans that work with them was both interesting and sad.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Touching Darkness, even more than The Secret Hour, it's not one of those series that just carries me away. Maybe I'm just picky. It might be that Westerfeld ties up all the loose ends at the end of one book and starts new ones at the beginning of the next, so the flow of the series doesn't compel you to find the next book. Or it might be that the world of these books is so similar to our own that I don't really find myself engrossed. Still, I am impressed with what Westerfeld is doing in this series and really loving the characters. I also have high hopes for the trilogy's conclusion, Blue Noon, and will be reading it as soon as I can.

Where you can buy Touching Darkness:

Amazon / IndieBound / The Book Depository

*Note: This review originally appeared in its unrevised format on Writer Quirk.

Review - The Secret Hour

by Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Eos
Date of Publication: February 2004
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 297
Source: local library

From Goodreads:

Nobody is safe in the secret hour.

Strange things happen at midnight in the town of Bixby, Oklahoma.

Time freezes.

Nobody moves.

For one secret hour each night, the town belongs to the dark creatures that haunt the shadows. Only a small group of people know about the secret hour -- only they are free to move about the midnight time.

These people call themselves Midnighters. Each one has a different power that is strongest at midnight: Seer, Mindcaster, Acrobat, Polymath. For years the Midnighters and the dark creatures have shared the secret hour, uneasily avoiding one another. All that changes when the new girl with an unmistakable midnight aura appears at Bixby High School.

Jessica Day is not an outsider like the other Midnighters. She acts perfectly normal in every way. But it soon becomes clear that the dark creatures sense a hidden power in Jessica . . . and they're determined to stop her before she can use it.

A story of courage, shadowy perils, and unexpected destiny, the secret hour is the first volume of the mesmerizing Midnighters trilogy by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld.

The Secret Hour is the first book in the Midnighters Trilogy, and also the first book I have read by Scott Westerfeld. I've heard he is a top world-builder, and though the world in this story is pretty contemporary, there are definite allusions to those skills in this book.

The story presentation was well done. I wasn't in the characters heads exactly, but I was with different ones at different times, able to get a glimpse of how they saw each other and the world around them. The change in point of view made the story more interesting and I did not find it distracting or hard to follow. I had expected the book to center on Jessica, but it doesn't. Not only is this a good thing, but it also made me understand that the story/series is really about all the Midnighters and that Jessica's arrival is the catalyst that turns the rather peaceful secret hour into a time of danger.

Despite liking the POV switching, the characters were definitely my favorite part of the book. While I liked Jessica, she was a little flat (super normal with a good heart and a streak of naivete), but she gets better as the book goes along. The only exception to this is in regards to her relationship with one of the other characters. I thought several times she was acting out of character by being very bold, something she did not seem to be any other time, so those bothered me a bit.

My favorite character by far was Des, who was witty, intelligent, quirky, and good at the core. She seemed to be very strange at the beginning, but by the end of the book I loved her and would want her as friend if she were real. Her Midnighter ability was pretty cool also, and it seems she hit on something big near the end of the book that will affect things later on.

The other character I liked was Jonathan, mainly because he was pretty swoon-worthy, but he also had a great ability that I would love to try out if it were possible. Rex and Melissa, the remaining two Midnighters, were less likable, but it worked well for the story, as it would have seemed a little odd, not to mention unrealistic, if all the characters were perfect people. Rex is a decent guy but has definite flaws, while Melissa....well, she has her agenda and doesn't want it messed up. She also is not very nice most of the time, but her Midnighter ability makes her life difficult 24 out of 25 hours in the day, so I could understand that at least.

Another aspect I liked about the book was the lore surrounding the secret hour, the dark creatures, and the Midnighters themselves. Westerfeld did a wonderful job on these elements, as it was all creative and described well.

My only real qualm with the book was that it took it a while to become a page-turner. It wasn't exactly slow at the beginning because plenty happened that was interesting, but I liked the pace once the characters started working together much better. This may have had a bit to do with Jessica, as it is mostly about her the first quarter of the book, and like I said, she was not the most intriguing character of the bunch.

Overall, The Secret Hour is a strong paranormal YA read that is unique and well-written. I cannot think of another novel like it, and with Westerfeld's skill at storytelling and characters that stand out, readers should definitely take note of this series.

Where you can buy The Secret Hour:

Amazon / IndieBound / The Book Depository

*Note: This review originally appeared in its unrevised format on Writer Quirk.

Review - Uglies: Shay's Story

by Scott Westerfeld
publisher: Del Rey
date of publication: March 6, 2012
format: paperback; graphic novel
pages: 208
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

From Goodreads:

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”—Shay

Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost.

A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.

I hope you will bear with me.  This is my first graphic novel review, so I'm still trying to figure out how I want to approach this.  Since this is my first review of this sort and giving too many details will wind up spoiling Uglies, why don't we go with a simple paragraph review?

