Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"- like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to emall. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

Review:

I clearly remember gobbling up every single book in the Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy when I was younger, and being thrown in to such a fabulously creative world filled with lovable characters and plot events like no other. Therefore, when Beauty Queens, her newest YA release landed on my radar, I knew I would have to read it. Thankfully, Beauty Queens was brilliant. Sarcastic, empowering, and full of girl power, Beauty Queens is an absolute must read for girls out there, young and old!

Beauty Queens starts the story of the Miss Teen Dream beauty pageant contestants who are on their way to yet another round of the intense competition, but what they were not expecting was a plane crash let alone being stranded on a desert island with no beauty products, food, and well, everything. Left to fend for themselves, the girls are soon to learn some surprising truths about teamwork, each other, and more importantly, themselves. However, what happens when you throw in a vicious corporation and a ship of lost pirates hiding their own deep secrets? Only time and more pages will tell in this intense yet hilarious read that will have readers laughing aloud every step of the way!

The characters in this book are crazy but in the best kind of way. When I first started reading this, I could not believe these girls were for real because of how superficial they appeared to be. However, as the story moved on and each one developed, I began to adore every one. Because when it came down to it, these girls are real, surprisingly enough. They all have their insecurities and their fears. They have been beaten down and brought up again by this hard world. They are just trying to be themselves, even when it is the hardest thing to do. Basically, these girls were some of the most real girls I have come across in YA, and I have a feeling many will be able to relate to them in some way.

Another high point of this novel was the premise. Libba Bray is known for her crazy and unique imagination, and with Beauty Queens, this rang especially true. There wasn’t a moment in this book were I wasn’t completely blown away by the way Libba made this such a fascinating novel with not only hilarious moments but touching, heartwarming ones as well. Because at the core of this novel, there are plenty of social issues, ones that were presented with such heart that I never once felt like I was being preached at, instead each was worked in perfectly into the story and the characters’ lives.

In all, prepare yourself for a long and fun journey, as Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens is quite the novel. Funny, heartwarming, and kick butt, every scene will not only leave you wanting more but also change the way you look at the world one beauty queen at a time. 

Grade: A+

Beauty Queens is now out!

Source: Publicity Firm/Publisher- thanks Chelsy and Scholastic!