The Last Days (book) by Scott Westerfeld

Moz and Zahler have managed to create their own two-guitarist band, but they know a real band needs more than that. Moz gets to know Pearl after the two of them save a guitar a newly-crazy woman tosses out of her window - although it's a bit worrisome that crazy people like this are becoming more and more common, all Pearl, Moz, and Zahler are really concerned with is forming a really awesome band and becoming famous. Eventually, they recruit Alana Ray, a young homeless woman who is a fantastic drummer and must take pills in order to be able to function relatively normally in the world, and Minerva, a friend of Pearl's who can sing.

If you read Westerfeld's Peeps, you know from Minerva's behavior that she is a peep, a parasite positive. However, Minerva manages to somehow overcome her hatred of things she once loved, plus her desire to eat people, in order to be part of the band. Unfortunately, she's still got the peep horny-ness and she's still contagious. Although she notices Pearl's interest in Moz, she doesn't really care and goes after him anyway - the result is a band with two potentially dangerous peeps who could break down and eat their bandmates at any moment.

However unstable this band may seem, it's got some indefinable thing the world needs - there's something about their music that can call the killer worms living below ground. With Pearl, Minerva, Zahler, Moz, and Alana Ray there to call the worms, the "angels" (peeps and carriers who've controlled their blood-thirsty impulses and have trained to kill the worms) can swoop in and hack the worms to bits. In my post about Peeps I wrote that cats save the world. Well, in this book, music saves the world.

Although I've read several reviews where the reviewers say that this book is better than the first, I disagree. With its many main characters, each of whom have chapters written from their perspectives, this book felt less focused than the first. Also, as someone who prefers likable characters, I was a bit turned off by Minerva. By sticking with Minerva after she gets sick, Pearl damages some of her other friendships - this implies that her friendship with Minerva is very important to her. Unfortunately, either Minerva doesn't feel the same way, or her peep impulses have overridden her ability to act like a friend, because she doesn't even seem to feel a twinge of guilt about going after Moz when she knows Pearl kind of likes him.

The "here's how everything turned out for everyone" summation at the end felt pretty weak to me. Everyone gets famous, Cal (the main character of Peeps, back for a few appearances in this book) writes books about everyone, Minerva and Moz have an on-again off-again relationship, Zahler becomes a great bass player (a "fawesome" bass player), Alana Ray stays the same, and Pearl runs for mayor of New York again. It's all very happy, which, considering the state of the world, makes it seem like there are some huge plot holes. "Pre-crisis beer" is precious, and yet everything else is fine? Somehow Alana Ray is getting her medication, the band is managing to fly (or maybe sail?) to other countries to perform, etc. How is all this still happening?

The relationship stuff in this book also drove me crazy, although I can't say how it could've been done better without creating even more weaknesses and holes in the story. I just didn't particularly like how Pearl was forced to squash her hurt feelings over Moz and Minerva for the sake of the band - it made me hate Minerva even more, actually. Pearl continues to have to keep things happy and wonderful for Moz and Minerva over the years, helping the two of them mend things whenever their relationship temporarily sours. Early on in the book, there are indications that Zahler might like Pearl and that he's standing back because he can tell that Pearl likes Moz, but nothing ever comes of this. Since I felt Zahler was an underappreciated character, I kind of wish the two of them had ended up together - at least I would've felt a little less bad about Pearl.

Both of my favorite characters, Zahler and Alana Ray didn't really get as much attention as I would've liked. I liked Zahler because he was stable and had his head on his shoulders - since I realize that these traits don't often make for interesting characters, I can forgive Westerfeld for not giving him a little more attention. However, what little we find out about Alana Ray's life and her abilities (she has hallucinations that, in some cases, may not really be hallucinations) is very interesting - Westerfeld could've done a lot more with her, and he didn't.

Overall, I thought this book was a nice read, but I don't agree with those reviewers who say that it's better than Peeps.

At the end of the book, there is a list of all the chapter titles, which are also all band names. Westerfeld provides some brief info for each - where they're from, when they were formed, what kind of music they play, etc.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Knight of Ghosts and Shadows (book) by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon - Eric Banyon is a talented and melancholy street-busker. It turns out that his skill with a flute is more than ordinary - Eric is a fledgling Bard, and his music can work magic. His abilities attract all kinds of attention, both good and bad, and he ends up teaming up with Beth (who is, among other things, a witch) and Korendil (an elven warrior). Those who'd like something else with magical, world-saving music might want to try this.
• War for the Oaks (book) by Emma Bull - Eddi has just left her boyfriend and their band. She is in the process of forming a new band when she gets drawn into the conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie Faerie Courts. There to guard her and make sure she plays her part is a phouka, a dangerous man who can sometimes become a talking dog. Those who'd like another story involving music, fantasy, and a big battle might want to try this.
  
• Soul Music (book) by Terry Pratchett - Death takes a vacation, Death's granddaughter takes over for a bit, and an aspiring musician named Imp y Celen (aka Buddy) finds a magical guitar and forms a band with a troll, a dwarf, and an orangutan as his bandmates. Those who'd like another story dealing with the formation of a band and the power of music may want to try this. This book is also great for those looking for something a bit (ok, a lot) more humorous.
  
