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Impostors #1
Impostors
Deception. Risk. Betrayal. Redemption. Master storyteller Scott Westerfeld is at the top of his game, and back to his most famous realm. A New York Times bestseller. Frey and Rafi are inseparable . . . two edges of the same knife. But Frey's very existence is a secret.Frey is Rafi's twin sister-and her body double. Their powerful father has many enemies, and the world has grown dangerous as the old order falls apart. So while Rafi was raised to be the perfect daughter, Frey has been taught to kill. Her only purpose is to protect her sister, to sacrifice herself for Rafi if she must.When her father sends Frey in Rafi's place as collateral in a precarious deal, she becomes the perfect impostor-as poised and charming as her sister. But Col, the son of a rival leader, is getting close enough to spot the killer inside her. As the deal starts to crumble, Frey must decide if she can trust him with the truth . . . and if she can risk becoming her own person.With Impostors, master storyteller Scott Westerfeld returns with a new series set in the world of his mega-bestselling Uglies .
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2018
817 people are currently reading
25232 people want to read
About the author
Scott Westerfeld
89 books21.3k followersScott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His current series, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies.
The next book in that series, MIRROR'S EDGE, comes out April 6, 2021.
The next book in that series, MIRROR'S EDGE, comes out April 6, 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,601 reviews
February 5, 2021
the ‘uglies’ series was one of my all time favourites as a teen. so what a treat its been get the chance to re-enter that world 10 years later in a brand new story.
scanning the reviews for this, there has been one word that keeps popping up and that is ‘nonstop.’ i cant think of a better word to describe this book. this hits the ground running from the very first chapter and honestly doesnt slow down. its action packed, full of daring rebellion and planning. the fact that there was always something going on, in addition to the very simplistic and unhindered writing, makes this a story that is difficult to put down. and dont even get me started on that ending - holy cow. i cant wait to see what happens in the next book! the plot development and pacing of this was just so good!
however, i think the one thing i was really hoping to get from this, which may have led to too high of expectations, was more interaction with the world. as i said, i loved the ‘uglies’ series, so i have been beyond excited to relive that experience, in a way. but there honestly wasnt much world building. if anything, this story was extremely plot driven (hence calling it nonstop), and other than a few subtle mentions here and there, there wasnt really anything that connected this with the ‘uglies’ series. so that aspect was a miss for me.
but overall, this was a fast and easy-going read. it definitely delivers a couple hours worth of active entertainment and a very promising hope for the series to come!
↠ 3.5 stars
scanning the reviews for this, there has been one word that keeps popping up and that is ‘nonstop.’ i cant think of a better word to describe this book. this hits the ground running from the very first chapter and honestly doesnt slow down. its action packed, full of daring rebellion and planning. the fact that there was always something going on, in addition to the very simplistic and unhindered writing, makes this a story that is difficult to put down. and dont even get me started on that ending - holy cow. i cant wait to see what happens in the next book! the plot development and pacing of this was just so good!
however, i think the one thing i was really hoping to get from this, which may have led to too high of expectations, was more interaction with the world. as i said, i loved the ‘uglies’ series, so i have been beyond excited to relive that experience, in a way. but there honestly wasnt much world building. if anything, this story was extremely plot driven (hence calling it nonstop), and other than a few subtle mentions here and there, there wasnt really anything that connected this with the ‘uglies’ series. so that aspect was a miss for me.
but overall, this was a fast and easy-going read. it definitely delivers a couple hours worth of active entertainment and a very promising hope for the series to come!
↠ 3.5 stars
December 27, 2025
Rafi and Frey are twins - but Rafi is the only "real" one.
"Freedom's easy to lose and hard to get back."
Despite being genetically identical, Rafi was born first and their father decided he only wanted one daughter.
So Rafi became that, and Frey was trained as a body-double. It's all those two girls have ever known and...for the most part...they are okay with it.
But then Rafi realizes that she will have to take over Frey's spot - at least temporarily - to keep her sister safe.
"I wonder if she ever wants to trade lives with me, if only for the chance to punch something."
But once let out, Frey isn't so sure she would ever be satisfied with going back into the shadows.
Overall, this was a rather good book and I'm happy to have jumped back into the Pretties world.
"She squeezes my hand, and I feel that certainty I always had as a littlie. That I'm more than expendable. More than a body double."
For those unfamiliar, the Pretties is a four-book series covering the toppling of the oppressive government who lured their citizens with a beautifying surgery that conveniently included brain lesions designed to make the population more manageable.
Tally Youngblood overthrows the government and brings about a whole new era.
Imposters takes place several years after the fact as the super advanced governments begin rebuilding and new people come into power.
Rather good book... nice to jump back into this world
"I thought when he learned my secret, he would understand the ally I could be. But instead, he doesn't even know who I am."
I am a huge fan of the Pretties series and I even loved the companion novel - Extras.
So, when Imposters was set to come out, you bet you back page that I was going to get a copy.
And it was good. I liked it.
Did it have the same pizzazz as Pretties? No.
If I'm going to be completely honest, I really wanted the book to delve more into the world.
Westerfeld made such a vibrant world with all of the bodymods, the culture and more - it was a bit of a letdown to have such a narrow focus (most of the book was set within a building) and for such a heavy emphasis on politics.
I wanted to have action, adventure and mayhem...but what we got was a wishy-washy teen wondering if a life of imprisonment was enough to be mad at daddy for.
It was well written, just didn't wow me like I had hoped.
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November 28, 2019
WrensReads Review:
HERE IT IS I AM SO HAPPY I CAN'T AHHHH MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE EVER!
Also, I will say when I saw the trailer I thought it was becoming a movie franchise or something... BUT THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER. SO MANY STORIES TO BE TOLD IN THIS WORLD I AM SO BEYOND EXCITED!
WrensReads | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram
HERE IT IS I AM SO HAPPY I CAN'T AHHHH MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE EVER!
Also, I will say when I saw the trailer I thought it was becoming a movie franchise or something... BUT THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER. SO MANY STORIES TO BE TOLD IN THIS WORLD I AM SO BEYOND EXCITED!
WrensReads | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram
February 28, 2020
So steadfast!
Q:
Like Beauty and the Beast had daughters, and raised them in the wild. (c)
Q:
Sniper bait in the snow. (c)
Q:
Like Beauty and the Beast had daughters, and raised them in the wild. (c)
Q:
Sniper bait in the snow. (c)
April 3, 2020
Once again, Scott Westerfeld does not disappoint! This is another fantastic YA science fiction - set in the Uglies universe - there are mentions of previous characters but you definitely can be a new reader to this world.
I enjoyed the many twists of this book. By the conclusion I was second guessing to figure out if I had the characters right myself! I definitely recommend this book! :)
I enjoyed the many twists of this book. By the conclusion I was second guessing to figure out if I had the characters right myself! I definitely recommend this book! :)
Want to read
April 15, 2018UPDATE: THE BLURB IS OUT AND MY GAWDDDDDD WHY IS SEPTEMBER SO FAR AWAY?!?!
OMFG! I remember LOVING the Uglies series. It was such a unique and creepy concept. I'm excited, I'm excited, I'm excited.
OMFG! I remember LOVING the Uglies series. It was such a unique and creepy concept. I'm excited, I'm excited, I'm excited.
September 10, 2018
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
4.5*
Confession time! I didn't love the Uglies series . I just didn't. I liked the first book, but by the end? I legit one-starred the 4th book, honestly just out of severe boredom. So to say I was skeptical of Impostors is putting it mildly. It was mostly curiousity that led me to pick up the copy that showed up on my doorstep. And the verdict? Holy crap, I am so glad that I am a curious sort!
