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A review by calistacyq
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
5.0
Thought-provoking and filled with adventure, Pretties by Scott Westerfeld follows where the first book has left off as Tally returns to the city to become pretty so that they can test the effects of the cure.
Summary: Tally Youngblood has turned pretty and lives in New Pretty Town, and she is about to join the Crims who behave recklessly to stay bubbly. Even then, she can't help but feel that something is wrong, When the New Smokes come to deliver her a message and the cure as planned, her life changes again.
Tropes/Genres:
• dystopian
• science fiction
• romance
• young adult
• post-apocalyptic
Review: This was an insane and good continuation of the first book. The author shows readers through Tally's primary experience what the city does to pretties. Even though it does a great job of maintaining peace, it raises the moral dilemma of whether it's okay to take away a person's right of choice even if the intentions are good. This book is thought-provoking in that sense.
Tally is different in this book. She has turned pretty not just in appearance but in thinking as well. Through this, readers can see through her first-hand experience as a pretty how the city manipulates the people. While it's nice to see Tally's efforts to overcome the pretty-minded wiring of her head, it's sad that there is everlasting damage to how she thinks about ugliness and prettiness. Regardless, she's still an absolutely strong and awesome character!
Even though I felt bad for David, I thought that Tally and Zane were cute. There's just something special about the two of them falling for each other and helping each other stay bubbly – when they are awake from their pretty-minded state caused by the lesions in their brains. Tally and Zane's relationship, however, does show readers how the system can disrupt a person's autonomy of thought and feelings. Their relationship wouldn't have existed if Tally remembered David, which would've been the case without the tempering of her brain.
I found Shay quite irritating in this book, but I think it was intentional. She had always been mildly irritating anyway ever since she left for the Smokes. She was oddly possessive over David when nothing had happened between them, and she was still angry with Tally when she became bubbly. I feel that she will have an even bigger role to play in Book 3. I also found Maddy irritating, but I understand that she's doing all that out of grief and suspicion. Either way, the characters are complex and understandable and are ultimately victims of the system.
Overall, I recommend this book to fans of dystopia. There is a lot of pretty language in this book, which makes the pretties sound like airheads. New Pretty Town can be annoying for people who can't stand that, but that's part of the experience. This is certainly an interesting book.
Summary: Tally Youngblood has turned pretty and lives in New Pretty Town, and she is about to join the Crims who behave recklessly to stay bubbly. Even then, she can't help but feel that something is wrong, When the New Smokes come to deliver her a message and the cure as planned, her life changes again.
Tropes/Genres:
• dystopian
• science fiction
• romance
• young adult
• post-apocalyptic
Review: This was an insane and good continuation of the first book. The author shows readers through Tally's primary experience what the city does to pretties. Even though it does a great job of maintaining peace, it raises the moral dilemma of whether it's okay to take away a person's right of choice even if the intentions are good. This book is thought-provoking in that sense.
Tally is different in this book. She has turned pretty not just in appearance but in thinking as well. Through this, readers can see through her first-hand experience as a pretty how the city manipulates the people. While it's nice to see Tally's efforts to overcome the pretty-minded wiring of her head, it's sad that there is everlasting damage to how she thinks about ugliness and prettiness. Regardless, she's still an absolutely strong and awesome character!
Even though I felt bad for David, I thought that Tally and Zane were cute. There's just something special about the two of them falling for each other and helping each other stay bubbly – when they are awake from their pretty-minded state caused by the lesions in their brains. Tally and Zane's relationship, however, does show readers how the system can disrupt a person's autonomy of thought and feelings. Their relationship wouldn't have existed if Tally remembered David, which would've been the case without the tempering of her brain.
I found Shay quite irritating in this book, but I think it was intentional. She had always been mildly irritating anyway ever since she left for the Smokes. She was oddly possessive over David when nothing had happened between them, and she was still angry with Tally when she became bubbly. I feel that she will have an even bigger role to play in Book 3. I also found Maddy irritating, but I understand that she's doing all that out of grief and suspicion. Either way, the characters are complex and understandable and are ultimately victims of the system.
Overall, I recommend this book to fans of dystopia. There is a lot of pretty language in this book, which makes the pretties sound like airheads. New Pretty Town can be annoying for people who can't stand that, but that's part of the experience. This is certainly an interesting book.