Pretties

This sequel to Uglies was definitely better in my opinion. We learn a lot more about the government's ideals and concepts in creating society the way it has, and uncover a lot of moral questions. I really enjoyed this book! Looking forward to the next one! ( )

The Good: This series continues to be fast, easy dystopian reads. Tally is a complex enough character to make up for the innate vapidness of most of the other "pretties." The world is interesting, although I still continue to wonder about how a dystopian society progresses towards fixing their world via physical looks. The ending was rather surprising and has made me want to read Specials sooner than I had originally planned.

The Bad: The slang (pretty-speak) gets grating early on and never stops. And the insta-love with Zane is questionable. ( )

Not as impressed by this one as the first one. The part I found the most interesting was the reservation, but I feel like the plot's gotten too far away from the original concept (everyone being made the same), and despite that there's this pretty vs ugly social commentary there's still a lot of emphasis on good guys = attractive, bad guys = ugly or creepy. ( )

Tally's story continues from the previous book, UGLIES, in this second installment of Scott Westerfeld's futuristic trilogy. Tally is now a pretty who lives only for good times. While attending a party at which she is to be voted into the Crims clique, she is followed by someone appearing to be a member of the ominous Special Circumstances team.

Tally can only remember her previous adventures as an ugly outside New Pretty Town in brief disconnected snatches. She is shocked to discover that the person stalking her is Croy, an old friend from the Smoke. He has something for her, he tells her, but she must search for it later in a certain secret spot. She agrees, bemused by his repellant ugliness, including his big pores and tangled hair --- all the imperfections that the surgery to become a pretty transforms to beauty.

Tally returns to her pretty life, concentrating on the fun she has with her friends. Her peace is disrupted when gorgeous Zane, leader of the Crims, asks her about David, whom she loved when she lived in the Smoke. In fact, Zane once knew Croy and had been determined to escape to the Smoke before his surgery. He regrets that he didn't go into the wilderness then.

Zane is eager to accompany Tally in finding the mysterious object Croy has hidden for her; a startling and eye-opening letter from Tally to herself, written before she underwent the pretty surgery and explaining to her future self her motive in becoming a pretty --- to save all the pretties. Zane and Tally also learn that the pretties' brains are altered during their surgery. When the two share what Croy left for Tally, everything in their lives changes, putting Zane's health at risk and infuriating Tally's friend Shay.

Interesting read. Gets you to reassess cliques, superficial looks, popularity, conformity etc. ( )

In Pretties, the heroine, Tally Youngblood, finds herself a bubblehead after having the surge. She forgets her mission to cure the other pretties of their brain lesions. But she still feels that something isn't quite right. She's unhappy. She finds that risk-taking restores much of the clarity she misses. But when she and her new love Zane take the pills to cure their lesions forever, they find that there are serious consequences to being lucid.
I loved this book. The plot line is wonderful and takes the readers deep into New Pretty Town and far out beyond the Smoke. Tally continues to grow and mature as she slowly recovers her old identity. It's a great read for 7th grade and older and part of a fantastic series. ( )