I devoured this book. I liked the characters, the plot, the setting... I truly can't think of anything that I didn't like, come to think of it. My only complaint in the whole thing was that Mr. Westerfeld, sir, I need a map because I cannot figure out where all these towns are. I beg of you, map.
Erm anyway. The action started and never stopped. There were little throwbacks to the first book, but it wasn't overwhelming at all- I needn't have remembered much (which is good since I read it five years ago) and if you really wanted, could probably read this on its own without the first four. Because it's set, appropriately, years later, in a very different sort of world.
I basically could not stop reading, it sucked me in from the very start. A few extra tidbits that I loved:
•Short chapters! This is a personal thing, but goodness I love a short chapter- plus it makes for very easy "one more chapter"-ing late into the night.
•All the characters, not just Frey, were great. Even some of the more minor characters were awesome- and a few were perfect for a couple of lighter moments that were great in the midst of a pretty dark situation.
•Frey learned a lot about herself during the book, and I enjoyed her development.
•The stakes always seemed high, danger was always around the corner.
Bottom Line: Is book 6 out yet? Because I am totally in, and cannot wait to see what else this world and these characters have in store for them! And also, excited about those maps ;)
4.5*
Confession time! I didn't love the Uglies series . I just didn't. I liked the first book, but by the end? I legit one-starred the 4th book, honestly just out of severe boredom. So to say I was skeptical of Impostors is putting it mildly. It was mostly curiousity that led me to pick up the copy that showed up on my doorstep. And the verdict? Holy crap, I am so glad that I am a curious sort!
I devoured this book. I liked the characters, the plot, the setting... I truly can't think of anything that I didn't like, come to think of it. My only complaint in the whole thing was that Mr. Westerfeld, sir, I need a map because I cannot figure out where all these towns are. I beg of you, map.
Erm anyway. The action started and never stopped. There were little throwbacks to the first book, but it wasn't overwhelming at all- I needn't have remembered much (which is good since I read it five years ago) and if you really wanted, could probably read this on its own without the first four. Because it's set, appropriately, years later, in a very different sort of world.
I basically could not stop reading, it sucked me in from the very start. A few extra tidbits that I loved:
•Short chapters! This is a personal thing, but goodness I love a short chapter- plus it makes for very easy "one more chapter"-ing late into the night.
•All the characters, not just Frey, were great. Even some of the more minor characters were awesome- and a few were perfect for a couple of lighter moments that were great in the midst of a pretty dark situation.
•Frey learned a lot about herself during the book, and I enjoyed her development.
•The stakes always seemed high, danger was always around the corner.
Bottom Line: Is book 6 out yet? Because I am totally in, and cannot wait to see what else this world and these characters have in store for them! And also, excited about those maps ;)
September 19, 2018
3.5 stars
This book was a fast-paced, page turner of a read from the start all the way through to the finish.
Personally, I feel that this book may have received a higher rating from me if I would have reread the whole "Uglies" series prior to reading this new installment. I think it may have changed my overall reading experience to refresh myself of the original story, as well as remind myself of what exactly is different within the Ugly universe.
With that being said though, it isn't necessary or mandatory to read the original trilogy prior to picking this novel up. Yes, it may aid in the understanding of the world building, but the main characters in this novel are different than the main characters in the earlier series.
I really liked the overall premise and plot regarding this storyline. I never have thought of a "body double" in this particular circumstance and it was a very unique idea, especially due to the political background behind the reasoning.
As for the relationship component of this novel, I don't want to give too much away but I will say that it was a little too 'insta-love' for me. I actually do enjoy 'insta-love' to some degree but I found that the relationship developed quite quickly and that there should have been more of a hesitancy from the male in this relationship. I mean, this girl has lied and has essentially ruined your family, but go ahead, don't ask questions...
My one (extremely minor) pet peeve of this novel was certain terminology that was used as an example of the language within this particular universe. Again, it's very minor and was not overly used but I loathed every time I saw a phrase similar to "brain-missing" or "dizzy-making". I understand, it's part of these characters' language but I am not a fan.
Lastly, let me give some major applause for that ending! The ending may have been my favourite part of the whole novel (I'm not throwing shade, I swear it was just that good). It left off with such a unique cliffhanger that I can only wonder how the characters will get out of the predicament that they are facing. Due to that ending, I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series when it comes out. I need to know what happens next!
***Thank you to Scholastic Canada for sending me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review***
This book was a fast-paced, page turner of a read from the start all the way through to the finish.
Personally, I feel that this book may have received a higher rating from me if I would have reread the whole "Uglies" series prior to reading this new installment. I think it may have changed my overall reading experience to refresh myself of the original story, as well as remind myself of what exactly is different within the Ugly universe.
With that being said though, it isn't necessary or mandatory to read the original trilogy prior to picking this novel up. Yes, it may aid in the understanding of the world building, but the main characters in this novel are different than the main characters in the earlier series.
I really liked the overall premise and plot regarding this storyline. I never have thought of a "body double" in this particular circumstance and it was a very unique idea, especially due to the political background behind the reasoning.
As for the relationship component of this novel, I don't want to give too much away but I will say that it was a little too 'insta-love' for me. I actually do enjoy 'insta-love' to some degree but I found that the relationship developed quite quickly and that there should have been more of a hesitancy from the male in this relationship. I mean, this girl has lied and has essentially ruined your family, but go ahead, don't ask questions...
My one (extremely minor) pet peeve of this novel was certain terminology that was used as an example of the language within this particular universe. Again, it's very minor and was not overly used but I loathed every time I saw a phrase similar to "brain-missing" or "dizzy-making". I understand, it's part of these characters' language but I am not a fan.
Lastly, let me give some major applause for that ending! The ending may have been my favourite part of the whole novel (I'm not throwing shade, I swear it was just that good). It left off with such a unique cliffhanger that I can only wonder how the characters will get out of the predicament that they are facing. Due to that ending, I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series when it comes out. I need to know what happens next!
***Thank you to Scholastic Canada for sending me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review***
November 7, 2018
5 Words: Family, power, control, betrayal, revenge.
Book Review: Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
When I heard about this book I was so excited - I loved the Uglies books growing up. I loved the twisted world, the acerbic take-down of societal conceptions of beauty. And now I'm back in the same world watching a similar take-down of the people in power. and it's excellent.
I loved the changes in the characters, how the Frey from the first page isn't the Frey from the last page, how the truth about Rafia is slowly revealed. I loved that there was so little trust and so much hope, so much pretending.
There is a bit of romance in the story, but it's not front and centre. To be honest I could very easily ignore it. It felt a bit convenient, and with the relationship between the particular characters it often felt more like an emotional outlet and a bit of mutual attraction than anything serious.
The ending is spectacular. This book is a bit of a thrill to read, packed with action and battle scenes, the hard reality of Frey's life is there on the page and explored in her every action. But that ending left me desperate for more.
Impostors may be the fifth book in the Uglies world, but you don't need to have read any of the other books first as this is set in a future timeline and generally deals with different characters and cities.
Book Review: Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
When I heard about this book I was so excited - I loved the Uglies books growing up. I loved the twisted world, the acerbic take-down of societal conceptions of beauty. And now I'm back in the same world watching a similar take-down of the people in power. and it's excellent.
I loved the changes in the characters, how the Frey from the first page isn't the Frey from the last page, how the truth about Rafia is slowly revealed. I loved that there was so little trust and so much hope, so much pretending.
There is a bit of romance in the story, but it's not front and centre. To be honest I could very easily ignore it. It felt a bit convenient, and with the relationship between the particular characters it often felt more like an emotional outlet and a bit of mutual attraction than anything serious.
The ending is spectacular. This book is a bit of a thrill to read, packed with action and battle scenes, the hard reality of Frey's life is there on the page and explored in her every action. But that ending left me desperate for more.
Impostors may be the fifth book in the Uglies world, but you don't need to have read any of the other books first as this is set in a future timeline and generally deals with different characters and cities.
