Books like Uglies, The Collector's Set

When these books first came out, I was reluctant to read them. I suspected that - because of the covers - the books were the type of books I didn't care to read: stories of preppy, perfect girls and rejects. I had read Westerfeld's series The Midnighters, but none of his other series. A year after I read The Midnighters, I finally took Uglies out from the library with a sense of 'what the hell, I have nothing else to read.' Within the first few pages, I was drawn into a story of not only interesting characters, but a world I wish actually existed. To me, the worlds feel like a video game. There's the straight passage that gets you through the level's quickest, but there's also hidden areas for side games that you want to explore before you get to the end. When I finished the series, I wanted more. Not with the characters, but with the world itself.I enjoyed the way each character is written. I don't necessarily like the main characters throughout the series, but I appreciate the way they were written. Tally Youngblood, for example. I enjoyed her character in the beginning, but - per the story line - her personality changed with each book. It was consistent, and accurate with the world, but at the same time, I grew to dislike her personality, but NOT her as a character. Westerfeld wrote each character in a way that you could truly appreciate each one. In fact, when one died, I was so upset that I spent two whole weeks debating whether or not the last book was even worth reading because I knew that character wouldn't be in it and I was so upset about their death. I ended up opening to a random page to skim and found that the author had unknowingly preyed on my love of anything Japanese, for the characters in the last book are, indeed, Japanese. Mentally shaking my fist at Mr. Westerfeld, I took it up and instantly fell in love with the world he writes all over again. The world leaves you day dreaming for eye scanners and your very own hover cam named Moggle. The world of EXTRAS was most definitely my favorite, but the little things in the first three that make you think on how our own world - the world of the Rusties - truly is. They give a whole new outlook on 'beauty' and the way someone who does not live like us would really see us. Absolutely fascinating.I highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoys reading and entering new worlds.