Nocturnal Book Reviews

I love satire, I love the way Libba Bray managed to rip the consumerism society into complete shreds in this book. It was gorgeous, uproarious fun, but it wasn't for everyone. In fact, I know of plenty of people who disliked this book immensely.

On the other hand, if you liked War, Inc or Southland Tales, Beauty Queens is right up your alley.

We have a desert island and fifty teenage girls, whose ultimate goal is to thwart their competitors and win Miss Teen Dream competition. Some of them are completely delusional, some of them are dumb, shallow, blind, angry, damaged, psychotic or in need of something to prove.

Through hilarious speeches intercepted by the corporation adverts, the layers or false beliefs and fake personalities slowly peel away, and the girls are able to find who they truly are, and that's breathtaking and sad and empowering.

Taylor, the original leader of the girls is a tornado. Not only she brings them all together in a completely unappealing, fake and stupidly cheerful way, when she goes off her rocker, because one of the corporation men on the island pumps her full of hallucinogenic drugs, she becomes this awesomely crazy Rambo who goes around killing the agents and building the shrine for her favorite ex-beauty queen.


There is no shortage of craziness on the island, TV reality pirates and mad dictator with a fixation on Elvis aside, and I was awed and amazed by the sheer amount of fantastic characters and their stories Libba Bray managed to put together.

It was fun, it was a rollercoaster which left me a little bit sad, because that's what satire does - you laugh at the exaggerated truth, but in the end it's still truth.

Recommended to anyone who thinks they'll be able to stomach this book. I personally thought it was fabulous!