January 22, 2019
Holy crap! This man is devious. Set in the world of the Uglies, a super hit series for Scott Westerfield, Impostors starts with wild action and suspense that is non-stop all the way through to the end.
There isn't much world building in this Dystopian spin off. Instead, it relies on the developing plot to drop hints about the setting. The time is a decade or more in the future, in a very different sort of world brought about by the fall of the Pretties' empire. I think anyone could easily read this without having read the previous series.
Twin sisters, one to steal the limelight, one to keep her safe. Frey is the secret twin sister and body double to Rafia, who is the heir to the first family in charge of the city Shreve. Frey's father is a power hungry, controlling tyrant. When he sends Frey as disposable collateral for a shady deal with another city, he doesn't imagine the havoc he's unleashed when Frey finds herself relatively free for the first time in her life. Teaming up with rival city's heir, Col, they make a mad dash for freedom with revenge burning in their hearts.
I loved watching Frey come out of her shell. It was subtle but powerful. I thought all the side characters were also very well developed. They were unique and served a distinct purpose.
I very much enjoyed this book.
A huge thank you to Elf Hazmerso undercover avenger for this and other extremely generous gifts.
There isn't much world building in this Dystopian spin off. Instead, it relies on the developing plot to drop hints about the setting. The time is a decade or more in the future, in a very different sort of world brought about by the fall of the Pretties' empire. I think anyone could easily read this without having read the previous series.
Twin sisters, one to steal the limelight, one to keep her safe. Frey is the secret twin sister and body double to Rafia, who is the heir to the first family in charge of the city Shreve. Frey's father is a power hungry, controlling tyrant. When he sends Frey as disposable collateral for a shady deal with another city, he doesn't imagine the havoc he's unleashed when Frey finds herself relatively free for the first time in her life. Teaming up with rival city's heir, Col, they make a mad dash for freedom with revenge burning in their hearts.
"Frey. Your whole life, you had to hide - private suites, secret compartments, hidden hallways, small spaces. But that doesn't mean you're small."
"What am I then?"
"Angry, unyielding, fierce." He narrows his eyes, like he's looking for the truth of me. "Strange and dangerous."
I loved watching Frey come out of her shell. It was subtle but powerful. I thought all the side characters were also very well developed. They were unique and served a distinct purpose.
I very much enjoyed this book.
A huge thank you to Elf Hazmerso undercover avenger for this and other extremely generous gifts.
November 20, 2019
As an old Uglies fan, Impostors was a nice and welcomed surprised. I missed the quick pace, the action packed plot and the twists, along with a smooth character development. And this book did not disappoint in these aspects. However, I do have to admit that I don't remember a lot from the Uglies plot other than some names and the basics. And, fortunately, there weren't many refrences, but I fear that there might be a big twist coming up where the four previous book might come in handy. So, if you haven't read the books, proceed while being aware that there might be low key hints from the Uglies. Other than that, there were some small parts that bothered me. Just like the previous series, the male character was there to keep the story moving. The romance was too sudden and could have been a better friendship than a romance.
But, overall, it was a nice book.
But, overall, it was a nice book.
March 22, 2022
I preordered this book in APRIL. That's how excited I was. Unfortunately, when I got it, I was really worried about not liking it, since I loved the original Uglies series so much, but THIS DIDN'T DISAPPOINT, THANK YOU SCOTT WESTERFELD. I'm gonna get kinda fangirl-y in this review, and I haven't reviewed a book thoroughly in a while.
First off, I loved the characters. It took a little longer to get used to them, especially since they weren't Tally and co, but I still eventually fell in love with them. They have forever imprinted themselves on me. Frey was such a great main character, and she's so cool, but it's not like, "I'm a badass female that can kill and stuff, so I don't have any feelings because that's what makes me a strong female lead." She was REAL, and had feelings. She didn't always know what to do, and she wasn't perfect, but it's not like she was imperfect in a perfect way, you feel me? I feel like in YA books, characters started to become imperfect, but then there started to be a format for the imperfect main character, but Frey wasn't that. I also reallllllyyyyyy liked Rafi and I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER. She seems really 2D at first, but her character gets built really well even though she wasn't even focused on that much. Col and his brother Teo were great. I feel like they weren't just there to play a role for the book, and Teo was honestly so realistic for his age. Whenever authors add a younger sibling, I feel like they're portrayed as so young and naive, and while they may be to a certain extent, these 11 and 12 year olds feel like 7 or 8 years old. (sorry if my grammar was incorrect, i can't figure out a way to word it) Of course, this isn't to discredit Col. He didn't fall under this certain stereotype that I can't say because of spoilers, but I will say he didn't change as much as some of the other characters.
The plot was insane. I read this book in one sitting, and I haven't done that in the longest time. While, I have been getting better at predicting the plot (which makes books worse for me sometimes), this book took so many twists and turns that I just forgot about trying to feel the book out, and I just enjoyed it. I can't tell you how often I read the story, but I never get fully immersed in the story, because it doesn't have that extra push, and I just end up reading it to eventually review it. While I haven't been reading or reviewing as much as before, I have noticed that as I review more, the way I read changes. It's not always a bad change, but it takes more for a book to just get me to enjoy it.
The writing style was honestly just fine, but I feel like I don't read books for their writing style, but it's often a reason I don't read books. I find that I don't really enjoy a certain writing style a lot, so if I don't hate it, I'm probably going to continue reading that book. An important part of books is "showing, not telling", because that definitely puts you in the scene so much better, as if you're with the characters, or viewing everything from a bird's eye view, and Scott Westerfeld definitely did that. I felt like the descriptions weren't so heavy that I had to double check it, which is not ideal for me, but I could read and get a full picture of what was going on the first time reading it. ]
If you haven't read the Uglies series, you do not have to read it to read the "follow-up" series. There are some parts that allude to the first series (although they're technically the same series), and you might understand it if you've read them, you can still figure out what's going on. If you've read Uglies, and loved it, I highly recommend this book, but even if you didn't like it this much, I still think you should try it, because it doesn't rely heavily on the original series, and it's not dystopian, if you've grown tired of that.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, there was almost nothing that I could say wasn't good, which I try to do, but I legitimately couldn't find or think of anything that ticked me off. I'm so glad I decided to push aside my fear and just read this book, because it just made me happy, and I felt some semblance of relaxation from my busy life and I could escape reality. And in the end, isn't that why we all read books?
2022 Reread!!
I have a lot of thoughts. I was almost scared to reread this book, since it has been awhile since I first read it, and not only have several years passed, I've also changed and grown a lot. Idk, it's weird to not really read for three years and then return to reading. I will say though, that reading my review was almost as interesting as rereading the book. I really enjoyed seeing what past me had to say about the book, and seeing what current me agrees with and disagrees with. For me, I'd knock down the rating to a 4.5 star, but rounded up to a 5 star. I still really enjoyed it, which I was happy about, and somewhat relieved. I think when I was younger, not only was I less critical of what I read, I was also kind of scared of not liking a book by my favorite author. I tried to put that all behind me this time as I read it.
Surprisingly enough, I really did not remember any major plot points from the book, which was refreshing, because it was like I was encountering all the twists and turns for the first time, which made it just as fun. But that also means that I have awful memory or something, because I thought I would have remembered a bit more.
Starting off with some things I didn't like. Mentions of Tally Youngblood seemed to be forced a little bit too much for my taste, especially at the beginning of the book. While I do enjoy an easter egg or two, I think it would've been more effective if they were sparse and more like hints, rather than in your face. And while it was somewhat of a negative for me, I will also say that the idea of reading about Tally again is exciting, because I grew up with her in my favorite book series of all time. I wish the tease was a little more subtle, but it makes me more excited for the future books in this series.
