Despite the bit of the cliffhanger at the end of Uglies, I felt like I need a break before staring Pretties. But now that the break is over I felt good diving back into the world of uglies, pretties and specials. Again, these books are a distopia hidden behind a teenage adventure romance. The characters are very believable which makes me both enjoy and cringe at parts of the story. As this is the second book in the trilogy, I'll just go ahead and dive into it. Here is the link to Audible's page for the book. It was narrated again by Carine Montbertrand and while she is still not my favorite narrator, I'm getting use to her style and voice.
Plot: Tally became pretty for a reason. The only problem is that she can't remember why. She has hooked up with her friends from her ugly days, and is a shoe-in for the coolest clique in New Pretty Town - the Crimms. In order to get into the Crimms you have to have pulled more than your fair share of tricks as an ugly. The leader of the Crimms, Zane, is determined to make sure they still pull tricks, only now that their pretty, the tricks have to be bigger and better than before. Tally doesn't know what to think about all this, but doesn't want to be alone without friends. Lucky for her, her tricks list is probably the biggest out there. However, the life Tally left is determined to make sure that she doesn't forget why she's there, or what the operation really does. What's more, Zane knows more than he tells and the tricks he plays are for a reason. As Tally and Zane uncover answers to questions that had been forgotten they come closer and closer together until they need each other. The problem is the questions they uncover aren't the only things lurking. What happens when those that Tally betrayed start to remember the pain? And why does Dr. Cable, the leader of the fearsome specials, seek Tally out? And what is Tally going to do when Zane and David meet?
Plot: Tally became pretty for a reason. The only problem is that she can't remember why. She has hooked up with her friends from her ugly days, and is a shoe-in for the coolest clique in New Pretty Town - the Crimms. In order to get into the Crimms you have to have pulled more than your fair share of tricks as an ugly. The leader of the Crimms, Zane, is determined to make sure they still pull tricks, only now that their pretty, the tricks have to be bigger and better than before. Tally doesn't know what to think about all this, but doesn't want to be alone without friends. Lucky for her, her tricks list is probably the biggest out there. However, the life Tally left is determined to make sure that she doesn't forget why she's there, or what the operation really does. What's more, Zane knows more than he tells and the tricks he plays are for a reason. As Tally and Zane uncover answers to questions that had been forgotten they come closer and closer together until they need each other. The problem is the questions they uncover aren't the only things lurking. What happens when those that Tally betrayed start to remember the pain? And why does Dr. Cable, the leader of the fearsome specials, seek Tally out? And what is Tally going to do when Zane and David meet?
My personal favorites: As I mentioned earlier, Tally is a very believable character. She is very well written with realistic actions, motivations, and desires. The majority of the other characters are as well. The pacing on this book was different than the first so it felt like it moved faster, but still covered a decent amount of time. The character of Zane and the other Crimms were fun and I got to care about them, even Paris. Shay was a fascinating person to watch, believable and intriguing. I almost wonder if the ultimate story is more about Shay's decent rather than Tally's rise (but I should say more about that). The continuation of the story was satisfying and the action was engaging.
Considerations: I hate to say that when I lay these out this book may appear to be one of the worst I've ever reviewed. I know there has been discussion about young adult become more hard-edged and this may appear to be one of those that spark the discussion. First, new pretties (newly turned into pretties that is) like to party and are expected to indulge in the pleasures of life. Consequently the first chapter starts with tally waking up with a hangover and having a bloody Mary to try and get rid of it. There are quite a few references to alcohol, most of them champagne, although Tally and Zane swear it off halfway through the book. Also which there is not sexual content in the book there are a few references to it (the need to be careful as a pretty not to be too eager), it does seem to indicate that tally and Zane sleep together. Note, that is the non-italicized sleeping as in they share a bed together. There is no indication of sexual conduct other than kissing with any of the characters. Two characters also abstain from eating for a couple of reasons, both reasons are seen as good, which is the part that is worth considering. It makes a point of showing that when the reasons are fulfilled one character identifies that she doesn't need to starve herself anymore. However, as someone with family who has suffered from eating disorders, I couldn't see it as harmless. The final consideration is that this book does discuss the practice of cutting oneself. A group of pretties take part in a ritualized cutting in an attempt to identify reality. In the scene in question those that are taking part are seen as "crazy" and the practice is looked on with abhorrence. Despite that portrayal the scene is still very intense and I can understand how many may choose to avoid it. As always, I don't mention these things to dissuade readers. Just to make sure that readers are informed.
I enjoyed the story and the characters. It was engaging and compelling. There were things that the characters did that I didn't agree with. Those things in question did not appear to be done gratuitously but where the actions, thoughts, and results of very believable characters and their choices. The total length was just over 11 hours.
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