Uglies -- Scott Westerfeld

Remember that futuristic Twilight Zone about the people that, at a certain age, were given mandatory plastic surgery to make them beautiful and ageless?

This book is that story told in 400 pages.  Obviously, there have been a lot of additions, but the basic premise is the same.  Being a dystopian novel, it's pretty clear early on that beauty comes with a price.

On one hand, the book irritated me because there was no subtlety.  I saw the plot twists coming miles away and the points that the author was trying to make had the Rainbow Boys frying pan effect.  BLAM.  Different is good.  BLAM.  Love yourself.  BLAM.  Beauty is relative, as is ugly.  (Judging from the Amazon reviews, though, there are plenty of readers out there that don't mind the frying pan.)

On the other hand, I kind of got hooked.  There was a lot of action, the hoverboards were cool, and there was an excellent cliffhanger.  Even though the lessons are a tad forceful, they are extremely valid.  (I still wonder if Scott Westerfeld has a background in advertising.  It would make so much sense.)  I'm sure that I'll break down at some point and read the next book.