The romance was not my favorite, and I am coming to the conclusion that I just really like a good slow-burn and not much else. I think it would've been so much more satisfying to read a more drawn out enemies-to-lovers, but instead, it happened all kind of quickly, leaving me wondering how they even fell in love in the first place. Some more tension and witty banter would have been fun. It's a little cheesy, but nothing that I couldn't stand, and I also figured that I'm starting to grow out of YA's intended age range, so I just had fun with it.
Some things I absolutely LOVED:
I loved the pacing of the story. I seem to enjoy fast paced books, and this book definitely delivers in that aspect. The plot picks up really quickly, and from then on, it twists and turns, and like I said earlier, I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen next. Of course, some parts were somewhat predictable, but it's not like everything can be a major twist, or else they wouldn't even have any actual impact.
Same as last time, I really enjoyed the characters, and this time I found a lot more to enjoy in Frey and Rafi together, and I was able to pick up on some more finer details and nuances about the twins that really brings this book to the next level for me. It's a bit spoiler-y so I won't say too much, but I was surprised how much more complex they were than I remembered. On the other hand, I like Col less than before, and maybe this has more to do with how I feel about the romance, than him as a character. The side characters were good. They were interesting, and fulfilled their role in the book. Nothing too exciting, but I appreciated their presence.
Another thing that I found myself enjoying more than before was the politics of it all. There were times that Frey feels stuck between a rock and a hard place, because she doesn't know who to trust, doesn't know which step to take, doesn't know which direction to go, and I found myself loving the tangled web that was drawn up. It wasn't the most complex ever, but I enjoyed it as it is. I think it was a good balance of delicate political tension, and action packed fighting. It made me feel a good type of frustrated.
The ending was the right mix of resolution and cliff hanger for the second book. I was at the edge of my seat, turning my page, both excited and scared to see how it all turned out. The last chapter was done really really well, at least for my tastes.
So I'm really happy I've returned to reading regularly for fun and to one of my favorite authors. I already have the second book in possession, and I'm very excited to see where the story leads Rafi and Frey. And if you've read all of this... you deserve a gold medal or something because I wrote so much more than I expected to.
First off, I loved the characters. It took a little longer to get used to them, especially since they weren't Tally and co, but I still eventually fell in love with them. They have forever imprinted themselves on me. Frey was such a great main character, and she's so cool, but it's not like, "I'm a badass female that can kill and stuff, so I don't have any feelings because that's what makes me a strong female lead." She was REAL, and had feelings. She didn't always know what to do, and she wasn't perfect, but it's not like she was imperfect in a perfect way, you feel me? I feel like in YA books, characters started to become imperfect, but then there started to be a format for the imperfect main character, but Frey wasn't that. I also reallllllyyyyyy liked Rafi and I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER. She seems really 2D at first, but her character gets built really well even though she wasn't even focused on that much. Col and his brother Teo were great. I feel like they weren't just there to play a role for the book, and Teo was honestly so realistic for his age. Whenever authors add a younger sibling, I feel like they're portrayed as so young and naive, and while they may be to a certain extent, these 11 and 12 year olds feel like 7 or 8 years old. (sorry if my grammar was incorrect, i can't figure out a way to word it) Of course, this isn't to discredit Col. He didn't fall under this certain stereotype that I can't say because of spoilers, but I will say he didn't change as much as some of the other characters.
The plot was insane. I read this book in one sitting, and I haven't done that in the longest time. While, I have been getting better at predicting the plot (which makes books worse for me sometimes), this book took so many twists and turns that I just forgot about trying to feel the book out, and I just enjoyed it. I can't tell you how often I read the story, but I never get fully immersed in the story, because it doesn't have that extra push, and I just end up reading it to eventually review it. While I haven't been reading or reviewing as much as before, I have noticed that as I review more, the way I read changes. It's not always a bad change, but it takes more for a book to just get me to enjoy it.
The writing style was honestly just fine, but I feel like I don't read books for their writing style, but it's often a reason I don't read books. I find that I don't really enjoy a certain writing style a lot, so if I don't hate it, I'm probably going to continue reading that book. An important part of books is "showing, not telling", because that definitely puts you in the scene so much better, as if you're with the characters, or viewing everything from a bird's eye view, and Scott Westerfeld definitely did that. I felt like the descriptions weren't so heavy that I had to double check it, which is not ideal for me, but I could read and get a full picture of what was going on the first time reading it. ]
If you haven't read the Uglies series, you do not have to read it to read the "follow-up" series. There are some parts that allude to the first series (although they're technically the same series), and you might understand it if you've read them, you can still figure out what's going on. If you've read Uglies, and loved it, I highly recommend this book, but even if you didn't like it this much, I still think you should try it, because it doesn't rely heavily on the original series, and it's not dystopian, if you've grown tired of that.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, there was almost nothing that I could say wasn't good, which I try to do, but I legitimately couldn't find or think of anything that ticked me off. I'm so glad I decided to push aside my fear and just read this book, because it just made me happy, and I felt some semblance of relaxation from my busy life and I could escape reality. And in the end, isn't that why we all read books?
2022 Reread!!
I have a lot of thoughts. I was almost scared to reread this book, since it has been awhile since I first read it, and not only have several years passed, I've also changed and grown a lot. Idk, it's weird to not really read for three years and then return to reading. I will say though, that reading my review was almost as interesting as rereading the book. I really enjoyed seeing what past me had to say about the book, and seeing what current me agrees with and disagrees with. For me, I'd knock down the rating to a 4.5 star, but rounded up to a 5 star. I still really enjoyed it, which I was happy about, and somewhat relieved. I think when I was younger, not only was I less critical of what I read, I was also kind of scared of not liking a book by my favorite author. I tried to put that all behind me this time as I read it.
Surprisingly enough, I really did not remember any major plot points from the book, which was refreshing, because it was like I was encountering all the twists and turns for the first time, which made it just as fun. But that also means that I have awful memory or something, because I thought I would have remembered a bit more.
Starting off with some things I didn't like. Mentions of Tally Youngblood seemed to be forced a little bit too much for my taste, especially at the beginning of the book. While I do enjoy an easter egg or two, I think it would've been more effective if they were sparse and more like hints, rather than in your face. And while it was somewhat of a negative for me, I will also say that the idea of reading about Tally again is exciting, because I grew up with her in my favorite book series of all time. I wish the tease was a little more subtle, but it makes me more excited for the future books in this series.
The romance was not my favorite, and I am coming to the conclusion that I just really like a good slow-burn and not much else. I think it would've been so much more satisfying to read a more drawn out enemies-to-lovers, but instead, it happened all kind of quickly, leaving me wondering how they even fell in love in the first place. Some more tension and witty banter would have been fun. It's a little cheesy, but nothing that I couldn't stand, and I also figured that I'm starting to grow out of YA's intended age range, so I just had fun with it.
Some things I absolutely LOVED:
I loved the pacing of the story. I seem to enjoy fast paced books, and this book definitely delivers in that aspect. The plot picks up really quickly, and from then on, it twists and turns, and like I said earlier, I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen next. Of course, some parts were somewhat predictable, but it's not like everything can be a major twist, or else they wouldn't even have any actual impact.
Same as last time, I really enjoyed the characters, and this time I found a lot more to enjoy in Frey and Rafi together, and I was able to pick up on some more finer details and nuances about the twins that really brings this book to the next level for me. It's a bit spoiler-y so I won't say too much, but I was surprised how much more complex they were than I remembered. On the other hand, I like Col less than before, and maybe this has more to do with how I feel about the romance, than him as a character. The side characters were good. They were interesting, and fulfilled their role in the book. Nothing too exciting, but I appreciated their presence.
