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    Pretties
    Pretties
    Pretties
    Ebook344 pages5 hours

    Pretties

    By Scott Westerfeld

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The second installment of Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling and award-winning Uglies series—a global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend.

    Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she’s completely popular. It’s everything she’s ever wanted.

    But beneath all the fun—the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom—is a nagging sense that something’s wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally’s ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what’s wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

    Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life—because the authorities don’t intend to let anyone with this information survive.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateNov 11, 2008
    ISBN9781416987345
    Author

    Scott Westerfeld

    Scott Westerfeld is the author of ten books for young adults, including Peeps, The Last Days, and the Midnighters trilogy. He was born in Texas in 1963, is married to the Hugo-nominated writer Justine Larbalestier, and splits his time between New York and Sydney. His latest book is Extras, the fourth in the bestselling Uglies series.

    Read more from Scott Westerfeld

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    Reviews for Pretties

    4/5

    3,157 ratings163 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I liked Pretties much better than Uglies for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because of the changes in Tally's character. In Uglies, she lacked the ability to see the consequences of her actions and was pretty self-centred. Although she is a Pretty in this book, Tally matures very quickly once she realises the truth about the operation and makes some very difficult decisions which I admired her for. Her friendship with Shay finally begins to crack under the pressure of the events of the previous book, and it was nice to see Tally and Shay shaken out of their usual roles and grow into fuller characters. I also liked the introduction of Zane, I think he's a great addition to the cast and compliments Tally well - he takes risks and has a lot of fun, but is a lot more mature and guides Tally through the book.Pretties builds well on the foundations of Uglies and reveals more of Scott Westerfeld's dystopian world, and for the first time we get to see life from the Other Side. As a Pretty Tally is sort of annoying and shallow, but it's easy to see the lure of living such a simple life where everything is provided and your only job is to have fun. However, when the truth is revealed to her about the operation and she begins to see clearly again, the world is revealed to be false and full of dangers. The reappearance of the Special Circumstances people was expected in the book, but they still freak me out! Dr. Cable is, once again, flawless in her role of villain. One of the most significant developments in the world building is a certain discovery that Tally makes - which in hindsight makes a lot of sense but I wasn't expecting it and it took me completely by surprise.With Tally in the Pretty world, I found myself a little confused at the vocabulary used by the New Pretties - everything is either bubbly (good) or bogus (bad), and things are crazy-making, dizzy-making etc. It gets a little tiring to keep reading the new words and speaking style, but I think it brings home the alien nature of the Pretties very well. In her moments of lucidity Tally tends to revert to normal speech patterns, but continues using bubbly and bogus, which I believe highlights how even if she were to be cured, she would retain some of the characteristics she has picked up as a Pretty. I was amazed at the lengths the Pretties would go to feel bubbly once they realised it also gave them clarity. It seems that adrenaline has a large role to play, with kissing and facing (and surviving) dangerous situations contributing to the bubbly feeling, but once some characters started cutting themselves to feel the same I became concerned.This is an increasingly compelling series that I recommend to all my readers - read one of the original dystopian worlds in modern YA and revel in the brilliance that Westerfeld serves up! I can't wait to read the final volume of the trilogy, Specials, and am also looking forward to the stand alone companion novel, Extras.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
    • 4/5
      Pretties is the second volume of the Uglies Trilogy, and takes up the story right where the award-winning Uglies left off. Tally has gotten everything she has always wanted: to be Pretty--to have a hot boyfriend, lots of friends, parties and fun all the time, to be free to do whatever she wants and not to be responsible for anything. At least, that's what she used to want when she was Ugly. But that is before she found the Smoke, and unintentionally betrayed the community that lived in secret outside of the system. Of course, she doesn't remember most of that now that she's been made Pretty; being Pretty isn't just a physical change, the brain is deliberately altered as well. But she does have a sense that something is just not quite right with her carefree world. And she's not the only Pretty who's uneasy. When someone from her Ugly past crashes a party to get her a message her world suddenly becomes more dangerous because she begins to remember what she's learned, and there are some people who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Tally and her friends develop a daring plan to escape the confines of New Pretty Town and run away to the New Smoke. But with the authorities watching more closely every day, anything could go wrong and their time is running out. Scott Westerfeld delivers yet another piece of great dystopian fiction for young adults with Pretties. I'm not sure which I've enjoyed most so far, but I will definitely be picking up Specials to finish off the trilogy. Experiments in Reading
    • 4/5
      While I genuinely enjoyed this, there was a point — maybe 3/5 of the way through — where I said, "Wait, this book has the same plot flow of the first." Not a bad thing, especially for YA fiction, but...I hope this isn't the case for the third.
    • 4/5
      The Writing and Worldbuilding

      It builds on the world Uglies established, expanding and giving insight into the behind the scenes of the society. I was annoyed with the whole ~love cures all~ thing, as well as aspects of the love triangle, as, at this point, they're very old tropes, but since this came out over ten years ago, before The Hunger Games even, I'll give it some free passes. The slight glorification of Zane's undernourishment and gaunt appearance wasn't okay, though. I understand why he was gaunt, but I don't understand why Tally thought it was attractive.

      The Characters

      Tally: My sister warned me that she is very annoying as a Pretty, but honestly, she wasn't really, and if she was, it wasn't for very long. She was just as proactive as she had been in book 1, and I still really liked her.

      Zane: I'm not a fan of love triangles, but he was a super nice and I loved him. He was distinct from David and lovable in his own way.

      Shay: I'm so sad my hyper, lovable Shay is gone forever :(

      Fausto: I loved him! He wasn't super important, but he was funny and even in his few appearances, I got a good feel for his character.

      Andrew Simpson Smith: My lovable caveman! ❤❤❤ I don't care that he's stereotypical and a sexist, I love him.