• Beck (manga) by Harold Sakuishi; BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (anime TV series) - Fourteen-year-old Yukio Tanaka is a fairly boring person with a fairly boring life who yearns for more. His life is changed when he meets wild 16-year-old Ryusuke Minami, who's in a band called BECK, named after his strange patchwork dog. Those who loved the music aspects of The Last Days, who loved reading about characters who love music, and who thought the list of bands/chapter titles at the end of the book was a nice touch, might want to try this.
  

Midnighters Vol. 2: Touching Darkness (book) by Scott Westerfeld

I'll start this off with a warning - this post has spoilers, so don't read it unless you don't mind that.

This book picks up where the first one left off. Jessica Day and Jonathan are still a couple - sort of. Jessica's not entirely happy that Jonathan only seems to want to hold hands with her during the secret hour (or blue time, or whatever you want to call it). Dess is still obsessed with math, especially the math of Bixby, OK. Rex and Melissa still have secrets they're keeping from all the other Midnighters - although Rex does reveal something new to everyone, that at some point just a few decades ago, back when Bixby was smaller, most of the town knew about the secret hour. The town had lots of Midnighters. Then, for some unexplained reason, all the Midnighters disappeared. It's a mystery that has obsessed Rex for years.

Not long after Rex reveals all of this, Rex and Melissa stumble upon something horrific. Not only is there a group of regular humans communicating with and aiding darklings, the darkling they're communicating with is a horrible hybrid, a darkling fused with the still-living body of a former Midnighter. Melissa, with her psychic abilities, can tell that the former Midnighter is dying and that she was a seer - once the girl is dead, the darklings will want someone to replace her, and Rex is their best bet. The Midnighters scramble to keep Jessica (their best weapon in the secret hour) and Rex safe, somehow free or kill the trapped Midnighter, and stop the humans who are aiding the darklings.

Instead of working together, the Midnighters often tend to stick with their own little groups. Jessica is almost too wrapped up in her worries about her relationship with Jonathan to think about all the danger she and everyone else is in. Rex and Melissa share a terrible secret that they can't/won't let the other Midnighters know about - plus, they're testing out actually touching each other, which, considering Melissa's touching phobia, pratically counts as kissing. Dess has known for years that Rex and Melissa have been hiding things from everyone, so she's determined to keep her mathematical exploration of Bixby a secret - and when she actually stumbles across something big, her secrets start to rival Rex and Melissa's.

This was a very exciting continuation of the Midnighters trilogy (just found out there's a third book - yay!). While the perspective switching can still be a bit odd and distracting, I'm glad that Jessica isn't the main focus of the story. Had that been the case, it would've been a boring book, since she most definitely did not have the most interesting part of the story. True, I'm a romance fan, but there's only so much "does he really like me when we're not in the secret hour?" that I can take, especially when the only thing complicating the issue is Jessica's fear of talking about her feelings with Jonathan (and, I guess, Jonathan's obliviousness to Jessica's worries). One thing I did find intersting about Jessica's part of the story was her relationship with Beth, her sister, which made me feel a little sister-needy myself. The relationship felt very real - however annoyed the two may get with each other, they still worry about each other and stick up for each other. I'm looking forward to seeing how Beth is going to deal with knowing about the Midnighters in the next volume - will she be jealous that she can't see the secret hour herself?

I found Rex and Melissa to be the second-most fascinating group in this volume. Their experiments with touching were filled with more awkwardness, nervousness, and tension than I think any scene between Jessica and Jonathan has ever been. I do hope that being closer to Rex will help fix whatever is a bit twisted or wrong inside Melissa, but I'm kind of doubting it will. In fact, the more confident Melissa gets after touching Rex, the more willing she seems to be to abuse her powers.

The secret they share, that Melissa, with Rex's help, is responsible for Rex's dad's condition, is pretty bad, but I somehow thought it would be worse. For one thing, it sounds like Rex's dad was pretty awful, psychologically torturing the poor kid. For another, some of the things Melissa seems to be thinking lately seem to be leading up to something even worse than what happened to Rex's dad. I have a feeling that during the third book she's going to start seriously abusing her power - after all, she already does that when she takes what she wants from Dex's mind without permission at the end of this book. One could argue that she only did what she did to Dex because she desperately wanted to save Rex, who she probably loves more than anyone else in the world. However, I'm thinking that it won't be long before she starts doing this sort of thing just because someone annoys her a little, or because she thinks it might be fun. The teacher who annoys her in the last half of this book will likely be first on her list.

Madeleine is one of the reasons I think Melissa is going to go bad. So far, mindcasters seem to be the most unstable of all the Midnighters (although, granted, we haven't really gotten to see many Midnighters). Melissa seems to be a bit unstable, and she's certainly cold. Madeleine has that same coldness; she's also ruthlessly pratical and possibly about as sane as Melissa, considering the years she's spent in self-imposed confinement. There seems to be something about the nature of the mindcasting ability that just twists people.

