It is possible to view the similarities between these books as an intentional parable against believing 'the grass is greener' on the pretty side of the fence: pretties can have problems too. I can see that Westerfeld is trying to do so, but I'm not convinced he succeeds. Successive books in a series need to raise the stakes. That's a demonstration of the parallels between Uglies and Pretties and why I'm being so hard on this book. Although I'm sure their feud could happen, what with them being teenage girls and all, but I find it hard to believe that they have one conversation and then Shay starts cutting herself…. As in Uglies, these transitions are far from believable. First they are best friends then Shay learns/recalls that Tally betrayed the Smoke and 'stole' David from her finally Shay undergoes an operation and returns to Tally, freshly-brainwashed and ready to be friends again. Wait, sorry, no, it's exactly the same as the one Tally and Shay have in Uglies. The other relationship of note is the one between Tally and Shay. I'm not sure why I'm so cynical about the relationship perhaps it's just the speed with which it develops. Still, my 'love triangle' alarm went off in the second chapter or so, and I was wary for the rest of the book. He's better developed (er, character-wise, character development!) than David is.

If Tally has to start tabula rasa every book, this will be a very long series.Īlso, there's a new love interest.

Once again, Tally starts as a 'brainwashed' member of society and struggles to find her own individuality and realize that she needs to rebel. The first chapters of the book would be interesting were it not for the fact that we already did in the first chapters of Uglies. Cable, our old nemesis from Uglies, drops by and offers Tally a spot in the Specials, revealing how the entire society is designed to control the masses while filtering out intelligent, resourceful people like Tally for work in Special Circumstances. But Special Circumstances is keeping a close eye on Tally. They plot to escape from New Pretty Town and rejoin the New Smokies. So Tally embarks on a quest to free herself and several other pretties. We get to see New Pretty Town from 'the inside,' because Tally Youngblood is now pretty-and vapid, at least until a letter from her past self jogs her memory that there's more to life than flash tattoos, parties, and cliques. Scott Westerfeld further fleshes out his post-apocalyptic adolescent dystopia. My review of Uglies stands for Pretties, because they are pretty much the same book.

Scott westerfeld books