Customer Reviews
being pretty isn't all it cracked up to be 
2008-06-02
"Pretties" is the sequel to "Uglies", and picks up right where "Uglies" left off. Tally, our main character, has turned sixteen, been forcibly returned to her city, and undergone the surgery to turn pretty. Along with Shay and her childhood best friend Peris, she joins a clique known as the Crims. The Crims is led by a boy from Shay's past named Zane. Although Tally knows the terrible secret of the pretty surgery, she isn't able to keep it at bay, and behaves like every other pretty: drinking champagne, going to parties, worrying only about what to wear.
Until the night that she is to be inducted into the Crims, that is. Her past catches up with her and reminds her both of her promise to them to test the cure and to try to return to the Smoke. She and Zane each take one of the two pills that constitute the cure. Zane reveals his past, and that he has come up with his own ways to avoid the usual pretty fog that is brought about by the surgery: lots of coffee and very little food. Together, they and the Crims work to let the residents of the Smoke know that Tally is cured. Meanwhile, Zane is experiencing ever-worse headaches. Zane, Tally, and the rest of the Crims flee from the city, with Special Circumstances in hot pursuit.
In their flight, Tally is thrown off-course and ends up being far away from the meeting point. As a result, she discovers another secret of her city: there are more people outside the city than she realised, and these ones are being kept there for social experimentation. She finally makes it back to the meeting point, to discover that Zane is very ill and that he has unknowingly had a tracking device placed in his body by Special Circumstances. She and Zane send the Smokies off running, and stay there to face the music and get Zane the needed medical treatment. There, Tally learns that Shay has become a Special, and is going to make Tally into one too. The book ends with the start of Tally's surgery to transform into a Special.
As with "Uglies", I finished it in a day. Westerfeld tells a great story, one that grabs hold and doesn't let go until the end. Now it's off to read the last book in the trilogy, "Specials", to see how it all wraps up.
Strongest book of the series so far 2008-06-01
It's most unfortunate I read this book *after* I read the other three books in the series. (This book wasn't available in my library until recently.) I found this book to have a much stronger storyline than most of the other books, as well as the most enriching and growing characterization, particularly for Shay. I felt she grew much more in this book than in the third one. Also, the intensity of the relationship between Zane and Tally was a strong point and was a nice conflicting point when they met David/Tally remembered about David.
Exciting sequel to Uglies but still something missing.... 2008-05-06
This is the second book in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfield. This book was much better than the first novel of the series but still feel a little flat for me.
At the beginning of this book we meet Tally (who has been turned into a Pretty) and Shay getting ready for a costume party. At the party Tally has a strange encounter with someone dressed like Special Circumstances. Tally is trying to get accepted into a group of Pretties called the Crims. Who, as their name suggests, all committed "criminal" acts as Uglies. Zane, the leader of the Crims, suspects that more is just changed during the Pretty operation than their faces. Zane and the other Crims make it a goal to pull off daring stunts in order to "stay bubbly" and be able to see through the Pretty induced mental haze.
This was a much faster paced novel than the previous one. It was very interesting how different Tally's personality was as a Pretty and how she fought internally with the Prettiness. Zane is an interesting character and a good addition to the series. It was fun to read about the exploits of the Crims. In general this was a decent book; full of action and interesting personality changes.
That being said, for me, there was still something a little off about this book. I wasn't that attached to the characters and the action scenes didn't really come alive for me. I am not sure what it is but there is something that stops this novel from becoming wonderful; I think it may be that the writing style is a bit unpolished and simplistic for me. I also think that the author is still dumbing down things too much for his audience.
I will definitely read the next book because this book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger much like the first one.
www.karissabooks.blogspot.com
From Ugly to Pretty... 2008-04-28
I think that this book is very well written. I am 22 and have read quite a few books that are considered YA books, but this one is clearly a YA book. It's obvious that these books are written for the younger audience, but still, it has its "bubbly" moments and excitement, and a bit of drama. However, the pretty-head vinacular was a bit much for me. I was extremely annoyed with it by the second chapter. At first, the book is parties and what to wear/what not to wear. But, fortunately, it gets better. Overall, I really enjoyed this book (although, not as much as Uglies).
An amazing Sequel 
2008-04-26
Finally, a sequel that does not disappoint!
Tally finally has all she ever wanted: She's pretty, she's popular, she's in the coolest clique in New Pretty Town. What could possibly go wrong now?
Nothing does...until the night of the coolest costume party ever when a blast from the past shows up and leaves her a mystery to follow. All of a sudden Tally and her new friend Zane not only have a mystery to solve, but two tiny white pills to take...and no clue what they will do to them.
Once again Westerfeld has whisked us off to a sci-fi adventure world with more twists and turns that even a Hoverboard can handle. I can't wait to read the next book!
Five star
Pretties or is it? 2008-07-19
Tally has become pretty and it looks like everything is working out for her at last. She pretty, she's popular, has a fantastic wardrobe and boyfriend, but looks can be deceiving and in this case they are. Tally has received a letter from her past self and remembers why she became pretty in the first place and why it needs to be fixed. This knowledge is dangerous and the authorities don't want her to live to talk about it.
good sequel, but not as good as the first 2008-07-11
Pretties is the second volume of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Trilogy. It picks up almost exactly where Uglies left off and the story is fairly involved so I strongly recommend reading Uglies first. If, however, you decide to ignore me, here's a brief explanation of what's going on which will necessarily include spoilers (and yes I am quoting my own review):
"Uglies is set in the distant future after a mysterious global catastrophe precipitated changes to the foundations of what readers would call modern society. Fearful of war and violence cities now operate as independent states (think Renaissance Italy as opposed to contemporary Italy). Isolated and self-sufficient, the cities have agreed to certain standards for the greater good.
"New technology ensures that citizens never want for food or luxury items, weapons of any kind are largely illegal, and at the age of sixteen everyone undergoes a series of extreme surgeries to better conform to societal standards of beauty. The logic being that, since humans are preconditioned to respond to certain visual cues in each other already (big eyes are non-threatening, a clear complexion and good teeth indicate that a person is healthy), applying these beauty standards will reduce conflict and create a more harmonious society.
"But in a world where everyone is movie-star-gorgeous (oldies like Rudolph Valentino and Greta Garbo are considered "natural pretties"), normal people are so not pretty. In short, they're ugly."
At the end of the first book, our heroine Tally Youngblood also learns that normal people are smarter than the Pretties. As part of the government's plan to keep the population in line, Pretties' brains are surgically altered with lesions to make Pretties more complacent. The government's logic can be summed up in four dangerous words: for the greater good.
At the end of Uglies, knowing now that the operation has to be stopped, Tally makes the ultimate sacrifice--she allows herself to undergo the Operation in order to become an undercover operative of sorts. The only problem is that, because of the Operation, she forgets everything she learned about the Operation, the government, and perhaps most importantly about Special Circumstances (Westerfeld's interpretation of secret service/black ops types).
In other words, Tally starts Pretties with a basically clean slate. She and best friend Shay know that they lived with the resistance group known as The Smoke, but little else. Looking for something "bubbly" to do as Pretties, the girls decide to join the Crims--a clique known for pulling dramatic stunts in order to stay bubbly and consequently think a little more clearly than Pretties usually do. As Tally becomes more involved with the Crims and their leader, Zane, pieces of Tally's past begin to fall into place. But, the more Tally learns about her past, the more confusing things become as she has to decide between her past and her present.
Of the trilogy, this one is my least favorite. The characters, being Pretties, seemed the most unreal. Although Westerfeld evoked a very realistic world in Uglies it all rings a little less true here. I love how much slang these novels use and how easy it is to follow, but that too got to be a bit much.
The novel ends on a dramatic note, Tally once again rallying against those who would maintain the status quo. But at the same time, like in Uglies, she is once again a victim of circumstances. So, although the ending is great, it's also a bit too familiar. Since Pretties is part of a trilogy, it is a must-read to see what happens to Tally. But, in this reviewer's opinion, the second installment in the trilogy doesn't quite live up to the hype created by the first.
Great book for any age, 2008-06-14
I'm more of a person interested in good stories. I love Star Wars, Harry Potter, Narnia, etc...This book and the others that are in the Trilogy fit right into that genra for me. Good read! And, great purchase!
Great Surprising Sequel... 2008-06-13
Before I started reading this book, I thought I'd be disappointed, because a friend had said she didn't like the other ones as much as the first book, Uglies. It started out OK because Tally changed completely as a pretty because of the leisures. Then things changed again and it got very exciting. She went through new adventures, some quite scary, and made new companions such as the very important, Zane. The action in these books are great! There were, however, some boring moments for me when she was having trouble with something, but that's just because I liked reading about when she was with her friends.
I won't say much more because I actually can't stand hearing people's thoughts on a book before, or while I'm reading it. Maybe not even after. And I don't want to spoil the suspense-filled story for anyone.
I suggest any type of person to buy these series. I am not a big fan of scientific theories and such, but these books are just eye-catching; you just can't let go of the book once you get into the story! They have a lot to do with just, life itself. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the other two, Specials and Extras, but until then, I need a break from reading!^-^
As good as it gets with Sci-fi!!!! 2008-06-05
The further adventures of Tally Youngblood, this book is the slowest from the trilogy and my least favorite. BUT it still delivers in action and the adventure. It is more of a social analysis of the pretties and the uglies and the way they live their lives. It deals with enslavement and true freedom. This book is still good, but is the slowest of the series.