Another thing that I found myself enjoying more than before was the politics of it all. There were times that Frey feels stuck between a rock and a hard place, because she doesn't know who to trust, doesn't know which step to take, doesn't know which direction to go, and I found myself loving the tangled web that was drawn up. It wasn't the most complex ever, but I enjoyed it as it is. I think it was a good balance of delicate political tension, and action packed fighting. It made me feel a good type of frustrated.
The ending was the right mix of resolution and cliff hanger for the second book. I was at the edge of my seat, turning my page, both excited and scared to see how it all turned out. The last chapter was done really really well, at least for my tastes.
So I'm really happy I've returned to reading regularly for fun and to one of my favorite authors. I already have the second book in possession, and I'm very excited to see where the story leads Rafi and Frey. And if you've read all of this... you deserve a gold medal or something because I wrote so much more than I expected to.
October 23, 2018
You can also find my review here:https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....
Impostors is the first book in a new spin off series set in the same world as the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. This book follows Frey, the secret twin sister and body double to Rafia, who is the heir to the first family in charge of the city Shreve. Frey’s father send a her instead of Rafia as a hostage to a rival city as the two cities negotiate a trade deal. Frey continues to impersonate Rafia, but as she gets closer to the rival city’s first son, Col, she fears he might begin to see her for who she truly is.
The plot takes off pretty quickly and remains at a captivating pace through the entire book. There is a lot of action, a romance and some political battles. I found this book to be similar to Uglies, but much more captivating. I only read about half of the first book in that series because I found it moved very slowly. Luckily I think this book was much better.
I really liked Frey as a character. She is strong and not without her issues, as she is unloved by her father. She has a loyalty to her sister and fights for what is right. There’s a bit of romance between her and Col, but it isn’t really a focus of the novel. If you like romance heavy books, then this might not be for you. But if you prefer that a romance doesn’t overshadow the plot, then go ahead and pick this one up.
I will warn you that the way this book ends kind of feels like a cliffhanger. Things are not completely finished in the book. Personally I don’t mind cliffhangers, but I know a lot of people do. Overall I liked this one a lot. The characters were interesting and the plot was fast-paced. It’s a good, quick read set in a futuristic world.
August 22, 2021
It had been a long time since I read the Uglies series and I needed some fiction with a little bit of romance and Impostors has just what I wanted.
I loved the Uglies novels and I still remember some of the interesting aspects of that world. In Impostors, the story is further in the future but as interesting as the previous books by Scott Westerfeld. I know many people have said this before, but I cannot help saying it again: Scott Westerfeld does not disappoint!
I strongly recommend the Impostors series to fans of Uglies and if you haven't read any of them and are in the mood for some very good world-building, don't wait any longer.
Rumour has it that Netflix is doing an adaptation of Uglies. I just hope it's as good as the novel.
www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.com
I loved the Uglies novels and I still remember some of the interesting aspects of that world. In Impostors, the story is further in the future but as interesting as the previous books by Scott Westerfeld. I know many people have said this before, but I cannot help saying it again: Scott Westerfeld does not disappoint!
I strongly recommend the Impostors series to fans of Uglies and if you haven't read any of them and are in the mood for some very good world-building, don't wait any longer.
Rumour has it that Netflix is doing an adaptation of Uglies. I just hope it's as good as the novel.
www.theleisurediaries.blogspot.com
October 5, 2018
3.5 stars
I admit to being a tiny bit sceptical before reading this, as I didn't love The Darkest Legacy, another book returning to a series and set 10 years later, but Impostors managed to do this successfully.
Part of that success lies in the fact that instead of returning to characters introduced in the previous books, it begins the start of a whole new story with all new characters. Oh sure there are a few plot holes, and the characters are pretty standard, but it is also a fast paced and engaging read. If you liked the previous books set in the Uglies world, you should be satisfied with this. I'm in for the next book.
I admit to being a tiny bit sceptical before reading this, as I didn't love The Darkest Legacy, another book returning to a series and set 10 years later, but Impostors managed to do this successfully.
Part of that success lies in the fact that instead of returning to characters introduced in the previous books, it begins the start of a whole new story with all new characters. Oh sure there are a few plot holes, and the characters are pretty standard, but it is also a fast paced and engaging read. If you liked the previous books set in the Uglies world, you should be satisfied with this. I'm in for the next book.
September 17, 2018
**NOTE: Don't start with this book if you haven't read this series yet. I recommend reading the original trilogy, since there are some references to the original books and it does take place after SPECIALS.**
Review is up on my blog now linked here!
https://metalphantasmreads.wordpress....
But this was super disappointing for a new series installment! The action was too "stop and go" for me while never feeling intense or that there were any high stakes or the risk of death. Frey is a boring person, Col is one of the worst and bland male characters ever (the author could've done way better frankly) and the whole plan for another rebellion doesn't really even happen! It's one long and boring set up book :(
Review is up on my blog now linked here!
https://metalphantasmreads.wordpress....
But this was super disappointing for a new series installment! The action was too "stop and go" for me while never feeling intense or that there were any high stakes or the risk of death. Frey is a boring person, Col is one of the worst and bland male characters ever (the author could've done way better frankly) and the whole plan for another rebellion doesn't really even happen! It's one long and boring set up book :(
October 23, 2018
Okay so after listening to this book, I just realized that this is a spin off series from the uglies. Which is a series I just started.. so this is awkward.
Impostors was still an enjoyable book. In it, you will meet Frey and you get to know about her secret life. She's a twin but the one that stays in the shadows mostly. She knows how to kill while Rafia, is the heir to the family. Seems like a pretty crappy deal if you ask me. For some really stupid reason, their dad sends Frey to a rival city where she is to be a hostage.
She's pretending to be Rafia in this little hostage scenario which kind of ends up being bittersweet. Mostly because of Col, who she ends up getting kind of close to. Close enough where she starts to freak out about him finding out her truth.
I loved Frey so freaking much. I hated how she wasn't really loved by her father because of Rafia and everything. Then there's her whole loyalty to her sister, which sometimes rubbed me the wrong way. Frey just deserved better in my eyes and that's all I really wanted for her!
Overall, this book was pretty interesting and it's made me want to dive back into the uglies series. I can't wait for the second book of this series to come out because that little cliffhanger annoyed me. I need more!
Impostors was still an enjoyable book. In it, you will meet Frey and you get to know about her secret life. She's a twin but the one that stays in the shadows mostly. She knows how to kill while Rafia, is the heir to the family. Seems like a pretty crappy deal if you ask me. For some really stupid reason, their dad sends Frey to a rival city where she is to be a hostage.
She's pretending to be Rafia in this little hostage scenario which kind of ends up being bittersweet. Mostly because of Col, who she ends up getting kind of close to. Close enough where she starts to freak out about him finding out her truth.
I loved Frey so freaking much. I hated how she wasn't really loved by her father because of Rafia and everything. Then there's her whole loyalty to her sister, which sometimes rubbed me the wrong way. Frey just deserved better in my eyes and that's all I really wanted for her!
Overall, this book was pretty interesting and it's made me want to dive back into the uglies series. I can't wait for the second book of this series to come out because that little cliffhanger annoyed me. I need more!
October 12, 2018
3.5/5
For all you people in the back, can I get an INSTA-LOVE?
Okay enough shenanigans the book was super good and I loved being back in the uglies world. I didn’t know how much I missed the phrase ‘crash bracelets’ until I read this. It was super instalovey but hey UGLIES. Also them Tally references ooooooft. Not to toot my own horn but I finished this in 3 hours, I am a living legend. It was almost too fast paced in some aspects but hey she’ll be right.
“Crash bracelets”.
For all you people in the back, can I get an INSTA-LOVE?
Okay enough shenanigans the book was super good and I loved being back in the uglies world. I didn’t know how much I missed the phrase ‘crash bracelets’ until I read this. It was super instalovey but hey UGLIES. Also them Tally references ooooooft. Not to toot my own horn but I finished this in 3 hours, I am a living legend. It was almost too fast paced in some aspects but hey she’ll be right.
“Crash bracelets”.
October 8, 2018
It feels good to get back into the Uglies world. I love the Uglies series so, so much. Impostors was non-stop action, fast-paced, the kind of book you devour very quickly. I really liked the concept and the characters, but I wish it kind of stopped for a little while to explore the rules of this world, how it changed after the Uglies series, and so on. I feel like it didn't stop long enough to properly build the world and that's unfortunately, where it fell short for me.
Still, a very entertaining read and THAT ENDING AH I SCREAMED, I LOVED IT.
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
Still, a very entertaining read and THAT ENDING AH I SCREAMED, I LOVED IT.
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
November 7, 2018
Impostors 3.5⭐️
Rafi and Frey are twins but Frey is to be silent and hidden a double to protect her sister. When given the opportunity to spy on a neighboring region by being kidnapped she sees how different they live from how her father rules.
Col is in a world similar to ours whichdrives frey nuts. Thereare no spy dust and fancy monitoring, everything they rely on so heavily and Cols region doesnt use any of it.
Frey is being Rafi and she forms a friendship with Col and a friendship when all you can do is lie, is no friendship that will end well.
In conclusion the parents are all evil and kids rule the earth.
This was good and i cant wait to continue in this new world.
Rafi and Frey are twins but Frey is to be silent and hidden a double to protect her sister. When given the opportunity to spy on a neighboring region by being kidnapped she sees how different they live from how her father rules.
Col is in a world similar to ours whichdrives frey nuts. Thereare no spy dust and fancy monitoring, everything they rely on so heavily and Cols region doesnt use any of it.
Frey is being Rafi and she forms a friendship with Col and a friendship when all you can do is lie, is no friendship that will end well.
In conclusion the parents are all evil and kids rule the earth.
This was good and i cant wait to continue in this new world.
September 24, 2018
I've been a huge Uglies fan since I was a kid, so when this book was announced I was equal parts excited and nervous. I was worried that one of my favorite series would be ruined by an unnecessary addition--but this book turned out fantastic.
Impostors could stand alone apart from the Uglies series, but fans will be delighted to see a bunch of Easter eggs that hearken back to the original series. There was just enough to keep an old fan like myself squealing with the references, but the world was still unique and different. It is clear that the world of Uglies has continued to develop in the decade since the mind-rain.
Our new protagonist is Frey, who has been raised as a body double for her twin sister, Rafi, and spent most of her life in hiding. Frey is a fascinating main character, as she is equal parts deadly and naive. Trained to be a killer, but socially stunted, she was intriguing and well-developed as an MC.
One thing that put me off about this book was that it is written in first-person, present-tense perspective from Frey's point of view. This is a perspective I don't get to read often, and at times it took some getting used to. This led to less descriptiveness to the world, but more action. As we were in Frey's head, things moved very quickly. I enjoyed how fast-paced the novel was, but at times I wished I knew more about character or world appearance. Regardless, it was really hard to put this book down.
My other negative for this book is the insta-love that happens between Frey and her love interest, Col. The idea of the romance is fantastic (enemies to friends to lovers--my fave!) but that portion of the story moved so quickly that we didn't really get to enjoy the development of a relationship, it just sort of happened. Despite that, I really liked Col as a character, and I did enjoy watching their relationship play out on the page. There are definitely some swoony moments between the two.
Finally, I want to mention that this book seems like a really awesome upgrade from the Uglies series in diversity. It's not perfect by any means, but as there was almost no diversity in the Uglies series (up until Extras, set in Asia), this book shows a true effort by Westerfeld to include more characters of color and differing genders/sexualities. He mentioned in an interview for Impostors that back when he wrote Uglies he had the misguided white, cis-het male author perspective that glossing over diversity in his futuristic world was progressive instead of harmful. The world of Impostors still does not weight race/gender/sexuality issues as heavily as they exist in society today, but the visibility is still there. Many of the characters are from Mexican descent, including Col, and other ethnicities are alluded to as well. We also meet a non-binary character and other LGBTQ+ characters. Again, it's not perfect, but a clear upgrade in that aspect from Uglies.
Overall, I loved every second of this book and that ending RUINED me. I am so excited for book 2!!
Read this book for: amazing fight scenes, cool scifi tech, a fascinating concept & world, fast pacing, LOTS of political intrigue, accessible language & writing style, lots of identity crises, and to reminisce about one of your fave dystopian series. If you've never read Uglies, that's cool too!
Don't read this book: if you want something slow & descriptive, if you don't appreciate some blood, don't like the pretty-speak slang, if you want more than a PG romance, hate insta-love, or can't handle a CRAZY cliffhanger. Seriously, I'm wrecked.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in YA Science Fiction, regardless if you have experience in the genre. This is a great book for younger readers (middle grades) with accessible language, that would still appeal to teens or adults who love YA. It's been one of my most anticipated reads of 2018, and now it's one of my favorites all year.
Impostors could stand alone apart from the Uglies series, but fans will be delighted to see a bunch of Easter eggs that hearken back to the original series. There was just enough to keep an old fan like myself squealing with the references, but the world was still unique and different. It is clear that the world of Uglies has continued to develop in the decade since the mind-rain.
Our new protagonist is Frey, who has been raised as a body double for her twin sister, Rafi, and spent most of her life in hiding. Frey is a fascinating main character, as she is equal parts deadly and naive. Trained to be a killer, but socially stunted, she was intriguing and well-developed as an MC.
One thing that put me off about this book was that it is written in first-person, present-tense perspective from Frey's point of view. This is a perspective I don't get to read often, and at times it took some getting used to. This led to less descriptiveness to the world, but more action. As we were in Frey's head, things moved very quickly. I enjoyed how fast-paced the novel was, but at times I wished I knew more about character or world appearance. Regardless, it was really hard to put this book down.
My other negative for this book is the insta-love that happens between Frey and her love interest, Col. The idea of the romance is fantastic (enemies to friends to lovers--my fave!) but that portion of the story moved so quickly that we didn't really get to enjoy the development of a relationship, it just sort of happened. Despite that, I really liked Col as a character, and I did enjoy watching their relationship play out on the page. There are definitely some swoony moments between the two.
Finally, I want to mention that this book seems like a really awesome upgrade from the Uglies series in diversity. It's not perfect by any means, but as there was almost no diversity in the Uglies series (up until Extras, set in Asia), this book shows a true effort by Westerfeld to include more characters of color and differing genders/sexualities. He mentioned in an interview for Impostors that back when he wrote Uglies he had the misguided white, cis-het male author perspective that glossing over diversity in his futuristic world was progressive instead of harmful. The world of Impostors still does not weight race/gender/sexuality issues as heavily as they exist in society today, but the visibility is still there. Many of the characters are from Mexican descent, including Col, and other ethnicities are alluded to as well. We also meet a non-binary character and other LGBTQ+ characters. Again, it's not perfect, but a clear upgrade in that aspect from Uglies.
Overall, I loved every second of this book and that ending RUINED me. I am so excited for book 2!!
Read this book for: amazing fight scenes, cool scifi tech, a fascinating concept & world, fast pacing, LOTS of political intrigue, accessible language & writing style, lots of identity crises, and to reminisce about one of your fave dystopian series. If you've never read Uglies, that's cool too!
Don't read this book: if you want something slow & descriptive, if you don't appreciate some blood, don't like the pretty-speak slang, if you want more than a PG romance, hate insta-love, or can't handle a CRAZY cliffhanger. Seriously, I'm wrecked.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in YA Science Fiction, regardless if you have experience in the genre. This is a great book for younger readers (middle grades) with accessible language, that would still appeal to teens or adults who love YA. It's been one of my most anticipated reads of 2018, and now it's one of my favorites all year.
