Book Review - Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Rating: 10/10

Set in a futuristic Earth, Extras tells the story of Aya Fuse, a fifteen year old girl in a city addicted to fame and reputation. With her rank of 451,369, Aya is a total nobody - that is, until she meets the Sly Girls, a clique that likes playing dangerous tricks but is obsessed with keeping it secret. She decides to kick the Sly Girls story without them knowing... But when they stumble upon an earth-shattering discovery, Aya becomes caught in a web of betrayal and extreme danger that may just cost her her life.

Before Extras, Scott Westerfeld also wrote Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. I, unfortunately, have had no chance to read the three books. However, Westerfeld's writing is so masterful that after a few chapters of Extras, I understood just what he was talking about. Now, that is an important rule in writing a series, but how he does it is just amazing.

Another appeal of the novel to me is that it is, I think, set in Japan. The manga eyes, pixel skin, prehensile toes... It's just something crazy and so Japanese-y! Reading Extras is totally entertaining.

Also, the characters come alive. I definitely see this turning into a film... A good film, in fact, if placed in very good hands. It has the makings of a blockbuster teen flick: hoverboards, the right amount of romance, etc.

I'm dying to read the other three books. :>

Another new book!

Yes, that's right. That is Extras by Scott Westerfeld, and I didn't buy it from National Bookstore or Powerbooks. I found it on Booksale... for 50 pesos. (These people don't know how much they're losing!) Last time I checked, Extras cost 289 pesos in NBS, and that's in paperback. My latest buy is a hard-bound, in good condition copy of Extras. Although it's the last book in the quartet, I never hesitated to buy it because it's not everyday that I see a [relatively new] book as cheap.

This book is really a treasure. I've always wanted to purchase the series, but the price is really scary. However, finding this one raised my hopes up.

I hope I'm lucky as this every week!