Uglies: Shay's Story is, at its heart, a prequel for Uglies.  If you have ever read Uglies and want to know more about why Shay is the way she is, then Uglies: Shay's Story is just the novel for you.  At 208 pages, it is a quick, fun read with great illustrations.  Not all is spotless, however.  When you read Uglies, you are made to understand that the Pretties are enhanced beyond imagining.  However, when I viewed the panels in Shay's Story, I really didn't see much difference between the Uglies and the Pretties.  Not one character had a even hint of normalcy when it came to their appearances.  I wouldn't have known the Pretties from the Uglies had it not been for the details the illustrator added to their eyes.  I enjoyed the storyline very much, but would have loved to see more differences between the two types of characters.  It would have added more detail to the panels and would have left me feeling less distracted.

Buy Uglies: Shay's Story at the Following Locations:

Amazon /  IndieBound  /  B&N  /  The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This finished copy was provided to me free of charge via the publisher through Library Thing Early Reviewers. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Review: Pretties

by Scott Westerfeld
publisher: Simon Pulse
date published: November 1, 2005
format: paperback
pages: 370
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge



***SPOILER ALERT!!! If you haven't read Uglies yet, don't read any further! You have been warned.***








From Goodreads:

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive.

What I Thought

Pretties picks up mere weeks after Uglies left off. We meet Tally once again, although this time she has undergone the surgery to make her a Pretty. She has vague memories of her life as an Ugly and now spends all of her time partying with Peris, Shay, and Zane, leader of Tally's clique and her current love interest. For the most part, Tally is having the time of her life, though she has moments where her old personality seems to be trying to break through. It isn't until an unexpected guest shows up at a party that Tally really begins remembering her old life and how it felt to be an Ugly: free and full of adventure. What follows is Tally's journey to reclaim her freedom and find her way out of the life that she has been subjected to.

In many ways, Pretties was just as vivid in the storytelling as Uglies was. However, there was one addition to the story that made this book a bit less pleasant to read: Pretty slang. That's right, I said Pretty slang. From the first chapter to the last, the story was peppered with words such as "bubbly," "bogus," and "(insert adjective here)-making." By chapter three I truly thought I was going to start screaming if I had to read the word "bubbly" one more time. It was a bit much and I longed for the prose I so enjoyed in Uglies. Other than that, the plot was exciting and had tension in all the right places. From Tally's preparations for her escape to the state of Shay's mind, I was kept feeling nervous on Tally's behalf. The villains were extremely creepy and the fact that it was imperative that Tally get past them provided for further suspense. These things went a long way toward redeeming a story that was so nearly overwhelmed by vernacular.

I was a little disappointed with this installment in the Uglies series. It didn't wow me quite as much as Uglies had and I wasn't sure if I could continue with the series until the very end. However, what I saw at the conclusion of the book kept me on board with the series and helped boost the rating I gave the book. Based upon my frustrations with the vernacular within, I didn't feel that I could give the book a 4 like I would have had it not been an issue. Therefore, I give Pretties 3 hoots and trust that Specials will get the series back on track.

Review: Uglies

by Scott Westerfeld
publisher: Simon Pulse
date published: February 8, 2005
format: hardcover
pages: 425
source: library
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

What I Thought

Uglies is a dystopian novel that takes a good look at the impact the idea of beauty and body image upon society. Tally Youngblood, an "Ugly," is on the cusp of turning 16 and receiving her first surgery, which will turn her into a "Pretty." Having been raised in a society where the ages between 12 and 16 are considered as a sort of limbo until the time to become beautiful arrives, Tally is a naive, shallow sort of girl already, as if she has been trained for the life of beauty, parties, and excess that awaits her. She, as well as the other residents of Uglyville, spends the majority of her time making disparaging comments about her own looks and the looks of others, playing pranks, and spying upon the residents of New Pretty Town. It isn't until she meets Shay, an Ugly who isn't content with the fate laid out for her, that Tally begins to learn about what really lies beneath the surface of this glittering world she so longs to join.

Watching Tally transform from a naive, misinformed girl into an independent young woman was a fantastic component of this story. She truly surprised me with the decision she made at the end of the story. I had fully expected her to go in an entirely different direction to arrive at the decision she made. However, it would seem that her relationship with her friend, Shay, and her feelings for David, the son of the founders of hte Smoke, seem to have changed Tally for the better. She was almot a completely different character by the time this book concluded. I liked her much more after watching her evolve.

Westerfeld has created a detailed, vibrant world that contains as much horror underneath the surface as it does frivolity. Even though it takes place in a post-disaster United States, the world is so changed that it seems almost alien. The accepted ideal of beauty is difficult to picture in the mind's eye and the make-up of the cities is so very futuristic that there is a sense of bleakness about the whole thing. Tally's journey to the Smoke and the life she begins to build there are bright spots that serve to provide a focus on just how wrong things have gone in the world. The propaganda fed to the citizens of the cities and the more sinister motives underneath it all are truly frightening and definitely left me with a sense of dread the further the story went.

I really enjoyed this book and wish I had picked it up sooner. Reading about Tally's adventures in Uglytown, the wilderness, the Smoke, and the Rusty Ruins provided hours of entertainment and the overall storyline provided a lot of food for thought. I will most definitely be picking up the next book, Pretties, from the library as soon as it is available. This is another series that has increased my interest in dystopian novels, which is definitely a good thing. I happily give Uglies 5 hoots.