Specials

The third book in his trilogy, Scott Westerfield continues Tally's story in Specials.

As predicted, Tally has been turned into a Special; however, as one of Shay's Cutters, she's a special Special.  As the name suggests, the Cutters use self-mutilation as a way to stay "icy".  Tally is unsatisfied as a Cutter since Zane is not a part of their group.  Finding him crippled, Tally and Shay decide that if he escapes from New Pretty Town that Dr. Cable will have to make him Special.  And to help him, they break into the Armory to find a cutting tool that will remove the tracking collar he has around his neck.  Unfortunately, when they were discovered by the guard, Shay released nanos that ended up eating through the building, destroying it in the process.

After releasing Zane, Tally follows the Crims at a distance, staying undercover and helping them when they are nearly discovered.  At the pickup point, Tally stows onboard and is taken to another City which has a more liberal point of view than the one Tally grew up in.  For example, there are no standards for cosmetic surgery, so Tally is able to hide out in the open with her Special face.  While there, she finds Fausto, a kidnapped Cutter that Shay had set out to find.  However, he attempts to make Tally un-Special; in the escape, Tally winds up in a hospital where she is deemed a deadly weapon and is scheduled to be de-Specialized. 

When Shay shows up to free Shay from the operation, she explains how Dr. Cable has declared war on the City, since she doesn't believe that the Crims or Smokies could have destroyed the Armory.  The aftermath of Dr. Cable's revenge has left Zane brain-dead and Tally spends the next 3 days flying back to the Special Headquarters to turn herself in.  Meeting David in the Ruins has strengthened her resolve to make things right, and he also gives her an antidote in case she changes her mind about being Special.  Reaching HQ, Tally is tricked and trapped; but manages to slip Dr. Cable the antidote in the process.  Due to her changed perspective, Dr. Cable ends up ruining her own position in the war and all of the Specials are de-Specialized.  Just before Tally's operation, Dr. Cable saves her from the procedure and Tally runs off to the Ruins to meet up with David again.

In the end, all of Tally's friends become allies of the new movement; however, Tally is determined to keep them from becoming like the Rusties and has declared herself (and David) to be the enemy of their cause.

I liked the book and I think Tally matured in this story.  And I liked how it ended, with Tally setting herself up as the antagonist.  I know there's another story, Extras, which I'm assuming ties up the story, although the author could have let it end there. 

The next story that I'm reading is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut as part of the Banned Book Club. 

Pretties

Yay!  Book two of the Uglies trilogy, Pretties, by Scott Westerfield continues the story of Tally Youngblood after she turned pretty.  After her operation, Tally turned into a fluffy pretty whose biggest worries were what to wear to the next party - with a hangover.  With the help of Shay and Peris, Tally is voted into the hippest clique in New Pretty Town, the Crims, and her life is complete!  On the same night, Croy comes to Tally and leaves a "bubbly riddle" for Tally and her friend, Zane.

Discovering a note written from herself, Tally splits the pills with Zane that will cure her of the lesions implanted in her brain.  Their trick results in Tally and Zane having to wear metal cuffs that could potentially eavesdrop on their conversations; however, this doesn't deter them from finding new ways to stay bubbly.  Zane and Tally have decided to run away and they use all the members of their clique to create a diversion so they can head out to New Smoke.  On the way, Peris chickens out and Tally jumps from an incredible height to a river to avoid being recaptured by the Specials.  After her crash landing, Tally finds herself on a reservation with pre-Rusty tribes, built for the sole purpose of studying human nature such as revenge.  So, what does Tally do?  Steal a hovercar, of course!   When Tally finally makes it to the ruins, she discovers that she is all alone, except for David - someone that she had forgotten about.

Special Circumstances placed a tracker on Zane and followed the signal to New Smoke.  They also brought their newest Special, Shay.  And I think that in the next book Tally will be one of them.

I still really liked this book, but Tally has a huge complex where she believes that everything is her fault.  I'm hoping that she learns to forgive herself in the next book.  I was a little annoyed when Tally was reunited with David and wasn't sure what to do; however, I feel like it was taken care of appropriately at the end of the book and I was incredibly thankful that it ended in this story.  Having just read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which was 3 books of one girl having to decide between 2 boys, I was so glad when Tally made a quick decision.

This book wasn't as scientifically driven as the last, but it was anthropologically interesting with the study of human nature on the reserve.  I find it fascinating to read about the Rusties: a society 300 years ago that pretty much describes our current culture and state of mind.  It makes you wonder if the oil plague, or something similar, will happen and how will that shape the future? 

It was a little annoying when the characters spoke fluent pretty, but it made the difference between being pretty-minded and bubbly more obvious.  I am really excited for the next book though, since I am convinced that Tally will be turned into one of the Specials.  I'm also curious as to whether or not Shay is as crazy as she lets on.  And off I go to read the next story, Specials!

Uglies

The first book in a trilogy, Scott Westerfield introduces us to the concept of a world where everyone is pretty.  Before they are surgically altered at the age of 16, teenagers start out as an ugly; or, in other words, normal.  Gawky, acne-prone and all the other things that make being a teenager horrible are magically erased when you turn.

Enter Tally Youngblood, a teen who has looked forward to being pretty since she was little.  Her best friend, Peris, has already turned and a disastrous undercover trip to New Prettytown has her missing him even more.  On her way back to Uglyville, Tally meets Shay, another ugly who also shares the same birthday as Tally.  However, Shay has a secret: she doesn't want to be pretty.  Instead, she wants to escape to the Smoke, a secret community that lives off the land and where you get to keep your face.  Shay invites Tally to come along, but Tally wants to become a pretty face and stays.  Unfortunately, Special Circumstances has heard of the escapees and has given Tally an ultimatum: infiltrate the Smoke and give them up or Tally will never be pretty.

Once Tally has arrived, she discovers that she enjoys the hard work and honest living of the Smoke.  She especially likes David, a man who has never lived in the city.  And he likes her.  In a fit of defiance, Tally destroys the pendant that would've allowed her to contact Special Circumstances.  However, the destruction actually calls them and they capture everyone present.  Tally manages to escape and finds David in a tunnel.  Together they decide that they're going to sneak back to the city and rescue everyone.

Breaking into Special Circumstances actually isn't as hard as they thought; but they're too late: Shay is already pretty.  They rescue her anyway and create a new Smoke in the ruins outside the city.  When David's mom discovers a cure for the lesions implanted in a new pretty's head, Tally tries to convince Shay to take the pills.  Shay refuses, so Tally decides to turn herself in, thus giving a willing subject to test the pills.

I really, really liked this story!  The biology and evolution behind becoming a pretty is fascinating; and the concept behind why and how being a pretty made the world a better place is interesting.  In this dystopian society, the population is brainwashed into believing their lives are better when they're pretty.  Children purposefully (and equally) give nicknames to their cohorts that draw attention to their faults; for example, Squint, Nose and Skinny.  Even the symmetry behind being a pretty is about equality; pretties around the world have the same standard of beauty.

This future world also talks about the Rusties: a past civilization who built the cities, tore down the trees and polluted the air and water.  A bacteria that affected the oil caused a plague that devastated their world.  In the era of the pretties, renewable resources and green power have replaced oil and gas power.

The scientific concepts behind this book has made this story absolutely fascinating!  I highly recommend it if you have a thing for biology, like I do, as well as an interest in dystopia.  So, really, this book is pure perfection for someone like me.  I also have the next story, Pretties, which I'll start reading as soon as I'm finished typing this review.