Review – Uglies Graphic Novel: Shay’s Story by Scott Westerfeld, Devin Grayson, and Steven Cummings (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Graphic Novel
Size: 208 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: March 6th, 2012
ISBN: 978-0345527226
Stand Alone or Series: Companion to the Uglies series
Source: Librarything’s Early Reviewer Program
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is a companion novel to the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and tells us the story of Shay. I enjoyed the Uglies series and was eager to learn more about Shay since she is more of a plot device than an actual person in the original series.

This book tells the story of what happened as both Shay and Tally approaced their sixteenth year, the year where they get the operation to be Pretty. This shows what Shay’s life was like before she met Tally and why she made the decisions she did.

This was a very well done graphic novel done in a very magna-like style, but read in the traditional front to back American way. The illustration throughout is very manga in style and was easy to follow. The style fits the story well and I enjoyed it.

The book is split into a number of chapters and tells the story of how Shay got to where she is; this is just the first part of the story and goes right up until it’s time for the Pretty operation.

Overall I enjoyed reading this graphic novel; it adds some great background to the Uglies story and really expands it. It also helps you to understand Shay as a character. If you are a fan of the Uglies series I definitely recommend picking this up. Even if you haven’t read the Uglies series this is a well done graphic novel and I would recommend it if you are interested in YA dytopia or science fiction. It’s on the lighter side of the genre but is still a great read.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Challenge
– Dystopia Reading Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge