Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Amanda

his series has its hook in me, that's for sure! This is the second installment in Scott Westerfeld's insanely popular series that began with Uglies. This one started off a little slower for me, but by the end the action and suspense were just as good as in the first novel.


Pretties continues to follow Tally Youngblood, a rebellious Ugly that was turned Pretty in the last novel. She is enjoying her new life as a Pretty, taking in all the party action and making friends with the very exclusive club, the Crims, when an old friend from her past life as an Ugly shows up. Tally is reminded of her trip to The Smoke and what she was actually doing in Pretty Town. Tally and Zane, a Crim, take the pills left by Croy and hope that they will be cured as the members of the Old Smoke had promised. When Zane has a bad reaction to the pill, Tally must find a way to get him to the New Smoke and the doctor that created the Cure.


In this novel, Tally wrestles with a lot of emotions including guilt, anger, and sadness. She feels horribly for betraying Shay, David, and the rest of The Smoke and wishes only to redeem herself. The only part of this book that I didn't care for was all the "pretty talk." It can get confusing and somewhat annoying when every other word is "bubbly." That alone is not a reason to avoid these books, as the plots are fantastic and very much original. I can't wait to read the last in the trilogy, Specials.