Speaking of Madeleine - I found Dess's chapters to be the most interesting ones in this book. Dess is the one who finds Madeleine and therefore discovers that she and the other Midnighters are not, in fact, alone, and never actually have been. For years they stumbled about on their own, figuring things out through trial and error (maybe with an occasional secret mental push from Madeleine?) when, only a short walk or drive away, there was someone there who could have been helping and guiding them. I could both understand and not understand why Madeleine didn't reveal herself to them - I was a little amazed that they weren't angrier with her, especially after they found out her part in the erradication of Bixby's Midnighters (which she seemed determined to blame primarily on air conditioning and TVs). Even before all of that was revealed, I was surprised that Dess let Madeleine put that block in her head. Dess doesn't have the same mindcaster phobia that Jonathan does, but still. I do have to say, though, that the block was really fascinating, and I enjoyed the way Westerfeld wrote about it, although I still don't understand how Dess could remember how to turn it on and off when she couldn't even remember that it existed.

Overall, I'm enjoying this trilogy and I can't wait to see how it ends. I still don't think it's quite as good as some of Westerfeld's other books, but it's certainly not bad.

Read-alikes:

• The Summoning (book) by Kelley Armstrong - After Chloe Saunders suddenly starts seeing ghosts, her father and her aunt have her admitted to Lyle House, a home for troubled teens. All Chloe wants is to convince the adults at Lyle House that she's better and can leave, but it's not long before she starts noticing that there may be something sinister going on. A couple of the other teens at Lyle House are convinced that Chloe really can see ghosts and is, in fact, a necromancer - they may know what they're talking about, since one of them can do magic. Those who'd like another story about teens with special powers trying to deal with the dangers that surround them might enjoy this book.
  
• Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace (book) by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi - This is the first book in the Jennifer Scales series. Jennifer Scales has no reason to believe she isn't an ordinary girl in an ordinary family - until she suddenly develops the ability to shapeshift into a dragon, and her parents admit that she's half-dragon, half-Beaststalker. As if her life wasn't complicated enough, Jennifer has to figure out how to protect herself and her family from beings who view her as their natural enemy. Those who'd like another story involving teens with special powers who live in a town with lots of secrets might enjoy this book.
  
• After School Nightmare (manga) by Setona Mizushiro - Ichijo Mashiro is one of several students at his school who are made to attend a special class, in which students battle each other in a dream world. Almost everyone's dream selves look nothing like their waking selves, but, unfortunately, this is not the case for Ichijo. His dream self reveals his most closely guarded secret, that he is neither male nor female. As the series progresses, more students' secrets are revealed. Those who'd like another story with a similar tone and characters (some are more emotionally damaged than others, they have special powers only in a specific environment, etc.) might enjoy this series. Be warned, the sexual elements in this story are stronger than in any of Westerfeld's books.
  
• Coraline (book) by Neil Gaiman - I'm not sure if I've actually managed to link to an edition of the book, or if what I've linked to is only a retelling of the story in a new format, so beware - I was a little surprised that the edition I read is no longer available. Anyway, in this strange and creepy story, Coraline and her family have recently moved into a new home. While exploring her home on her own, Coraline ends up stumbling into a version of the world much like her own, only freakier. Her other mother and other father (her mother and father in this alternate world) want Coraline to stay and be their little girl. Coraline becomes trapped in this other world and must figure out how to free her real parents and escape. The intended audience for this book is a bit younger than for Midnighters. Although older readers will likely be able to figure out where Coraline's parents are well before the ending, this world Gaiman describes is just creepy enough to keep those same readers hooked. Those who'd like another story with a mix of mystery and creepy horror might want to try this book.
  

Midnighters Vol. 1: The Secret Hour (book) by Scott Westerfeld

Jessica Day's mother has gotten a new job in Bixby, OK and Jessica is less than happy about being the new kid in a tiny town with a tiny high school. She thinks the water in Bixby tastes funny (it turns out that this is an important detail, and not just the whiny complaining I first thought it was), some weird kids (and one cute guy) have taken an interest in her for some reason, and she starts having odd dreams that may actually be real.

Rex, Dess, Melissa, and Jonathan are the weird kids (and cute guy) I mentioned. They each have a sort of double life in Bixby. For 24 hours out of every day, they're ordinary kids, for the most part. They tend to be sensitive to light. In addition, Rex is incredibly serious and gets picked on a lot, Dess is an extreme math whiz, Jonathan is thin despite eating enough to feed two or three people, and Melissa can't bear for others to touch her. What they know that no one else does, however, is that there is a 25th hour in the day, squished into the exact instant of midnight. Normal people never even know that the 25th hour (aka the blue time, so called because the world turns bluish) exists, but the Midnighters experience it every night. Although there are dangers in the 25th hour, most of the Midnighters don't have any problems - Jessica, a new and strange Midnighter, is an enormous exception.