April 26, 2025
Frey and Rafi or Rafi and Frey… man I love a switched at birth/ twitches type storyline I mean something about it just makes me happy and excited to read about it so hearing this continued future spinoff series of one of my treasured favorites had this twin secret identity plot to it I was stoked and I’m pleased to say rightly so. I feel like even after over a decade away from the franchise as a reader it felt like Scott fluidly jumped from book to the next which was pretty impressive. The overall story itself was super tense and had quite the curveball cliffhanger but I was more than pleasantly pleased in my whole reading especially in the parts that intimately focused on Frey finding out who she actually is as a being instead of just as the stunt double in the life of Rafi and I’m more than curious to see where this post tally revolutionized world story takes me from here. 4.25/5
July 18, 2018
This is the first Westerfeld novel I’ve ever read and it is 100% a 5/5 read for me.
August 19, 2019
More than a decade after the release of Extras, book four of the Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld delivers another novel set in Tally Youngblood's world, focusing on society after the Prettytime regime ended. Frey and Rafia (Rafi) are identical twin daughters of the totalitarian leader of the city of Shreve. Rafi's activities dominate the public feeds, providing entertainment for people curious about the city's most prominent daughter, but Frey's existence is kept secret from all but a few trusted advisers to her father. Rafi is educated in diplomacy, making deals on behalf of her father's metropolis, but Frey is a master of weaponry and tactics whose life purpose is to guard her sister. Whenever Rafi is asked to go into potentially hostile territory, their father sends Frey instead, and the crowds have no idea of the deception. The charade has continued through the girls' sixteenth birthday, but now Frey is being called upon for a more rigorous test of her abilities. In order to anchor negotiations over valuable building materials her father wants to access, "Rafi" is sent to the wealthy Palafox family of Victoria as a hostage. The exchange goes off to Aribella Palafox's satisfaction; she's none the wiser that Shreve's leader has in fact sent his replacement daughter. Frey has years of experience impersonating Rafi in the public sphere, but she's never perpetrated the ruse this long or in such proximity to the people she's meant to fool. This mission won't be easy.
"Freedom has a way of being terrifying."
—Impostors, P. 232
After living mostly in the shadows, traveling to a foreign city on her own is thrilling for Frey. The Palafoxes receive her into their posh home like a dignitary, and though she's a hostage, Frey rarely feels restricted. Her rechargeable pulse knife is locked up on the premises, but Frey may roam wherever see pleases on the Palafox estate. Aribella seems to encourage a romance between Frey and Col, Aribella's teenage son. An interfamily marriage would bolster any business deal between Victoria and Shreve. Frey and Col feel drawn to each other immediately as Col admires the savvy, strong girl in front of him who behaves nothing like the Rafi he's watched on the public feeds. Frey is uncomfortable deceiving someone who appears to be offering sincere friendship to her for the first time in Frey's life, but there's no risk of him guessing the truth about her identity. The concept of a secret twin is too outlandish to believe.
When negotiations between Frey's father and the Palafoxes go bad, the hostage situation takes an ugly turn. Frey's captors don't know she's a trained warrior, and she uses that advantage to evade Palafox security officers. But Frey's world flips on its axis when it becomes apparent her father has written her off as a cost of doing business with a rival city. He never planned for her to survive the hostage standoff in Victoria; now that bombs are being launched, he assumes Frey is dead and carries on without missing a beat. The rest of the world never knew Frey existed, and the real Rafi emerges unharmed on the public feeds as supposed proof that Victoria couldn't hold onto its hostage. But devastating damage has been done in Victoria beyond the psychological blow to Frey when she realizes her father doesn't care about her; members of the Palafox family are dead, and Col is reeling from the tragedy. Frey helps him evacuate and hide as her father's forces take over Victoria as a stronghold of its own. Frey's father may have won, but her allegiance is to Col and his family at this moment, and Frey is prepared to help him revolt against her father. But Col has no idea of Frey's true identity; how will he react when he discovers the depths of her deception?
Impostors is as briskly paced as the four novels of the original Uglies series. The action feels cinematic, the technology has a few intriguing new features, and societal issues in the wake of Tally's revolution are as relevant as ever. Many cities—Victoria, for one—have learned that authoritarianism leads to suffering, and reformed their society to maximize liberty. Shreve has done the opposite, increasing surveillance and leaning heavily on the freedom of its citizens. These philosophies were bound to clash, and that's what we see in Impostors, a return to the brutality of war after an era of peace. How will this phase of the struggle between freedom and tyranny play out? I rate the book two and a half stars, and considered rounding up to three; if there were stronger philosophical underpinnings or the plot were more emotionally engaging, I would have. Uglies, Pretties, and Specials are better books, but Impostors is an invigorating read that does well in setting up episode two of the series, Shatter City. I'm excited for it.
"Freedom has a way of being terrifying."
—Impostors, P. 232
After living mostly in the shadows, traveling to a foreign city on her own is thrilling for Frey. The Palafoxes receive her into their posh home like a dignitary, and though she's a hostage, Frey rarely feels restricted. Her rechargeable pulse knife is locked up on the premises, but Frey may roam wherever see pleases on the Palafox estate. Aribella seems to encourage a romance between Frey and Col, Aribella's teenage son. An interfamily marriage would bolster any business deal between Victoria and Shreve. Frey and Col feel drawn to each other immediately as Col admires the savvy, strong girl in front of him who behaves nothing like the Rafi he's watched on the public feeds. Frey is uncomfortable deceiving someone who appears to be offering sincere friendship to her for the first time in Frey's life, but there's no risk of him guessing the truth about her identity. The concept of a secret twin is too outlandish to believe.
When negotiations between Frey's father and the Palafoxes go bad, the hostage situation takes an ugly turn. Frey's captors don't know she's a trained warrior, and she uses that advantage to evade Palafox security officers. But Frey's world flips on its axis when it becomes apparent her father has written her off as a cost of doing business with a rival city. He never planned for her to survive the hostage standoff in Victoria; now that bombs are being launched, he assumes Frey is dead and carries on without missing a beat. The rest of the world never knew Frey existed, and the real Rafi emerges unharmed on the public feeds as supposed proof that Victoria couldn't hold onto its hostage. But devastating damage has been done in Victoria beyond the psychological blow to Frey when she realizes her father doesn't care about her; members of the Palafox family are dead, and Col is reeling from the tragedy. Frey helps him evacuate and hide as her father's forces take over Victoria as a stronghold of its own. Frey's father may have won, but her allegiance is to Col and his family at this moment, and Frey is prepared to help him revolt against her father. But Col has no idea of Frey's true identity; how will he react when he discovers the depths of her deception?
Impostors is as briskly paced as the four novels of the original Uglies series. The action feels cinematic, the technology has a few intriguing new features, and societal issues in the wake of Tally's revolution are as relevant as ever. Many cities—Victoria, for one—have learned that authoritarianism leads to suffering, and reformed their society to maximize liberty. Shreve has done the opposite, increasing surveillance and leaning heavily on the freedom of its citizens. These philosophies were bound to clash, and that's what we see in Impostors, a return to the brutality of war after an era of peace. How will this phase of the struggle between freedom and tyranny play out? I rate the book two and a half stars, and considered rounding up to three; if there were stronger philosophical underpinnings or the plot were more emotionally engaging, I would have. Uglies, Pretties, and Specials are better books, but Impostors is an invigorating read that does well in setting up episode two of the series, Shatter City. I'm excited for it.
November 15, 2022
I love the uglies series with all my heart. It has many flaws and I recognize them all, but it’s my childhood and it’s such a creative work of art. So when I heard we were getting a new 4 book series set in the same world, I was nervous, because I know nothing can compare to that nostalgia. I was right to be nervous, because it was a big disappointment.
