The series follows a girl named Tally Youngblood. In the future (Dystopian, betcha didn't see that coming) when you're 16, you can have a special operation performed on yourself to make your pretty. The only thing is that they do something to your brain to make you dim. You're not completely stupid, but you're like a ditz.
Tally is an ugly sent to find her friend who ran away to get away from the evil government. She goes to a place where there's a cure for the brain damage. You can still be pretty, but you're brain will be fixed.
There's a part where the friend (Shay) finds out that Tally has betrayed her but Shay was taken by the government. The government performed the operation and made her stupid against her will.
There's also the matter of Tally wanting to be pretty so she can be with her BFF Peris (who is in fact a guy).
So the people with the cure need a test subject. Tally -being selfless- decides to give herself up so she can be a test subject. That's the end of Uglies.
Now, onto Pretties!
Pretties Review
Pretties is the second book in the
series. I actually liked Uglies much better, but it’s so different compared to
Pretties.
Uglies is a portal into a life where
you have to work...
And Pretties is just like Utopia.
You can party all night and wear designer clothing. No one cares as long as
you’re an idiot! How stupid is that? I know most of you are like, ‘what? Isn’t
that a good thing?’ But think about it... What is life worth if all you do is
party. No ambitions, goals or even careers for yourself. You just... party.
Oh, look at the pretty picture.
Now, I being a girl who reads
Dystopian fiction a lot kind of went ‘what?’
at this.
Beautiful face, huh? It really was
something I did though. It just feels so strange, jumping from Dystopian to
Utopian within the same series.
As I said before, I actually like
Uglies better. Just because Tally has a brain. The lesions in Tally’s brain
make me hate her so much. I hated her like I hated Bella Swan. She was just
another plastic as a pretty. Her ugliness is actually what made me admire her
in the first place.
At the end of Uglies, I was saluting
Tally for making such a brave decision, but I knew she wanted to become pretty
anyway. That was probably part of her master plan..
1. Tell Maddy she was going to be her
test subject.
2. Convince the Pretty Committee to do
the operation.
3. Live life as a pretty with no care.
Truly diabolical...
But yeah, I actually did think that
while reading. It made me angry and I nearly threw the book on the floor. But
it was a library book so I couldn’t do that...
Sorry, to a better topic? Roll the
next slide!
I couldn’t believe Tally as a real
person. She seemed so black and white. It was all really fake. Maybe that’s how
pretties act, but I really didn’t like it. There were no ways to connect to the
characters and really feel what they were feeling because they were pretty and
they let that fact run their lives.
To be perfectly honest, this picture
is actually really confusing for me, but I think I get it. It’s saying everyone
is real. Because perfection doesn’t exist everyone is real. Even those people
who do operations to enhance their features (Pretties) they’re still real. I
mean this in real life.
In the world of Pretties, you’re
trading your intelligence for looks.
I think that’s enough, so let’s talk
about Zane.
I don’t actually like Zane. I feel
like he’s a poser. Even though he’s the leader of the Crims, he gives off a
weak and fake aura. I can tell he genuinely cares for Tally which is cute, but cute isn’t enough to write a
character on.
David and Zane would’ve probably
fought over Tally, but they never actually met. And Tally being the ditz,
doesn’t actually remember David completely. He’s at the back of her mind where
she can’t unlock the memories.
I think it would’ve been funny if it
was a love triangle because of what Tally bases her decision on. David is what
she would call ugly (real) and Zane is oh-so-hot
(FAKE!)
So would she choose on looks, or
heart?
One word: Peris.
I don’t like him. Worse than Zane.
At first, I thought he was a girl. Peris = Paris. Is that wrong? I don’t
know... I just thought he was a girl. Then when he was clarified to be a guy, I
was wondering if his parents hated him or he was just born unlucky.
Peris is also a huge chicken. He’s
kind of like that nerdy personality guy but with good looks due to operations.
He chickened out to go to the Smoke at the last minute.
My expression:
Ok, it’s a guy, but you get my
point.
From reading Uglies, Scott
Westerfeld is a great author. That is why I want to pick up Specials. Also, the
cover and back are beautiful. And we finally get some real info on what a
Special is.
I really think you should read this
if you’ve read Uglies. It’s like a whole new experience, even though it’s
completely different.
So, not bad?
Me and Maddie are in different classes this year and we have different schedules. Meaning she has different priorities than I do. I'm training for writing competitions to win money and singing ones too. Maddie is also doing really cool things, but I don't know what they are.
So BAII PEOPLE!!!
- Aimee
P.S. I'm changing my name now ;)