      Conclusion

      I read this in almost one sitting and in less than 24 hours, so I think they gives a general idea of how engrossed I was in this, and how much I generally really liked it, but I didn't totally love it or anything. To put it in pretty speech: It wasn't totally love-making (which sounds dirty, but I swear it isn't)
    • 4/5
      It's a good sequel, which continues directly off of the previous book. While I enjoy the storyline, I continue to have a bit of trouble actually getting pulled into the world. Nonetheless, I will continue to read the series, and am truly hoping for a strong continuing storyline.
    • 3/5
      I wasn't enthusiastic about the ending, which more or less results in the whole book being a noop.At the start of the book, Tally is newly pretty and her former ugly friends are on the run from the specials. There's a whole lot of plot about how she's going to escape and re-join them, which she does. But then the Specials show up to break up the Ugly party, and the Uglies are back on the run with Tally and her boyfriend in Pretty hands.I don't see a whole lot of growth from the protagonist either.It's a pretty interesting journey to get to that final point, but now I'm worried that the next book is mostly going to be a repeat of what's in this book.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed book #1 more than this one, but still worth reading.
    • 4/5
      Just as enjoyable as the first book. Recommend it .
    • 4/5
      A compelling sequel. Worth the read.
    • 2/5
      Not as impressed by this one as the first one. The part I found the most interesting was the reservation, but I feel like the plot's gotten too far away from the original concept (everyone being made the same), and despite that there's this pretty vs ugly social commentary there's still a lot of emphasis on good guys = attractive, bad guys = ugly or creepy.
    • 5/5
      As a 40 yr old, I loved it! Great critique of society! This book is well written, anyone, no matter how old they are, can understand how beauty shapes the way we see people and how social hierarchies are formed. This series has made me think about what does make a person 'pretty' or ugly. Sometimes the prettiest people can be so cruel, they become ugly by virtue of their behavior, and sometimes so called 'ugly' people can become gorgeous because of their inner beauty. I'm never going to look at people the same again after reading this series!
    • 5/5
      I loved it! Really showed the contrast to the pretty minded and regular (ugly) thinking. The ending blew me away love the series
    • 5/5
      I’m enjoying this series. I cannot wait to read the next one. I actually liked this one better than the first. Tally has gone through a lot of character development. Zane was a nice new introduction. I would recommend this series.
    • 3/5
      ok. so on top of all the other stuff i have been reading lately, i became thoroughly engrossed in a series which has not let me down in the slightest. this is a bit long winded, but keep in mind it is in reference to reading three books.. and i am trying REALLY hard not to give away spoilers..

      it is hard to write about this book because in the context of the review, the keywords and mannerisms of the characters society seems like nothing but grammar and spelling errors. bear with it though, in the books, you are so washed over with the word use and logic that it actually makes sense in the proper frame.

      the Uglies trilogy (now a quadrilogy?) was very engrossing. Book one, Uglies, describes a world where there is no war. there is no famine, hatred, or turmoil. 200-300 years in the past over population, strip mining, clear cutting, genetic engineering of plants and animals laid waste on everything in the world. humans have rebuilt from the ashes after we destroyed ourselves. our generation is referred to as “the rusties” since everything left from our world is covered in rust and falling apart.

      Tally Youngblood is 15 years old, and only months away from becoming one of the “pretties”. in this world, to remove all of the dangerous human habits of destruction, you are born and raised by your parents, once you hit a certain age (8 or 9 from what i could tell) you are shipped off to school as an ugly. at the age of 16 you are taken from school where you will be put under the knife and remade as a better person. your bones are ground down and or elongated, you have new muscle tissue added to your body, and you have full facial re-constructive surgery. all “pretties” have a choice on how they look, with in the guidelines of the governments rules of morphology. they effectively remove all extremes in height, hair color, skin color, etc. everyone is similar and there is no need for hatred.

      Tally, in waiting for her 16th birthday meets a new friend, Shay, who has no desire to become one of the pretties. a week before their shared birthday/graduation from being uglies, Shay decides to run off to a rumored group of rebels who have shafted the system and stayed ugly, and foregone all efforts to work within the system. Tally however has no desire to join her friend and sticks around for her surge (surgery). her only desire is become pretty and join her friends in New Pretty town, where she can dance and play and enjoy the life she has been programmed to want since birth.

      Unfortunately, Tally is roped into a game of social change. she is scooped up by the fearsome and dangerous police force that acts as bogeymen for the government. Special Circumstances (the Specials) only comes forward when needed, generally letting the local police force take care of everything. This being a “Special circumstance” Tally is forced to follow her friend to the encampment of rebels (the Smoke) and betray her friend, and everyone who has escaped so far. if she does not, she will be denies surge and will forever be Ugly. and in this society, this is the worst thing that could ever happen to you.

      Book one was so good, that i had an itch to move on to book two immediately. i hate doing that. i love to stretch a series out if possible, and draw out the enjoyment from the story line. so when book one was finished, though i really wanted to move on to the second book, i ramped myself down and read the Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja book. Book two immediately followed and when finished i lost all self control and my fingers and eyes forced me to read book three next.. it took about two days with my schedule.. two lousy days.. why couldn’t it last longer… i wasted a great book by reading it too soon..

      well, not a waste. damn. it was so good, i had no choice really.. it was in my best interest to read the book. or so i keep telling myself. there is a fourth book. it was written after the trilogy was announced, so it is a bit of an anomaly, thus the trilogy quadrilogy notation above. unfortunately, the book Extras is still in hardback edition, so until it hits paperback, i will have to force myself to wait.. this sucks..

      these books, written by Scott Westerfeld, fall into the teen-fiction category. they are written for teens, but the story line and books themselves do not lend themselves only to teens. being thirty years old, i literally could not stop reading these books. if you need a good break from your normal reading schedule, i would throw these in the mix and read them. they all rank around 300 pages of single space small print, so they are not some little read you would use to sturdy the kitchen table. instead, they are full of vibrant ideas, technology, tattoos that i wish were a reality. there were no obvious plot twists that made me think “why am i reading this” or “how predictable” instead, i was often surprised and left feeling “bubbly” as they state in the book.

      imagine a world full of barbie dolls being slowly destroyed by barbie’s cyber-punk kid sister that has been kept in the closet for years.

      i was sad to come to the end of this series, but glad to know that i will have at least one more book to close it all up in the near future.

      anyone who is interested should note that all three of the first books can be bought in a boxed set for under 20 bucks.. this is how i got sucked into them.. a really good price for a nice story line idea turned into one of the best purchases i have made on books in a while. now, i just have to hope that hollywood has not gotten their hands on the thought of movies. these would be thoroughly ruined and not done justice.. read them before someone fucks them up for you… thats all i have to say on the matter.
    • 1/5
      I hope to never hear the words "bubbly" and "bogus" again.
    • 5/5
      Solid 5 stars, favorite series! Don’t believe the 3 star reviews. Getting sucked into this series recommended by a friend was the best choice, period. Highly recommend the “Imposter” series if you want something similar in scope by Mr Westerfeld. Who doesn’t love a good Thalia Youngblood read;)
    • 1/5
      Dear Tarah:Well, I tried. You were surprised that I didn't like Uglies. It was so much fun, you said! And you told me that you liked the sequel, Pretties, even more. When we talked about it, I wondered if it all boiled down to one's tolerance for hoverboards. Hoverboards are so played out, I said! It was a well-worn trope back in 1989, when Back to the Future was first released, I whined. It's certainly a cliche now.You admitted that that might be true. But modern teenagers don't know from Marty McFly, you contended, and besides, hoverboards are awesome.But the problem is that I still don't think hoverboards are enough to carry a novel. And the truth is, hoverboards are far from the silliest thing I stumbled across in Scott Westerfeld's Pretties. His universe is filled with silly things. Clocks embedded in eyeballs. Tattoos that glow with heartbeats. Floating skating rinks and jackets and poorly explained nanotechnology. Painful slang. And a seriously silly main character who I found seriously unlikeable.With the exception of my dislike for Tally Youngblood, I may have been able to forgive all the goofiness of Westerfeld's world if it coalesced into something tangible, believable, and concrete. Now, don't get me wrong--I love sci-fi even when it's at its goofiest. I mean, I'll take a good ol' Ferengi episode of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 any day. But that's because I buy Ferengi culture. I believe it. And even a hundred and eighty pages into the second book in this series (which is the point where I gave up on reading closely, and just started skimming), I never believed in Tally's world. The technology seems fluffy--as if I'm meant to just find it wicked cool and ignore how utterly unlikely it seems. And the sociology is even worse. Adults in this society are either impotent or evil. Our rebellion is populated entirely by an under-twenty set with a strange dearth of participation from "Middle" or "Late" Pretties. There's exactly one adult fighting for "good," and she is completely unlikeable. I understand a young adult author's urge to dispense with parents or parental figures. However, I just didn't buy it--it violated my willing suspension of disbelief. Compare this universe with the one Suzanne Collins gives us in The Hunger Games. There, you also have self-sufficient teenagers who participate in exciting action sequences and are integral to a rebellion. However, they're bolstered and supported by adults even as they are separate from them. This created characters--and a world--which was much more human and much more believable. But maybe all of that wouldn't have bugged me very much if I liked Tally. But I really, really didn't.Because as Tally "progresses" in this series, going from Ugly to Pretty to "bubbly" to Special, she remains largely shallow in her motivations. She wants to be Pretty and she wants a powerful boy (though her preference for which powerful boy changes according to her situation) to like her. She lacks any real initiative. Any changes in her motivations are initiated and inspired by the boys she's involved with. Contrast this to Shay. I'm still not sure how we're supposed to feel about Shay--that is, how Westerfeld wants us to feel about Shay--but I can't help but like her. Despite her informed flaw of jealousy, not to mention her apparent scrappiness, she displays real initiative time and time again in this series. For all that David claims in Uglies that she's a follower, she still leaves for the Smoke without Tally. In Pretties, as a Pretty, she finds a means towards "bubbliness" without medical intervention or encouragement by a boy. Now, I know we're meant to view the cutting here as horrific, particularly in comparison with Tally's "natural" ways of achieving mental clarity. But Westerfeld breaks his Aesop by having Tally eat calorie purgers and starve herself. Her behavior is equally self-destructive, and something she does only with the support of a stronger man. Meanwhile, Shay acts independently, and is eventually able to find both followers and power through these actions. I couldn't help but feel like her story was the more interesting of the two--and I couldn't help but wish that Westerfeld had shown us more of it.I mean, there are a few times in this series where Shay confronts Tally, accusing her of going after the guys that Shay likes, of attaching herself to the cutest and most popular men. I couldn't help but just nod in agreement with everything she was saying, and that's a problem, don't you think? It's one thing if a character is realistically complex. It's another if you just start to hope that she'll be cut down to size by other characters.That's the major reason why I gave up on this book, only skimming to the end. And that's why I'm not even going to bother with the rest of the series. I just really didn't like Tally--and didn't want to spend another minute with her. No matter how cool hoverboards are.Yours even in diverging tastes,Phoebe
    • 5/5
      AMAZING!!!
    • 3/5
      ok. so on top of all the other stuff i have been reading lately, i became thoroughly engrossed in a series which has not let me down in the slightest. this is a bit long winded, but keep in mind it is in reference to reading three books.. and i am trying REALLY hard not to give away spoilers..

      it is hard to write about this book because in the context of the review, the keywords and mannerisms of the characters society seems like nothing but grammar and spelling errors. bear with it though, in the books, you are so washed over with the word use and logic that it actually makes sense in the proper frame.

      the Uglies trilogy (now a quadrilogy?) was very engrossing. Book one, Uglies, describes a world where there is no war. there is no famine, hatred, or turmoil. 200-300 years in the past over population, strip mining, clear cutting, genetic engineering of plants and animals laid waste on everything in the world. humans have rebuilt from the ashes after we destroyed ourselves. our generation is referred to as “the rusties” since everything left from our world is covered in rust and falling apart.

      Tally Youngblood is 15 years old, and only months away from becoming one of the “pretties”. in this world, to remove all of the dangerous human habits of destruction, you are born and raised by your parents, once you hit a certain age (8 or 9 from what i could tell) you are shipped off to school as an ugly. at the age of 16 you are taken from school where you will be put under the knife and remade as a better person. your bones are ground down and or elongated, you have new muscle tissue added to your body, and you have full facial re-constructive surgery. all “pretties” have a choice on how they look, with in the guidelines of the governments rules of morphology. they effectively remove all extremes in height, hair color, skin color, etc. everyone is similar and there is no need for hatred.

      Tally, in waiting for her 16th birthday meets a new friend, Shay, who has no desire to become one of the pretties. a week before their shared birthday/graduation from being uglies, Shay decides to run off to a rumored group of rebels who have shafted the system and stayed ugly, and foregone all efforts to work within the system. Tally however has no desire to join her friend and sticks around for her surge (surgery). her only desire is become pretty and join her friends in New Pretty town, where she can dance and play and enjoy the life she has been programmed to want since birth.

      Unfortunately, Tally is roped into a game of social change. she is scooped up by the fearsome and dangerous police force that acts as bogeymen for the government. Special Circumstances (the Specials) only comes forward when needed, generally letting the local police force take care of everything. This being a “Special circumstance” Tally is forced to follow her friend to the encampment of rebels (the Smoke) and betray her friend, and everyone who has escaped so far. if she does not, she will be denies surge and will forever be Ugly. and in this society, this is the worst thing that could ever happen to you.

      Book one was so good, that i had an itch to move on to book two immediately. i hate doing that. i love to stretch a series out if possible, and draw out the enjoyment from the story line. so when book one was finished, though i really wanted to move on to the second book, i ramped myself down and read the Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja book. Book two immediately followed and when finished i lost all self control and my fingers and eyes forced me to read book three next.. it took about two days with my schedule.. two lousy days.. why couldn’t it last longer… i wasted a great book by reading it too soon..

      well, not a waste. damn. it was so good, i had no choice really.. it was in my best interest to read the book. or so i keep telling myself. there is a fourth book. it was written after the trilogy was announced, so it is a bit of an anomaly, thus the trilogy quadrilogy notation above. unfortunately, the book Extras is still in hardback edition, so until it hits paperback, i will have to force myself to wait.. this sucks..

      these books, written by Scott Westerfeld, fall into the teen-fiction category. they are written for teens, but the story line and books themselves do not lend themselves only to teens. being thirty years old, i literally could not stop reading these books. if you need a good break from your normal reading schedule, i would throw these in the mix and read them. they all rank around 300 pages of single space small print, so they are not some little read you would use to sturdy the kitchen table. instead, they are full of vibrant ideas, technology, tattoos that i wish were a reality. there were no obvious plot twists that made me think “why am i reading this” or “how predictable” instead, i was often surprised and left feeling “bubbly” as they state in the book.

      imagine a world full of barbie dolls being slowly destroyed by barbie’s cyber-punk kid sister that has been kept in the closet for years.

      i was sad to come to the end of this series, but glad to know that i will have at least one more book to close it all up in the near future.

      anyone who is interested should note that all three of the first books can be bought in a boxed set for under 20 bucks.. this is how i got sucked into them.. a really good price for a nice story line idea turned into one of the best purchases i have made on books in a while. now, i just have to hope that hollywood has not gotten their hands on the thought of movies. these would be thoroughly ruined and not done justice.. read them before someone fucks them up for you… thats all i have to say on the matter.
    • 4/5
      Sixteen year old Tally Youngblood is back in the city after her adventure in the Smoke. She is finally pretty, attending the hottest parties, and pledging the most popular clique in New Pretty Town. Too bad the operation left her memories riddled with holes. Now, as she’s enjoying her new life, her ugly past is about to creep into her pretty present and make her choose what kind of future she wants.The action continues full force in this sequel. The abundance of slang used by the pretties can be slightly annoying but the effect is similar to the new language in 1984 and illustrates the difference between the pretties and the free-thinking population. Overall, the story kept me wanting to know what would happen next and the cliffhanger was enough to make me buy “Specials” as soon as I finished the book.
    • 3/5
      My English teacher got me hooked on Uglies and I just had to read the rest of the series. In Uglies Tally Youngblood discovers a place called the Smoke and realizes life is better off not being pretty. A previous Pretty doctor in the Smoke discovered a cure for being pretty. Tally volunteered to turn Pretty and take the medicine.Once Tally is pretty, she gets accepted into a club called Crim and starts hanging out with a guy named Zane. They were at a party when a Smokie brought Tally the medicine. There are two pills and Tally was scared to do it by herself, so she spilt the medicine with Zane. After taking the medicine Tally realized why she even became pretty. She realized that Zane and her needed to escape. Zane and Tally start trying every possible way to get rid of the bands, that keeps them inside Pretty town. They escaped, but paid a price.I think Scott Westerfeld had an interesting idea with the Uglies series. I did not enjoy the ending of Pretties or the books that follow. I think Scott Westerfeld should have had a completely different ending. I feel that the first book was amazing and drew in readers, but the second book wasn’t as good. Although the end was a disappointment, Scott Westerfeld explained situations very well. Whenever a fight or deep discussion was occurring, Westerfeld explained it with amazing detail. Since Westerfeld explain these intense situations so well, it made certain parts of the book very interesting.I think that the whole Uglies series shows how our future lives could end up, if we are not careful. There are abandon Rustie villages, where everyone depended on oil. Then someone poisoned all of the oil, causing almost all of the Rusties to die. If the world doesn’t start reducing its dependency on oil, then we could end up just like the Rusties. Also another important lesson in Pretties is that you need to keep your promises. In Uglies and the beginning of Pretties, Tally struggled with keeping her promises. By the end of Pretties she started to see the truth and understood what it meant to keep promises.Pretties is an interesting sequel to Uglies, even though Uglies was much better that Pretties. Pretties was quite a disappointment, but it is a good book for middle school students. Although the book wasn’t spectacular, it is worth reading to find out what happens to Tally and all her friends.
    • 5/5
      wow!! this book was even better than the last if that's even possible. it just gets more and more intense!!
    • 3/5
      At the end of 'Uglies', the first book in this series, Tally Youngblood agrees to leave her new friends and go back to Prettytown, undergoing the operation that will make her happy and ditzy (as well as beautiful), so that her can be an experimental guinea pig for a cure. However, once she's back, she forgets all about her plans, falling into a routine of parties and fun - not to mention a new, gorgeous boyfriend. However, she's still one of the "bubbliest" (most daring and alert) Pretties, and her friends manage to sneak her the cure. Things don't go quite right though... and soon her boyfirend seems to be getting sick. They must try to escape Prettytown, avoid the scary Special Circumstances who are after tally, and get back to the rebels outside the city.
      This is a fun series, but it does suffer from big gaping holes in its logical believability.
    • 3/5
      Like Uglies this book was also very slow to get started. This one also ended on a cliff hanger. The ending was extremely fast paced and the story is interesting, although the characters seem weaker this time around. Maybe it's because pretties are supposed to be useless.
    • 5/5
      All of the excitement of a thriller but with the depth of a classic. It's not timeless literature, but I think it will last longer than a Christopher Pike novel. Timeless themes, certainly--gave me a lot to think about.
    • 4/5
      Tally has finally become pretty! And it's everything she's ever dreamed of: living in New Pretty Town, amazing parties every night, awesome clothes, a totally hot boyfriend and she's completely popular. Yet the feeling like she's forgetting something won't go away. Something important. After being stalked at a party by someone from her ugly past she receives a letter. Reading it Tally starts to remember what's wrong and realizes just how much danger she and her friends are in. Pretties is the second in the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. The story picks up a few weeks after where book one left off. Westerfeld builds nicely on his world showing us the another facet of society. As a Pretty Tally is annoying and shallow, pretty much what you expect for a society that glorifies personal appearance. Once her memory starts to come back she starts to grow as a character again becoming more interesting. It's also interesting to read about her relationship with Shay, just how different it is from the first book.More characters are introduced. Zane is a fun addition as is the idea behind the Crims clique. Dr. Cable, shown to us briefly in book one, continues to be an excellent villain. This time around the Pretty slang started to grate on my nerves. Everything is always bubbly or bogus or crazy-making. I know it's part of the world building but it was almost hard to read. There are parts where they story tends to plod along while trying to explain things in Pretty terms. Still it's a good read and a good addition to the series.
    • 1/5
      When I started reading this book, I was like "YES! This is what I wanted Uglies to be! Thanks Scott!" Tally's unease in her new life, her nagging feeling that there's something more, something other than partying and being pretty all the time. Suddenly, Tally's shallow self-involved cowardice and dullness which so irritated me in the first book fit perfectly here, and together with the nebulous but unshakable knowledge that there's something more, that being "pretty" isn't everything, isn't all it's cracked up to be but her inability to put her finger on exactly what, serves to make her sympathetic to the max - with the understanding, of course, that she'll learn and grown and grow out of these things.

