Pretties

Enjoyed the developing plot with this 2nd book in the trilogy but didn't connect with the Tally/Zane romantic relationship.

After her intense rel/ship with David in the first, it felt kinda ‘wrong'.

Brilliant ending, makes me reach for Specials immediately.

Looking forward to seeing how the trilogy wraps up.

I really liked this – I've read the whole series before, but I started a reread and now feel compelled to finish it. Two things about the end (and therefore spoilers): 1) I really like that Tally was gonna go with Zane over David, because I get tired of the first boy in a YA book being the main character's One Twoo Love. 2) It was really unfair of Maddy to blame Tally for Zane's brain damage. Like, if the pills had to be taken together, maybe you should PUT THAT IN THE DIRECTIONS. Even a pretty could understand that.

Not a bad second book. Never got around to reading this in middle school when it came out due to not liking the first book in but I am glad that I finally did read it. Although some of the characters do bother me, maybe it is just because I am older and this was written for teens. Still a good book, but not really my cup of tea.

(Read this and other reviews at Fictionally Inclined.)

*3.5 STARS

I truly am loving these books! However, it is difficult to review books in a series separately. A lot of what I said about Uglies still applies here. The originality of the world is perfect, and the different vocabulary choices work really well with the characters and atmosphere. Westerfeld portrayed the vapid, confused mind of a Pretty in a way that lets the reader understand it and still connect with the person while simultaneously being frustrated because they see how flawed it really is.

I enjoyed the new people we met in this book. Parts of it were a little darker than before, but the focus wasn't on that too much. Shay has never been my favorite character, and what happened to her, while sad, was not a surprise. I find Tally a unique and likable heroine, and her survival skills never cease to amaze me. As for other characters, I love Zane! He is fascinating and definitely a good addition to the cast of characters. I found Andrew intriguing, and I am hoping he shows up again in the future. I am looking forward to when that storyline gets addressed.

I loved how Westerfeld used the same basic premise of a dream to symbolize everything that was going on in the world around Tally. They were always accurate, and it was a good portrayal of how Tally subconsciously felt about and viewed circumstances without sticking everything into informative dialogue or unnecessary thought processes. As the books are written in third person, not first, too much internal monologue would be out of place. The way they are written works well with the characters and the story.

The end of the book! It left me in chills, and I can't wait to see what happens. I will definitely be reading it soon (probably after I drag myself out of bed and go get some breakfast).

I can't. You guys. I CAN NOT. I remember liking these books so much as a kid. How is it so damn bad? I wanted to rate this higher for the sake of nostalgia but I can't. If you didn't read this as a kid, skip it now. If you did read it and think “it can't be that bad”, read it again. It can and is that bad.

The pretties have phrases they use and it's so annoying. “Tally-wa”, dizzy making, fashion missing, bogus, “Shay-la”, bubbly, “Zane-la”

A slight disappointment after Uglies, and the way they talked about food and cutting made me a tiny bit uncomfortable. But it's complicated. IDK. I still immediately started reading [b:Specials 24765 Specials (Uglies, #3) Scott Westerfeld http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255885174s/24765.jpg 3278286] so it's not like I was that disappointed.

After reading [b:Uglies 24770 Uglies (Uglies, #1) Scott Westerfeld http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255574770s/24770.jpg 2895388], I was beyond excited that there were more books in the series. I went straight to the library and picked up [b:Pretties 4137 Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165389015s/4137.jpg 1030767]. And the disappointment began there.Where it was interesting to peer into the mind of someone who had gone through the operation, I felt like I was peering into the mind of a brainless drone. Which, in a sense, I was.But it never ended. Even after she had taken the pills and continued to remain “bubbly,” I still felt like I was reading some brainless teenager's journal instead of a book that is supposed to follow up the amazing [b:Uglies 24770 Uglies (Uglies, #1) Scott Westerfeld http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255574770s/24770.jpg 2895388]. The story moves along predictably. From the beginning you know that David will return at some point, and that she'll be confused. There's no twists or surprises. Overall, I was extremely disappointed by this one and have actually given up reading the series. :(