For me, The allure of the ugly series is in the world building. To make a novel in a post-uglies society, where society is mainly back at its roots, is rather pointless. Most of that fascinating technology/societal standards are gone, so why make it in the same world? it hardly borrows anything from its predecessor.
That aside, the book itself just wasn’t good, even if it were a standalone. I was bored, there was insta love, terribly flat characters, strange pacing. I was compelled by the dynamic of the twins but disappointed. I was completely indifferent to col. the romance was just terrible. And the ending was predictable.
Still, the thing that bothers me the most is that this novel is attached to the uglies franchise. I’d rather save my nostalgia and imagine extras is the actual final book as it does it’s job well. This story was just bad.
I do not recommend it to anyone.
For me, The allure of the ugly series is in the world building. To make a novel in a post-uglies society, where society is mainly back at its roots, is rather pointless. Most of that fascinating technology/societal standards are gone, so why make it in the same world? it hardly borrows anything from its predecessor.
That aside, the book itself just wasn’t good, even if it were a standalone. I was bored, there was insta love, terribly flat characters, strange pacing. I was compelled by the dynamic of the twins but disappointed. I was completely indifferent to col. the romance was just terrible. And the ending was predictable.
Still, the thing that bothers me the most is that this novel is attached to the uglies franchise. I’d rather save my nostalgia and imagine extras is the actual final book as it does it’s job well. This story was just bad.
I do not recommend it to anyone.
September 15, 2018
This is the second book I have read from this author. When I first saw this book I wanted to read it. Thus I was very excited when I got the chance to pick up a copy of this book. Frey and Rafi could not be more different. However, they are bonded by the fact that they are twins. Frey really is the star of this book. She does not belong in the royal world; thus the reason that she was discovered fairly quickly. She is better as an assassin. Rafi may be the face but she also had a soft and likable side. When was nice as I grew close to both sisters.
Yes, there is romance budding between Frey and Col. It did not seem forced or childish. In fact, I was happy to see that Frey got the guy. This book had a good storyline. It kept my interest. The ending made me happy. There is nothing worse then to read a book only to end up with a weak ending. Fans of young adult books will enjoy this one.
Yes, there is romance budding between Frey and Col. It did not seem forced or childish. In fact, I was happy to see that Frey got the guy. This book had a good storyline. It kept my interest. The ending made me happy. There is nothing worse then to read a book only to end up with a weak ending. Fans of young adult books will enjoy this one.
September 20, 2018
I was pretty surprised when Westerfeld announced that there would be not only this extension to the Uglies series, but that it would be the first of a new four-part sequel/spinoff series. It's for sure the best book Westerfeld wrote in this universe since the original - especially since Specials and especially Extras played out increasingly nonsensically and weirdly, though I'm sure I'd appreciate them better on a second read.
As for this first of the new series, it's not half-bad, but sure as hell doesn't hold a candle to the original. (Fun fact: as I typed that last sentence, a candle appeared on my TV screen in the background from the title sequence of American Horror Story: Apocalypse.) The premise is a promising one, with the idea of identical twins and body doubles, but in practice it feels a little half-baked because we're led to believe that there are bunches of "First Families" making use of this method and it seems, instead, it's just Frey and Rafi. Though this is supposed to be well after the original series ended, it still seems that there are a ton of Pretties and Specials running around, and copious use of silly "bubbly" slang and all those infamous crappy MREs (SpagBol, of course, being the most common.) So while I'm sure there's something to be said for next to nothing having actually changed - Pierce Brown and Tahereh Mafi explored similar themes in their own dystopian series continuations this year - here, it just feels a little underdone, and it's very hard to connect with most of the characters as a result.
Though, again, that's probably the point, because Frey needs to really learn how to be herself, if you know what I mean. And for the less-than-stellar worldbuilding (honestly, I managed to fool myself into thinking most of the book takes place in Europe for the longest time), Westerfeld does make up for it with some kickass action, easily outclassing any such scenes the original series ever had.
So I'm for sure not done with Impostors, but I'm hoping for a better book next year. And that we get some of Col Palafox's multilingual POV. (Also, who else sees him and his name and thinks of Cal from Red Queen?)
As for this first of the new series, it's not half-bad, but sure as hell doesn't hold a candle to the original. (Fun fact: as I typed that last sentence, a candle appeared on my TV screen in the background from the title sequence of American Horror Story: Apocalypse.) The premise is a promising one, with the idea of identical twins and body doubles, but in practice it feels a little half-baked because we're led to believe that there are bunches of "First Families" making use of this method and it seems, instead, it's just Frey and Rafi. Though this is supposed to be well after the original series ended, it still seems that there are a ton of Pretties and Specials running around, and copious use of silly "bubbly" slang and all those infamous crappy MREs (SpagBol, of course, being the most common.) So while I'm sure there's something to be said for next to nothing having actually changed - Pierce Brown and Tahereh Mafi explored similar themes in their own dystopian series continuations this year - here, it just feels a little underdone, and it's very hard to connect with most of the characters as a result.
Though, again, that's probably the point, because Frey needs to really learn how to be herself, if you know what I mean. And for the less-than-stellar worldbuilding (honestly, I managed to fool myself into thinking most of the book takes place in Europe for the longest time), Westerfeld does make up for it with some kickass action, easily outclassing any such scenes the original series ever had.
So I'm for sure not done with Impostors, but I'm hoping for a better book next year. And that we get some of Col Palafox's multilingual POV. (Also, who else sees him and his name and thinks of Cal from Red Queen?)
November 5, 2018
> 3.5 stars
Argh I love books where people pretend they’re someone they’re not! And I love books with sibling relationships too. IMPOSTORS was a fun, quick-paced and non-demanding novel that will likely delight fans of the original trilogy (though you don’t have to have read the original trilogy to read this series, as it’s set after the events of the main trilogy.) There are a few bits of jargon here and there that new readers may not understand, but it’s likely that you can understand them based on the surrounding context.
Also, the ending was SO good! What a cliffhanger. I’m really excited to see what comes next.
Argh I love books where people pretend they’re someone they’re not! And I love books with sibling relationships too. IMPOSTORS was a fun, quick-paced and non-demanding novel that will likely delight fans of the original trilogy (though you don’t have to have read the original trilogy to read this series, as it’s set after the events of the main trilogy.) There are a few bits of jargon here and there that new readers may not understand, but it’s likely that you can understand them based on the surrounding context.
Also, the ending was SO good! What a cliffhanger. I’m really excited to see what comes next.
December 1, 2018
im going to be honest- i didn’t think it would be this good.
i mean i didn’t think it would be really bad (it is scott westerfeld after all) but i wasn’t expecting this!
and i’m starting to hate (not really of course) these amazing ya authors because THEY JUST CANT HELP THEMSELVES CAN THEY
DO THEY HAVE TO END THESE BOOKS THIS WAY
really though, is it a mortal sin to end books without the reader wanting to throw the book across the room in frustration?!
i mean i didn’t think it would be really bad (it is scott westerfeld after all) but i wasn’t expecting this!
and i’m starting to hate (not really of course) these amazing ya authors because THEY JUST CANT HELP THEMSELVES CAN THEY
DO THEY HAVE TO END THESE BOOKS THIS WAY
really though, is it a mortal sin to end books without the reader wanting to throw the book across the room in frustration?!
Want to read
September 29, 2018Ahhh when did this happened? I had no idead this existed until I saw the next book untitled prospect.
Honestly this sound interesting enough, and I'm guessing that the story exist in the Uglies universe so seeing the little nods and tidbits to previous installments will be fun.
Honestly this sound interesting enough, and I'm guessing that the story exist in the Uglies universe so seeing the little nods and tidbits to previous installments will be fun.
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