      Right?

      Sigh. Sadly not, it turns out.

      For a long time I strongly felt that the beginning of this novel should have started the series. You actually care about the viewpoint character, you are shown the disconnect between what she knows subconsciously and what she is told to believe, you get sucked into her life and root for her all the time. Even her love for Zane would have made a great triangle once she got back with David.

      However, I am very sorry to say, that is exactly where the problem came in. Suddenly, now that she's all prettied up, now she loves Zane more because, according to Tally, they had 'shared so much'. Sure, they did, and I like Zane a lot too, but David and Tally went through so much more and shared such a special connection that I came to the same conclusion that David did - she was sticking with Zane because he was pretty and he wasn't.

      Further, the unconvincing use of anorexia to escape the City, the gratuitous physical mutilation and danger to achieve and maintain a sense of "realness" and release and the overall shallowness - it was all just a little too casual, just a bit too flip. The emotions, consequences and reality of these elements were just nowhere to be found, for me. Further further, the of the point of view character. Oh good grief. She never grows up, never learns anything other than how to make everything work out nicely for herself, never willingly sacrifices anything. No, with her it's all "what's in it for me?" and it frustrated the crap out of me.

      I will not be reading the third book, as I'm sure I'll just be further frustrated. I was so hopeful when starting this book that it feels like an extra-large letdown that Tally remained the same shallow, heartless, power-hungry conformist that she always was.
    • 5/5
      My favorite from the Uglies series for now. Loved it! Full of emotions that made me stay awake during the night.
    • 2/5
      The language used by the characters was difficult to get through even though it accurately depicted the thought processes of being "pretty" and the implications of that societal structure. I am continuing to read the series as I hope that the series as a whole will be better than the sum of its parts. So far, I am not overly enthralled with the books as stand alone titles.Having said that, the premise is intriguing and could lead to great discussion about how systems, governmental or otherwise seek to control their populace. I also find this future society's versions of our current day destruction of the natural world fascinating and would love to debate which "solution" is more destructive.Although, I find it impossible to believe that anyone would die in their car because the oil caught a virus and they simply wouldn't get out and walk. That was just ludicrous! We "Rusties" are NOT that dumb! Obviously this society does not have the full story of what caused the collapse of the Rusty society.
    • 3/5
      Not as good as Uglies. I'm not sure why it seems like every female character can't get along with Tally and why David, despite being the former love interest of Tally, still seems to not really be all there.

      I did find it to be a bit more preachy than Uglies, which kind of dragged the story down for me. But I did like seeing more of the world, Andrew and his crew have me interested, and Zane does make for a better love interest.

      I think my major gripe is how Peris was shafted in this novel. In Uglies, Tally couldn't wait to be with her best friend forever, but now that she's with him we still don't see him. I think he gets as much screen time as he did in Uglies.

      So when Tally was disappointed with his choice and realized that things couldn't be the same with them anymore, I didn't really care. Despite this, I kind of like his non-bubblyness. I hope we get to see more from him in Specials. Not as a love interest, I hope to God that doesn't happen, but just something.

    Book preview

    Pretties - Scott Westerfeld

    Part I

    SLEEPING BEAUTY

    Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless.

    —John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice, I

    CRIMINAL

    Getting dressed was always the hardest part of the afternoon.

    The invitation to Valentino Mansion said semiformal, but it was the semi part that was tricky. Like a night without a party, semi opened up too many possibilities. Bad enough for boys, for whom it could mean jacket and tie (skipping the tie with certain kinds of collars), or all white and shirtsleeves (but only on summer afternoons), or any number of longcoats, waistcoats, tailcoats, kilts, or really nice sweaters. For girls, though, the definition simply exploded, as definitions usually did here in New Pretty Town.

    Tally almost preferred formal white-tie or black-tie parties. The clothes were less comfortable and the parties no fun until everyone got drunk, but at least you didn’t have to think so hard about getting dressed.

    "Semiformal, semiformal, she said, her eyes drifting over the expanse of her open closet, the carousel stuttering back and forth as it tried to keep up with Tally’s random eyemouse clicks, setting clothes swaying on their hangers. Yes, semi" was definitely a bogus word.

    Is it even a word? Tally asked aloud. ‘Semi’? It felt strange in her mouth, which was dry as cotton because of last night.

    Only half of one, the room said, probably thinking it was clever.

    Figures, Tally muttered.

    She collapsed back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling, feeling the room threaten to spin a little. It didn’t seem fair, having to get worked up over half a word. Make it go away, she said.

    The room misunderstood, and slid shut the wall over her closet. Tally didn’t have the strength to explain that she’d really meant her hangover, which was sprawled in her head like an overweight cat, sullen and squishy and disinclined to budge.

    Last night, she and Peris had gone skating with a bunch of other Crims, trying out the new rink hovering over Nefertiti Stadium. The sheet of ice, held aloft by a grid of lifters, was thin enough to see through, and was kept transparent by a horde of little Zambonies darting among the skaters like nervous water bugs. The fireworks exploding in the stadium below made it glow like some kind of schizoid stained glass that changed colors every few seconds.

    They all had to wear bungee jackets in case anyone broke through. No one ever did, of course, but the thought that at any moment the world could fall away with a sudden crack kept Tally drinking plenty of champagne.

    Zane, who was pretty much the leader of the Crims, got bored and tipped a whole bottle onto the ice. He said that alcohol had a lower freezing point than water, so it might send someone tumbling down into the fireworks. But he hadn’t poured out enough to save Tally’s head this morning.

    The room made the special sound that meant another Crim was calling.

    Hey.

    Hey, Tally.

    Shay-la! Tally struggled up onto one elbow. I need help!

    The party? I know.

    "What’s the deal with semiformal, anyway?"

    Shay laughed. Tally-wa, you are so missing. Didn’t you get the ping?

    What ping?

    "It went out hours ago."

    Tally glanced at her interface ring, still on her bedside table. She never wore it at night, an old habit from when she’d been an ugly, sneaking out all the time. It sat there softly pulsing, still muted for sleeptime. Oh. Just woke up.

    "Well forget semi anything. They changed the bash to fancy dress. We have to come up with costumes!"

    Tally checked the time: just before five in the afternoon. What, in three hours?

    Yeah, I know. I’m all over the place with mine. It’s so shaming. Can I come down?

    Please.

    In five?

    Sure. Bring breakfast. Bye.

    Tally let her head fall back onto the pillow. The bed was spinning like a hoverboard now, the day just starting and already wiping out.

    She slipped on her interface ring and listened angrily as the ping played, saying that no one would be admitted tonight without a really bubbly costume. Three hours to come up with something decent, and everyone else had a huge head start.

    Sometimes, it felt like being a real criminal had been much, much simpler.

    Shay had breakfast in tow: lobster omelettes, toast, hash browns, corn fritters, grapes, chocolate muffins, and Bloodies—more food than a whole packet of calorie purgers could erase. The overburdened tray shivered in the air, its lifters trembling like a littlie arriving at school, first day ever.

    Um, Shay? Are we going as blimps or something?

    Shay giggled. No, but you sounded bad. And you have to be bubbly tonight. All the Crims are coming to vote you in.

    Great, bubbly. Tally sighed, relieving the tray of a Bloody Mary. She frowned at the first sip. Not salty enough.

    No problem, Shay said, scraping off the caviar decorating an omelette and stirring it in.

    Ew, fishy!

    Caviar is good with anything. Shay took another spoonful and put it straight into her mouth, closing her eyes to chew the little fish eggs. She twisted her ring to start some music.

    Tally swallowed and drank more Bloody, which at least stopped the room from spinning. The chocolate muffins were starting to smell good. Then she’d move on to the hash browns. Then the omelette; she might even try the caviar. Breakfast was the meal when Tally most felt like she had to make up for the time she’d lost out in the wild. A good breakfast binge made her feel in control, as if a storm of city-made tastes could erase the months of stews and SpagBol.

    The music was new and made her heart beat faster. Thanks, Shay-la. You are totally life-saving.

    No problem, Tally-wa.

    So where were you last night, anyway?

    Shay just smiled, like she’d done something bad.

    What? New boy?

    Shay shook her head. Batted her eyes.

    You didn’t surge again, did you? Tally asked, and Shay giggled. "You did. You’re not supposed to more than once a week. Could you be any more missing?"

    It’s okay, Tally-wa. Just local.

    Where? Shay’s face didn’t look any different. Was the surgery hidden under her pajamas?

    Look closer. Shay’s long lashes fluttered again.

    Tally leaned forward, staring into the perfect copper eyes, wide and speckled with jewel dust, and her heart beat still faster. A month after coming to New Pretty Town, Tally was still awestruck by other pretties’ eyes. They were so huge and welcoming, bright with interest. Shay’s lush pupils seemed to murmur, I’m listening to you. You fascinate me. They narrowed down the world to only Tally, all alone in the radiance of Shay’s attention.

    It was even weirder with Shay, because Tally had known her back in ugly days, before the operation had made her this way.

    Closer.

    Tally took a steadying breath, the room spinning again, but in a good way. She gestured for the windows to transpare a little more, and in the sunlight she saw the new additions. Ooh, pretty-making.

    Bolder than all the other implanted glitter, twelve tiny rubies ringed each of Shay’s pupils, glowing softly red against emerald irises.

    Bubbly, huh?

    Yeah. But hang on… are the bottom-left ones different? Tally squinted harder. One jewel in each eye seemed to be flickering, a tiny white candle in the coppery depths.

    It’s five o’clock! Shay said. Get it?

    It took Tally a second to remember how to read the big clock tower in the center of town. "Um, but that’s seven. Wouldn’t bottom-right be five o’clock?"

    Shay snorted. They run counterclockwise, silly. I mean, so boring otherwise.

    A laugh bubbled up in Tally. "So wait. You have jewels in your eyes? And they tell time? And they go backward? Isn’t that maybe one thing too many, Shay?"

    Tally immediately regretted what she’d said. The expression that clouded Shay’s face was tragic, sucking away the radiance of a moment before. She looked about to cry, except without puffy eyes or a red nose. New surge was always a delicate topic, like a new hairstyle, almost.

    You hate them, Shay softly accused.

    "Of course I don’t. Like I said: totally pretty-making."

    Really?

    "Very. And it’s good they go backward."

    Shay’s smile returned, and Tally breathed a sigh of relief, still not believing herself. It was the kind of mistake only brand-new pretties made, and she’d had the operation over a month ago. Why was she still saying bogus things? If she made a comment like that tonight, one of the Crims might vote against her. It only took one veto to shut you out.

    And then she’d be alone, almost like running away again.

    Shay said, Maybe we should go as clock towers tonight, in honor of my new eyeballs.

    Tally laughed, knowing the lame joke meant she was forgiven. She and Shay had been through a lot together, after all. Have you talked to Peris and Fausto?

    Shay nodded. They said we’re all supposed to dress criminal. They’ve got an idea already, but it’s secret.

    "That’s so bogus. Like they were such bad boys. All they ever did in the ugly days was sneak out and maybe cross the river a few times. They never even made it to the Smoke."

    The song ended just then, and Tally’s last word fell into sudden silence. She tried to think of what to say, but the conversation just faded out, like fireworks in a dark sky. The next song seemed to take a long time to start.

    When it did, she was relieved and said, Crim costumes should be easy, Shay-la. We’re the two biggest criminals in town.

    Shay and Tally tried for two hours, making the hole in the wall spit out costumes and trying them on. They thought of bandits, but didn’t really know what one looked like—in all the old bandit movies in the wallscreen, the bad guys didn’t look Crim, just brain-missing. Pirates were much better dressing, but Shay didn’t want to wear a patch over one of her new eyeballs. Going as hunters was another idea, but the hole in the wall had this thing about guns, even fake ones. Tally thought of famous dictators from history, but most of them turned out to be men and fashion-missing.

    Maybe we should be Rusties! Shay said. In school, they were always the bad guys.

    But they mostly looked like us, I thought. Except ugly.

    I don’t know, we could cut down trees or burn oil or something.

    Tally laughed. This is a costume, Shay-la, not a lifestyle.

    Shay spread her arms and said more things, trying to be bubbly. We could smoke tobacco? Or drive cars?

    But the hole in the wall wouldn’t give them cigarettes or cars.

    It was fun, though, hanging out with Shay and trying things on, then snorting and giggling and tossing the costumes back into the recycler. Tally loved seeing how she looked in new clothes, even silly ones. Part of her could still remember back before, when looking in the mirror had been painful, her eyes too close together and nose too small, hair frizzy all the time. Now it was like someone gorgeous stood across from Tally, following her every move—someone whose face was in perfect balance, whose skin glowed even with a total hangover, whose body was beautifully proportioned and muscled. Someone whose silvery eyes matched anything she wore.

    But someone with bogus taste in costumes.

    After two hours they were lying on the bed, which was spinning again.

    Everything sucks, Shay-la. Why does everything suck? They’ll never vote me in if I can’t even come up with a non-bogus costume.

    Shay took her hand. Don’t worry, Tally-wa. You’re already famous. There’s no reason to be nervous.

    That’s easy for you to say. Even though they’d been born on the same day, Shay had become pretty weeks and weeks before Tally. She’d been a full-fledged Crim for almost a month now.

    It’s not going to be a problem, Shay said. Anyone who used to hang out with Special Circumstances is a natural Crim.

    A feeling went through Tally when Shay said that, like a ping, but hurting. Still. I hate not being bubbly.

    It’s Peris’s and Fausto’s fault for not telling us what they’re wearing.

    Let’s just wait till they get here. And copy them.

    They deserve it, Shay agreed. Want a drink?

    I think so.

    Tally was too spinning to go anywhere, so Shay told the breakfast tray to go and get some champagne.

    When Peris and Fausto came in, they were on fire.

    It was really just sparklers wound into their hair and stuck onto their clothes, making safety flames flicker all over them. Fausto kept laughing because it tickled. They were both wearing bungee jackets—their costume was that they’d just jumped from the roof of a burning building.

    Fantastic! Shay said.

    Hysterical, Tally agreed, but then asked, but how is that Crim?

    Don’t you remember? Peris said. When you crashed a party last summer, and got away by stealing a bungee jacket and jumping off the roof? Best ugly trick in history!

    Sure… but why are you on fire? Tally asked. I mean, it’s not Crim if the building’s really on fire.

    Shay was giving Tally a look like she was saying something bogus again.

    We couldn’t just wear bungee jackets, Fausto said. Being on fire is much bubblier.

    Yeah, Peris said, but Tally could tell he saw what she meant, and was sad now. She wished she hadn’t mentioned it. Stupid Tally. The costumes really were bubbly.

    They put the sparklers out to save them for the party, and Shay told the hole in the wall to make two more jackets.

    Hey, that’s copying! Fausto complained, but it turned out not to matter. The hole wouldn’t do costume bungee jackets, in case someone forgot and jumped off something and splatted. It couldn’t make a real jacket; you had to ask Requisition for anything complicated or permanent. And Requisition wouldn’t send any up because there wasn’t a fire.

    Shay snorted. The mansion is being totally bogus today.

    So where’d you get those? Tally asked.

    They’re real. Peris smiled, fingering his jacket. We stole them from the roof.

    "So they are Crim," Tally said, and jumped off the bed to hug him.

    With Peris in her arms, it didn’t feel like the party was going to suck, or that anyone was going to vote against her. His big brown eyes beamed down into hers, and he lifted her up and squeezed her hard. She’d always felt this close to Peris back in ugly days, playing tricks and growing up together. It was bubbly to feel this way right now.

    All those weeks that Tally had been lost in the wild, all she’d ever wanted was to be back here with Peris, pretty in New Pretty Town. It was totally stupid being unhappy today, or any day. Probably just too much champagne. Best friends forever, she whispered to him, as he set her down.

    Hey, what’s this thing? Shay said. She was deep in Tally’s closet, poking around for ideas. She held up a shapeless mass of wool.

    Oh, that. Tally let her arms fall from around Peris. That’s my sweater from the Smoke, remember? The sweater looked strange, not like she remembered. It was messy, and you could see where human hands had knitted the different pieces together. People in the Smoke didn’t have holes in the wall—they had to make their own things, and people, it turned out, weren’t very good at making things.

    You didn’t recycle it?

    No. I think it’s made of weird stuff. Like, the hole can’t use it.

    Shay held the sweater to her nose and inhaled. Wow. It still smells like the Smoke. Campfires and that stew we always ate. Remember?

    Peris and Fausto went over to smell it. They’d never been out of the city, except for school trips to the Rusty Ruins. They certainly hadn’t gotten as far as the Smoke, where everyone had to work all day making stuff, and growing (or even killing) their own food, and everyone stayed ugly after their sixteenth birthday. Ugly until they died, even.

    Of course, the Smoke didn’t exist anymore, thanks to Tally and Special Circumstances.

    Hey, I know, Tally! Shay said. Let’s go as Smokies tonight!

    That would be totally criminal! Fausto said, his eyes full of admiration.

    The three looked at Tally, all of them thrilled with the idea, and even though another nasty ping went through her, she knew it would be bogus not to agree. And that with a totally bubbly costume like a real-life Smokey sweater to wear, there was no way anyone would vote against her, because Tally Youngblood was a natural Crim.

    BASH

    The bash was in Valentino Mansion, the oldest building in New Pretty Town. It sprawled along the river only a few stories high, but was topped by a transmission tower visible halfway across the island. Inside, the walls were made of real stone, so the rooms couldn’t talk, but the mansion had a long history of giant and fabulous bashes. The wait to become a Valentino resident was at least forever.

    Peris, Fausto, Shay, and Tally walked down through the pleasure gardens, which were already bubbling with people headed to the bash. Tally saw an angel with beautiful feathered wings that must have been requisitioned months ago, which was so cheating, and a bunch of new pretties wearing fat-suits and masks that gave them triple chins. A mostly naked clique of Bashers were pretending to be pre-Rusties, building bonfires and drumming, establishing their own little satellite party, which was what Bashers always did.

    Peris and Fausto kept arguing about exactly when to light themselves on fire again. They wanted to make an entrance but also save their sparklers for the other Crims. As they got closer to the mansion’s noise and glimmer, Tally’s nerves started to jump. The Smokey costumes didn’t look like much. Tally wore her old sweater and Shay a copy, along with rough pants, knapsacks, and handmade-looking shoes that Tally had described to the hole in the wall, remembering someone wearing them in the Smoke. For unbathed authenticity they had rubbed dirt into their clothes and faces, which had seemed bubbly during the walk down, but now just felt dirty.

    At the door were two Valentinos dressed up as wardens, making sure no one got inside without a costume. They stopped Fausto and Peris at first, but laughed when the two set themselves on fire, waving them through. They just shrugged at Shay and Tally, but let them in.

    Wait till the other Crims see us, Shay said. They’ll get it.

    The four pushed through the crowds and into a total confusion of costumes. Tally saw snowmen, soldiers, thumbgame characters, and a whole Pretty Committee of scientists carrying facegraphs. Historical figures were everywhere in crazy clothes from all over the world, which reminded Tally how different from one another everyone used to look back when there were way too many people. A lot of the older new pretties were dressed in modern costumes: doctors, wardens, builders, or politicians—whatever they hoped to become after having the middle-pretty operation. A bunch of firefighters laughingly tried to extinguish Peris’s and Fausto’s flames, but only succeeded in annoying them.

    Where are they? Shay kept asking, but the stone walls didn’t answer. This is so missing. How do people live here?

    I think they carry handphones all the time, Fausto said. We should have requed one.

    The problem was that in Valentino Mansion you couldn’t just call people by asking—the rooms were old and dumb, so it was like being outside. Tally placed one palm against the wall as they walked, liking how cool the ancient stones felt. For a moment, they reminded her of things out in the wild, rough and silent and unchanging. She wasn’t really dying to find the other Crims; they’d all be looking at her and wondering how to vote.

    They wandered the crowded hallways, peeking into rooms full of old-timey astronauts and explorers. Tally counted five Cleopatras and two Lillian Russells. There were even a few Rudolph Valentinos; it turned out the mansion was named after a natural pretty from back in the Rusty days.

    Other cliques had organized theme costumes—teams of Jocks carrying hockey sticks and wobbly on hoverskates, Twisters as sick puppies wearing big cone-shaped plastic collars. And of course the Swarm was everywhere, all jabbering to one another on their interface rings. Swarmers had skintennas surged into them so they could call one another from anywhere, even inside Valentino Mansion’s dumb walls. The other cliques always made fun of the Swarm, who were afraid to go anywhere except in giant groups. They were all dressed as houseflies with big bug eyes, which at least was sense-making.

    No other Crims appeared among the tumult of costumes, and Tally began to wonder if they’d all ditched the party rather than vote for her. Paranoid thoughts began to plague her, and she kept catching glimpses of someone lurking in the shadows, half-hidden by the crowds, but always there. Every time she turned around, though, the gray silk costume slipped out of sight.

    Tally couldn’t tell whether it was a boy or a girl. The figure wore a mask, scary but also beautiful, its cruel wolf eyes glinting in the low, flickering party lights. The plastic face jarred something in Tally, a painful memory that took a moment to gel.

    Then she realized what the costume was supposed to be: an agent of Special Circumstances.

    Tally leaned back against one of the cool stone walls, remembering the gray silk coveralls that Specials wore and the cruel pretty faces they were given. The sight made her head spin, which was the way Tally always felt when she thought back to her days in the wild.

    Seeing the costume here in New Pretty Town didn’t make any sense. Besides herself and Shay, hardly anyone had ever seen a Special. To most people they were just rumors and urban legends, blamed whenever anything weird happened. Specials kept themselves well hidden. Their job was to protect the city from outside threats, like soldiers and spies back in the days of the Rusties, but only total criminals like Tally Youngblood ever met them in person.

    Still, someone had done a pretty good job on the costume. He or she must have seen a real Special at some point. But why was the figure following her? Every time Tally turned, it was there, moving with the terrible and predatory grace she remembered from being hunted through the ruins of the Smoke on that awful day when they had come to take her back to the city.

    She shook her head. Thinking of those days always brought up bogus memories that didn’t fit together. The Specials hadn’t hunted Tally, of course. Why would they? They’d rescued her, bringing her home after she’d left the city to track down Shay. The thought of Specials always left her spinning, but that was just because their cruel faces were designed to freak you out, the same way that looking at regular pretties made you feel good.

    Maybe the figure wasn’t following her at all; maybe it was more than one person, some clique all dressed the same and spread out across the party, which made it feel like one of them was lurking her. That idea was a lot less crazy-making.

    She caught up with the others, and joked with them as they searched for the rest of the Crims. But as Tally kept one eye out for figures in the shadows, she slowly became sure that it wasn’t a clique. There was always exactly one, not talking to anybody, totally lurking. And the way the figure moved, so gracefully…

    Tally told herself to calm down. Special Circumstances had no reason to follow her. And it made no sense for a Special to come to a costume party dressed as a Special.

    She forced a laugh from herself. It was probably one of the other Crims playing a joke on her, one who’d heard Shay’s and Tally’s stories a hundred times and knew all about Special Circumstances. If so, it would be totally bogus to go all brain-missing in front of everyone. Better to ignore the fake Special altogether.

    Tally looked down at her own costume, and wondered if the Smokey clothes were helping to freak her out. Shay had been right: The smell of the old, handmade sweater brought back their time outside the city, days of backbreaking work and nights staying warm by the campfire, mingled with memories of the aging ugly faces that

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