All the Midnighters have special abilities that they can only use to their fullest extent during the blue time. Rex is a seer - one thing he can do is recognize other Midnighters outside of the blue time. Dex is a polymath - her abilities are tied to mathematics, so she is exceptionally good at making blue time weaponry (in the blue time, most weaponry involves the use of 13-letter words). Melissa is a mindcaster, someone who can hear and influence the thoughts of others. Jonathan is an acrobat - you'll have to read the book to find out the specifics of his ability. Only Jessica's ability is unknown. She's unlike anyone the Midnighters have ever met. Although she can experience the blue time, she's not comfortable in it, and she seems to be far more defenseless than everyone else. However, the blue time is crawling with slithers and darklings, ancient and terrifying beings that seem determined to kill Jessica. Jessica has to figure out what her ability is and learn to defend herself before even the other Midnighters are no longer able to protect her.

In an earlier post about one of Westerfeld's books, I wrote that I'd like to eventually read all of his books - I'm going to try my best, because I have yet to read something of his that I haven't liked. I think this is his first young adult novel - prior to this, he wrote five adult science fiction novels.

Just like in his Uglies books, Westerfeld plays around with ideas that are probably appealing to a lot of teens (and adults, too!). Those who are outsiders, or who feel like they're outsiders, will likely enjoy reading about a bunch of outsiders who share a slice of time that's all their own. The special powers are pretty cool, too, and Westerfeld leaves that aspect of the book wide open for future books - there is no list of the kinds of powers that a Midnighter might have, which means that there are basically no limitations. Who knows what a new Midnighter in a future book might be able to do? My favorite ability out of the ones Westerfeld has written about so far is probably Jonathan's, although Dex's love of math is so deep and powerful that it makes her ability seem pretty appealing, as well.

While I enjoyed this book and have already gotten the second through interlibrary loan, I prefer the other books by Westerfeld that I've read. One, the perspective shifts in this book were kind of weird. My summary may have made it seem like Jessica is the main character, but she's really only one lens through which the events of this book are viewed. At one point or another, Westerfeld writes from the perspectives of each of the Midnighters - it took me some time to adjust to this. Two, this book doesn't feel quite as focused as the other books by Westerfeld that I have read. Peeps had a bit of a biological/ecological focus. The Uglies books dealt with the pursuit of physical perfection as well as, once again, biology/ecology. If this first Midnighters book had any particular topical focus, I didn't really notice it, although there's a possibility that something will come up when/if Westerfeld further explores the relationship between humankind and the darklings and slithers.

All the books on this read-alikes list are intended for young adults, but some might be better for certain age groups than others. For instance, I wouldn't recommend Meyer's Twilight books for younger teens, while Duane's So You Want to Be a Wizard, a more challenging read than Twilight, has content that many would consider appropriate for children as young as 10 years.

Read-alikes:

• Twilight (book) by Stephenie Meyer - Bella doesn't expect her move to the small town of Forks to be at all exciting, until she meets Edward Cullen. At first, Edward seems repulsed by her, but eventually the two of them can't seem to stay away from each other. The more time Bella spends with him, however, the more odd things she notices about him, leading her to the impossible conclusion that this boy she is so drawn to is actually a vampire. Those who'd like another story with a new girl in a small town who learns about and gets involved with an incredible secret might enjoy this book.
  
• The Summoning (book) by Kelley Armstrong - After Chloe Saunders suddenly starts seeing ghosts, her father and her aunt have her admitted to Lyle House, a home for troubled teens. All Chloe wants is to convince the adults at Lyle House that she's better and can leave, but it's not long before she starts noticing that there may be something sinister going on. A couple of the other teens at Lyle House are convinced that Chloe really can see ghosts and is, in fact, a necromancer - they may know what they're talking about, since one of them can do magic. Those who'd like another story about a girl whose world is turned upside down when she develops new abilities might enjoy this book.
  
• The Initiation (book) by L. J. Smith - This is the first book in Smith's Secret Circle series, although it is no longer available on its own - the link will take you to the Amazon.com page for a volume combining the first book and half the second book (what were they thinking?!). Cassie isn't thrilled to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, but it isn't long before things get interesting for her. Her new school is practically ruled by a group of gorgeous teens who appear to be feared and/or respected by everyone around them. Cassie gradually discovers that, not only do these teens have special powers, so does she. As she gets involved with the group, she begins to fall for the boyfriend of one of the girls. Those who'd like another story in which a newcomer discovers that she's part of a group that has amazing powers might want to try this book.
• Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace (book) by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi - This is the first book in the Jennifer Scales series. Jennifer Scales has no reason to believe she isn't an ordinary girl in an ordinary family - until she suddenly develops the ability to shapeshift into a dragon, and her parents admit that she's half-dragon, half-Beaststalker. As if her life wasn't complicated enough, Jennifer has to figure out how to protect herself and her family from beings who view her as their natural enemy. Those who'd like another story in which a teen discovers she has special powers might enjoy this book/series.
• So You Want to Be a Wizard (book) by Diane Duane - In an attempt to escape some bullies, Nita Callahan hides in a library, where she finds a book intriguingly titled So You Want to Be a Wizard. With the help of the book, she embarks on the path to becoming a wizard and soon meets Kit, another new wizard. The two have to learn quickly and make friends when they can, if they want to be able to survive the Lone Power, an evil being whose home is an alternate Manhattan. Those who'd like another story involving special powers and a dangerous alternate/parallel world might enjoy this book.
  

