#Friday Reads (18)

So, this weekend I'll be reading Extras by Scott Westerfeld. This is the forth and final installment of the Uglies series. However, this book is a little different from the other three because this is kind of like a companion novel and not a direct continuation of the story.

Here is the synopsis:

It's a few years after rebel Tally Youngblood took down the uglies/pretties/specials regime. Without those strict roles and rules, the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. "Tech-heads" flaunt their latest gadgets, "kickers" spread gossip and trends, and "surge monkeys" are hooked on extreme plastic surgery. And it's all monitored on a bazillion different cameras. The world is like a gigantic game of "American Idol." Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules.

As if being fifteen doesn't suck enough, Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself.

Then Aya meets a clique of girls who pull crazy tricks, yet are deeply secretive of it. Aya wants desperately to kick their story, to show everyone how intensely cool the Sly Girls are. But doing so would propel her out of extra-land and into the world of fame, celebrity...and extreme danger. A world she's not prepared for ...

I'm already 120 pages but honestly I can't really say if I'm enjoying it or not. I was really curious about this series - it had received such rave reviews! - but then, as I started reading it, I couldn't really connect with the story or with the characters and I wasn't particularly impressed by it. I just hope that this one is better than the other three ...

On another topic, I'll be posting - hopefully soon - my review for A Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón but let me tell you, reviewing this book isn't easy!