Pretties (Uglies Series #2)

Publishers Weekly

Tally, the star of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (which PW said, "raises thought- provoking issues") is now one of the Pretties, thanks to an operation that everyone from Uglyville gets when they turn 16, and which makes them gorgeous. In this sequel, a letter Tally discovers from her "former" self raises disturbing questions about what else may have occurred during the procedure. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT

This gripping sequel to Uglies begins as Tally is enjoying her new life as a pretty. She's with her best friends Shay and Peris again, she has a gorgeous new boyfriend named Zane, and she's about to join the most sought-after clique in New Pretty Town. But when she receives a message from her old friends in the Smoke, she's reminded of her mission: to test a cure for the brain surgery that dulls the minds of pretties. She and Zane share the cure, which clears their minds but makes Zane dangerously ill. The couple teaches the rest of their clique how to keep their minds clear without the cure. But with her newly clear mind, Shay remembers Tally's betrayal of the Smoke and breaks off to form a violent new clique of her own. Now hiding from Shay as well as the authorities, Tally and her friends must plan a daring escape from New Pretty Town--before it's too late for Zane. Pretties continues to ask questions about friendship and betrayal, while building one of the most fascinating worlds in recent SF. It pulls no punches, gives no easy answers, and ends with a shocking cliffhanger that will leave you counting the days until the final book. (Sequel to Uglies). KLIATT Codes: JS*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2005, Simon & Schuster, 370p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Samantha Musher

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-This sequel to Uglies (S & S, 2005) continues to provide a gripping look at a dystopian future, but does not stand on its own. Tally, the protagonist of the first book, has forgotten all that she did as an Ugly and has completely embraced the mindless life of a New Pretty, going to parties, drinking heavily, and thinking of nothing more than the next bit of entertainment. It is not until one of the Uglies from New Smoke comes and delivers a message for her that leads her to two pills, that she begins to remember the real reason she is Pretty: to see if the cure will work. Tally and her new boyfriend, Zane, each take one of the pills and both begin to stay focused for longer periods of time. Then he has a bad reaction to the pill, and Tally has to make a desperate attempt to get him to the only doctors who can help him-the ones outside the city. Westerfeld has built a masterfully complex and vivid civilization. His characters are multidimensional, especially Tally, who wrestles with what she has done in the past and what she will be forced to do in the future. Uglies and Pretties are both nearly impossible to put down. If you don't have the first one, make sure to purchase them both.-Tasha Saecker, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake, WI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

This bracing second entry follows straight from Tally's stunning choice at the end of Uglies (Feb. 2005). Now mesmerizingly pretty from the high-tech surgery that everyone in this dystopian future receives at age 16, Tally and her friends have no obligations beyond partying. Being pretty includes being pretty-minded: "empty and lazy and vapid," pleasure-focused, with everything seeming "vague and fuzzy." A group of rebels outside the city may have a cure; Tally had volunteered (pre-surgery) to be the test case, but will her newly pretty brain agree with her old self? She and her boyfriend engineer a hot-air balloon escape, during which Tally gets separated from him and ends up in the woods, discovering ancient-type people kept alive in an alarming experiment. When she finally reaches the rebels, things go instantly wrong in a continuation of this series' powerful theme of manipulation and betrayal. Exciting plot with intriguing technology-part three is eagerly awaited. (Science fiction. YA)