Extras (book) by Scott Westerfeld

This book takes place approximately three years after the events of Specials. It's set somewhere in Japan with an entirely new cast of main characters (don't worry, Tally and others turn up later in the book). Westerfeld makes an effort to bring readers up to speed on events that occurred in previous books, but I still wouldn't recommend this book to those who haven't read any of Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy (series? -I'm really not sure what to call it anymore).

The main character of this book is Aya Fuse, a 15-year-old girl living in a city with something called a "reputation economy." In the reputation economy, the more famous you are, the more stuff you get. You can accomplish the same thing by collecting merits (doing something that benefits society in some way, like caring for children or becoming a doctor), but it's a lot easier and more fun just to publish stuff on your feed. Aya is a kicker, someone who hunts down stories to publish, in the hope that one of these stories will make her famous. So far, no such luck, but when Aya gets involved with the Sly Girls, an ultra-secretive group that does super-dangerous hoverboard tricks, she's convinced that she's found the story that'll boost her reputation into the top thousand. During her time with the Sly Girls, however, Aya discovers the story of a lifetime - there's someone (or something) out in the wild with something that might be capable of destroying cities.

Aya's society is very different from the one that Tally had to deal with in her three books. The book jacket compares it to a "gigantic game of American Idol," but I think it's more accurate to compare it to something like blogging or Youtube. Just like people in Aya's city all get their own free feeds, anyone can get a Youtube account or a free blog. What people do with those things differs, but a lot of people hope they'll get noticed - maybe one of their videos will be one of the picks of the day, or maybe their blog will get mentioned on the news or on some even more popular blog. I remember reading about a guy who quit being a doctor because his blog made him more money than practicing medicine ever had. In Aya's world, things are just taken to the next level. At one point, I found myself wondering how many people actually took the time to earn merits - near the end of the book, Tally calls the reputation economy "brain-missing" and Hiro (Aya's brother) tries to defend it by saying that it motivates people, but how many people are actually motivated to go out an learn to do something besides spread gossip in their feeds?

Although Aya definitely has her daring moments, I didn't think she was as daring and athletic as Tally. That's not necessarily a bad thing, although her main activity, trying to get footage for her stories, did annoy me after a while. I'm not sure that Aya ever really settled on how far she'd go for a story, either - her determination to get footage caused problems for herself and others several times, and, if they hadn't basically given her their blessing in the end, I'd say that she betrayed the Sly Girls. I did find it encouraging that Aya was eventually willing to admit that she got her story of a lifetime wrong, and she seemed to actively be trying to think through ethical issues by the end, but still... It felt like the book ended before there were any really good signs that Aya had changed.

This book, like Westerfeld's previous books set in this world, had some really interesting technology. There's a lot I could talk about, but I think I'm going to settle on my favorite: Radical Honesty. Frizz Mizuno, a guy who's slightly older than Aya and a lot more popular than her, invented Radical Honesty and had it done on himself - others in his clique followed suit. Anyway, Radical Honesty is a kind of brain surgery that makes it so that a person can't lie in any way. No half truths, no lying by omission. Amazingly enough, Frizz doesn't often say things that make others angry with him. Although Radical Honesty causes a few problems late in the book, it still comes in handy, because I think it's the main thing that brought Aya and Frizz together. If Frizz hadn't had Radical Honesty, Aya probably wouldn't have believed it when he said that he likes her "big nose" (Aya is still an ugly, meaning that she still has all the features that nature and genetics gave her).

For those interested in characters from the previous books, Tally, Shay, Fausto, Andrew, and David show up (I might be forgetting a few people...). Tally gets the most story time - it's weird seeing her from Aya's perspective. Aya doesn't know her and, after she gets over her idol worshiping, is rightfully a little worried about Tally's somewhat unbalanced behavior (Tally still has all her Special anger and violence, although she does her best to fight it). Tally seems somewhat grim, but there are signs that she might finally be warming up to David again. It's nice.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure if I liked it better than the three Uglies books, and I kind of wished that there was a little more, but I still thought it was really good.

Read-alikes:

• Idoru (book) by William Gibson - This cyber-punk thriller takes places primarily in 21st century Tokyo. When Rez, the lead singer of a popular rock band, is rumored to be engaged to Rei Toei, an "idoru," a virtual reality pop idol, 14-year-old Chia Pet McKenzie is sent by a chapter of his fan club to investigate. Meanwhile, Colin Laney, a man who searches the Internet for "nodal points" for a living, has been hired by Rez's security detail in Japan. His job is to discover who might be influencing Rez, and things get a lot more dangerous than he anticipates. Those who'd like another book with cool technology, ultra-famous people, and Japanese aspects might like this book.
• How to Be Popular (book) by Meg Cabot - Steph, determined not to spend 11th grade as the unpopular klutz she's been known as for years, studies an old book she finds called How to Be Popular. She surprises herself and her long-time best friends with her success, but it's not long before she realizes that being popular isn't all it's cracked up to be. Those who'd like another story starring a girl who wants nothing more than to be popular might like this book.
• Blue Bloods (book) by Melissa De La Cruz - Schuyler is treated like an outcast by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. At the age of 15, Schuyler learns that she is a "blue blood," a very special vampire who is descended from a very old line. Unfortunately, lots of blue bloods have been dying, and Schuyler has to find out why before she, too, ends up dead. Those who'd like another story with a bit of suspense and an outcast main character who becomes part of the "popular" group might like this book. This is the first book in a series.
• Blood and Chocolate (book) by Annette Curtis Klause - Vivian is a werewolf, part of a small community of werewolves living in secret among humans. Vivian's father, the pack leader, was killed when the pack was driven out of its previous home, and all that remains is for a new leader to be chosen before the pack can move to a more permanent home. In the meantime, Vivian doesn't really feel at home with anyone in the pack. She begins dating a human, but how long will their relationship last if she tells him what she is? Even worse, people have been getting killed and Vivian can't be certain she wasn't responsible. Those who'd like another story involving a bit of romance, complications caused by lying, and a main female character who feels a little like an outsider might like this book.

Peeps (book) by Scott Westerfeld

Cal came to New York City a year ago as a somewhat naive undergraduate freshman biology student. Now, he spends all his time tracking down and capturing his former girlfriends. These girlfriends have become parasite positives, or "peeps" for short - the parasites within them cause them to hate sunlight (as well as anything they once loved), have great strength and senses, form bonds with rats, and crave blood. Cal isn't a full-blown peep, but he's a carrier. Carriers get a lot of the physical benefits of being a peep (longer life, better strength, etc.), but unfortunately the parasites make their carriers horny, and carriers' bodily fluids can transfer the parasites to other people - hence the peep ex-girlfriends.

Now that Cal knows he's a carrier, he does his best to stay away from temptation while he hunts peeps as part of the Night Watch, a secret organization mostly made up of carriers. It isn't always possible to avoid temptation, however, and Cal finds himself seeing more and more of Lace as he investigates the area where she lives. The person who first infected Cal used to live on Lace's floor, and something creepy and potentially very bad is going on in the basement of her apartment building. In order to save New York and the rest of the world, Cal has to find the woman who infected him, figure out what to do about the giant monsters that may be hiding under New York City, find out if the parasites have evolved so that cats can now become peeps, and deal with the frustration of being around Lace.

I think this book would probably make a good recommendation for older teens and even adults - it's an interesting twist on the vampire myth. I don't consider it as fast-paced as the books in Westerfeld's Uglies series, but it's not really slow-paced either. It's just that this book isn't as action-packed as you might expect - rather than spending a lot of time hunting peeps, Cal spends most of this book investigating what may be a new variety of peep-causing parasite. Chapters that further the story alternate with chapters that discuss various parasites - the parasite chapters are interesting, and informative, as well as frequently disgusting, strange, and horrific. These chapters may seem unrelated to the story, but the messages these chapters have are important and do actually apply to the rest of the book. The idea is that parasites can be good, bad, or neutral, depending upon your perspective, and a world without parasites would be unable to function in a nicely balanced way.

The whole book, including the parasite chapters, is written from Cal's perspective, and Cal is understandably interested in parasites. The parasite chapters were a lot more interesting than I expected, and reminded me of all the biology teachers I ever had that I really liked, the people who were so passionate about their subject that I couldn't help but become interested as well.

As both a lover of rats and cats, I enjoyed those aspects of this book. Rats appear early on in this story - they tend to cluster around peeps, so the presence of lots of rats, even in areas that have been thoroughly worked on by exterminators, is a good indication of the presence of a peep. Rats can infect people with the parasites, but they don't tend to go out and do that much unless the peep they are bonded to has been taken away. Cats are also a really important aspect of the story, although the extent of their importance won't be clear to most readers until nearly the end of the book. Simplifying things a bit, and without giving any details away, basically, cats save the world.

The relationship between Cal and Lace amused me. Since the book is written from Cal's point of view, readers know about as much as Cal does about Lace's feelings for him, which isn't much. Not that it really matters what Lace feels, since Cal spends most of the book knowing that he can't act on his feelings without infecting Lace. That doesn't stop poor Cal from agonizing over what he's wearing when he meets up with Lace - considering the number of girlfriends he had after he became infected, I found it kind of funny how awkward Cal was with her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I thought that the science bits were really interesting and nicely incorporated. I was a little disappointed that there was so little action - there weren't many chances to see what a carrier like Cal was actually capable of. However, there is apparently another book that comes after this one called The Last Days. When I get a chance, I'll try it out. Eventually, I'd like to read everything Westerfeld's written - he's become one of my new favorite YA authors.

As an added bonus, this book includes an annotated bibliography, listing some books that those who enjoyed Peeps might want to try. Some of those same books are included in my list.

Read-alikes:

• The Story of Rats: Their Impact On Us, and Our Impact On Them (non-fiction book) by S. Anthony Barnett - Those who found the aspects of Peeps involving rats interesting might like this excellent and readable book about rats. The author, who was Emeritus Professor of Zoology in the Australian National University at the time this book was first published, has had a great deal of experience with rats, with his interest in them beginning early in the Second World War. Barnett writes a little about rat/human history (early references to rats in human history, theories about how rats came to populate the world, etc.), rats and public health, rat behavior, rats in research, rat feeding habits, and more.
• I Am Legend (book) by Richard Matheson - A terrible plague of some kind has turned almost all of humanity (and many animals) into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Robert Neville, who is immune to the disease, appears to be the only remaining uninfected human, although he is hopeful that there are others like him out there and that he can find a cure for the disease. Those who'd like another story in which vampires are caused by something that is grounded in real-world science (virus, parasite, whatever) rather than magic might like this book. Similar to Peeps, things are not what they seem, and there is more to the vampire-like creatures than Robert Neville realizes. This book has also been made into a movie featuring Will Smith - the movie is, not unexpectedly, pretty different from the book, although it keeps the basic premise. Personally, I enjoyed the book more.
• The Night Watch (book) by Sergei Lukyanenko - I'll admit that the "Night Watch" aspect was what made me think of this book in connection with Peeps, but they have more in common than a name. In this story set in contemporary Moscow, Anton Gorodetsky, a Night Watch agent, falls in love with Svetlana Nazarova, a troubled young doctor under a Dark Magician's curse. Anton's attention is divided between trying to encourage a young man to join the Light Side, helping Svetlana with her curse, and dealing with his own philosophical pondering about the relationship between the Light and Dark Sides. In Lukyanenko's world, the Light and the Dark have an uneasy truce, in which both sides must be allowed to do as their nature dictates, keeping the world in balance. Those who'd like another story dealing with a secret organization/world might like this book. As with Peeps, the mood of this book is a little lonely - Anton's position as a Night Watch agent keeps him removed from the world known by humans, and even his relationship with Svetlana can't be comfortable and nice forever.
• Neverwhere (book) by Neil Gaiman - Richard Mayhew is any ordinary Londoner with an ordinary life, until he helps out a wounded girl named Door. Door is a resident of London Below, a lost and forgotten world filled with people and places that no one in London Above knows about (or even notices when it's in front of their noses). Richard joins Door, the Marquis of Carabas, and a mysterious woman called Hunter in Door's quest to find out who hired the assassins who murdered her family and want to murder her and why they did so. Those who'd like another book featuring a shadowy other world that exists overlaid on our own world might like this book. As with Peeps, there's a bit of action and romance.
• Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures (non-fiction book) by Carl Zimmer - Those who'd like to find out more about parasites might like this book by science writer Carl Zimmer, which is also mentioned by Westerfeld in his bibliography. This work of popular science non-fiction is very readable, but also very disgusting - those with weak stomachs may want to avoid it. Like Peeps, this book argues that parasites can be either good or bad and are necessary for the balance and health of the environment.
• Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants (non-fiction book) by Robert Sullivan - This book is basically New York City history through the lens of its rats - although Sullivan, a journalist, does write about rats, he doesn't write as specifically about rats as Barnett does in The Story of Rats. Besides writing about history, Sullivan writes about his attempts to observe New York City rats, his discussions with exterminators, and more. If you're wondering where Westerfeld got the bit about there being creatures living under New York City that have never seen human beings, this is the book. Those who'd like to read more about New York City and its rats might like this book (it's also listed in Westerfeld's bibliography).

Specials (book) by Scott Westerfeld

This is the final book in Westerfeld's Uglies Trilogy (or the next-to-last book, if you consider Extras to be part of the series). Tally has been turned into a Special, and readers will probably quickly realize that the changes she has undergone have affected not only her body, but also her mind. Tally is stronger, faster, and more dangerous than any Pretty or Ugly could ever be, and her mind has been changed so that she's quicker to anger and more likely to react with violence. She also can't help but view Pretties and Uglies with disgust - to her, they lack the sharpness and perfection of Specials.

Tally, Shay, and the Cutters from the previous book are all now Specials and are given the task of finding the Smokies and destroying the New Smoke. Smokies have been giving out the cure for brain lesions in amazing amounts, and the Specials are frantic to stop the changes that are threatening to topple society as they know it. Tally and Shay get their chance to stop the Smokies when they free Zane and secretly follow him and his group as try to locate the New Smoke. However, the New Smoke is stronger than anyone in Special Circumstances realizes, and the things Tally and Shay do while trying to find it spiral out of control and threaten to bring harm to the whole world, not just the New Smoke and their own city. In the end, it's up to Tally to try and figure out how to make everything better.

This was a very satisfying ending to the trilogy. Although it took a lot of adjusting to read about how much Tally had changed and how much she was enjoying being a Special, after everything in the previous books had shown how scary they were and how much she feared them, it was still fun reading about Tally's new abilities. Her new strength and speed, plus her heightened aggression, means that there are plenty of opportunities for some great action scenes. The previous books had exciting action scenes, too, but in this particular book Tally barely even needs to worry about getting hurt. She's got a heightened metabolism, specially altered muscles, nanos that kick in and automatically start healing her when she gets hurt (although it might take several hours for things like broken bones to mend), super-tough ceramic bones and teeth, senses heightened to the point where clarity is almost painfully sharp - the list goes on. With all of the cool futuristic technology and body modifications throughout this book and the entire series, it's no surprise that the first book, Uglies, is being made into a movie.

Specials is more than just action scenes and cool futuristic details, however. There are also quite a few thought-provoking moments. For instance, there's the various issues that Tally must deal with in her personal life. As a Special, Tally finds herself unwillingly disgusted by the boys she once loved, Zane and David. That doesn't stop her from wanting to protect Zane, whose motor skills were damaged by events in the previous book, and Tally's protectiveness and left-over love for Zane are part of what prompt her to, once again, act in ways inconsistent with the brain modifications that have been forced upon her. It's a little unbelievable that Tally is the only one in the entire city who is capable to thinking her way out of brain modifications - it's the usual teen fiction cliche of the one girl/boy who can do something amazing that no one else can. However, that thought didn't interfere with the fun I had reading this book.

The other big issues in this book (as well as in the previous books) are the environment and free will. According to this trilogy, the people of our time, called Rusties, nearly destroyed the world in our reliance on oil and the ways we try to change the environment for what we view as our benefit. In Westerfeld's vision of the future, many cities, including Tally's, tightly control their populations and have small government groups that watch over the safety of larger groups of beautiful, useless, idiotic populations of Pretties. Hardly anyone really has free will, and no one really misses it. In Specials, the pills the Smokies hand out give everyone back their ability to think for themselves. In theory, this is a good thing, but only Tally is able to see the problems that arise from too many people doing as they please.

In the earlier books, Westerfeld made it clear that, although the environment is recovering from the damage perpetrated on it by the Rusties, it's still fragile. If the cured people from Specials decide to go back to Rusty ways, the environment won't stand much of a chance. Tally must decide where she will stand in all of this, and what she wants to do - by the end of the book, she's made her choice, and I think it's one that shows some hope for the direction the future will take. Although Westerfeld's future is something of a dystopia, the ending to this trilogy won't necessarily send readers spiraling into a deep depression, something that I appreciate.

Unlike in previous books, where most of Tally's problems were the result of her continued lying, Tally does make an effort in this book not to lie, another thing that I, and probably other readers, appreciate. I did get tired of other things that Tally did in this book, however - for most of the book, she didn't do anything that someone (usually Shay) hadn't already told her to do, making her a bit like a dangerous sheep. She eventually began thinking for herself again, but it took a while. Still, I really enjoyed this book overall, and I hope to get the related book, Extras, from the library soon.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Feed (book) by M. T. Anderson - This chilling young adult science fiction novel takes place in a future where almost everyone has a "feed" implanted directly in their brain, allowing them constant access to the internet (and all the woes that go with it, including brain spam and pop-ups). Titus, the narrator, never thinks to question his world, but then he meets Violet, who has been home schooled and gotten her feed late. Those who'd like to read another science fiction book that's critical of a society that encourages people not to think might like this book. As with Specials, there's interesting technology and a little bit of romance.
• The Matrix (live action movie) - A hacker finds out that the "real" world is only a construct designed to keep people docile, so that they can be used as living batteries by robots - this hacker discovers that he is the only one who can free humanity from these robots and the constructed world. Those who'd like something with lots of action scenes and characters doing amazing and impossible stunts might like this movie. As in Specials, people are trying to break free of restraints that most people don't even realize exist.
• Ghost in the Shell (anime movie) - This movie takes place in a future where just about everyone has some sort of cybernetic implant, if not entirely cyberized bodies. Unfortunately, this leaves people vulnerable to brain-hacking. Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhance cops, is called in to investigate a brain-hacker called The Puppetmaster. The sound effects and look of this movie are a little dated, in my opinion, but it's still an excellent movie (although it may require more than one viewing in order to figure out what's going on), and it's a great place to begin before trying any of the newer incarnations of this franchise. Those who'd like something with futuristic body enhancements, lots of fast-paced action, and a story that encourages viewers to think about the impact of all this futuristic technology might like this movie.
• Blue Bloods (book) by Melissa De La Cruz - Schuyler is treated like an outcast by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. At the age of 15, Schuyler learns that she is a "blue blood," a very special vampire who is descended from a very old line. Unfortunately, lots of blue bloods have been dying, and Schuyler has to find out why before she, too, ends up dead. Those who'd like another book with a "change at a certain age" aspect and a cool secret group might like this book. This is the first book in a series.
• Be More Chill (book) by Ned Vizzini - Jeremy Heere is smart and nerdy, and he doesn't consider himself to be very cool. When the girl he secretly loves is cast opposite him in a school play, he tries to win her by purchasing a "squip." He swallows it, and it embeds itself in his brain, telling him all the cool things to say and do in order to impress the girl. Those who'd like another book focusing on teens and teen emotions, with futuristic technology, might like this book. This book is not for everyone, as it has teen drug use (at one point, Jeremy takes Ecstasy, which messes up his "squip"), sexual themes, and profanity.