Book Title: Pretties
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies #2
Series: Uglies #2
Date Started: July 31st 2013
Date Completed: August 1st 2013
Genres: Adventure, Action, Romance, Dystopian
Rating: Three stars
Review:
I have to say, after the first action-packed thrill-ride of Uglies, the sequel seemed amazingly dull and typically Young Adult. Having said that, the morals were still as strong as ever, but I don't think there was a solid plot in the book.
Tally Youngblood is finally a Pretty. After her adventures our in the wild a few months ago, she finally realises what a great idea it had been to give herself up to help the others - only because now she's living the life she's always wanted. But when someone from her past comes back to haunt her at one of the many parties of Tally's new home, she starts to realise that maybe her old suspicions about the Pretties and their manipulation might be real after all. But Tally's a Pretty now, so she couldn't get out to find her old friends even if she wanted to. Or could she...?
I think Westerfeld's writing is good enough for a Young Adult novel. There's nothing wrong with it, although there may not be anything particularly amazing about it. I wish his action had a little bit more detail, but it isn't an action book, at the end of the day. The description is really well done because the reader pictures it as the character does, with all the little alterations showing how the Pretties think.
I can't get used to the slang. I remember having trouble getting to grips with it in the first book, but there's a lot more this time, since the majority of the book takes place in New Pretty Town. I'm still not sure why - it just sounds stupid and, frankly, childish in my mind when I read it. Maybe that's the point, but I don't really like it and it's distracted me from the story more than once.
I think it's really difficult to create a story that has very strong and important and morals, but still make it really enjoyable to read. I think Westerfeld fell down here just because it is hard. The only surprising thing for me was that he actually managed to do it really well in his first book. I'm not sure if it was just he didn't have as much of an idea for this book, or if it simply wasn't his best work. I don't know, but I have to admit I was quite disappointed.
Not a lot happened, and I was a bit irritated to find most of the story took place in New Pretty Town - basically a typical high school but without the drama. The setting just didn't appeal to me and there wasn't a whole lot for the characters to do, apart from scheme to themselves. When Tally eventually did escape the city, it just became the first book all over again, without practically any differences at all.
Westerfeld has this tendency to make things really good right at the very end. Literally, in the last couple of chapters it becomes so interesting and engaging. But there's practically any build-up and the climax finishes far too soon, and then with basically no wind-down. And the ending was pretty much exactly the same as the last time.
I'm only so annoyed about this because I know the author can do better, because he has done before.
I felt like we were introduced to a new set of characters - which in a way we were, and were supposed to be - but it did make it a little harder to understand each person's motives for a little bit.
I don't like Tally the Pretty. I have a feeling we're not supposed to, but she really pissed me off. I found it a lot harder to sympathise with her character, because I really didn't like her. Unfortunately, that did mean when she (spoiler - kind of) became ugly again I didn't really care about her as much as I had in the previous book. But, I do think her character worked well within the story, and developed throughout it.
I really like Zane, actually. I'm not sure whether I like him more than David or not, because I can't really remember David that much. I definitely had more feeling for him than I did for Tally or any of the others. I liked him because he always had that realistic feel about him, unlike Tally (sorry, but the whole Pretty attitude (which I know is supposed to be weird and alien) was just too far-fetched for me). Zane was always the more caring, and emotional (as in he actually had feelings) person.
Peris disappointed me. After hearing so much about him in Tally's narration in Uglies, I expected him to be in a little more this time. But in the short intervals when he was present, he wans't all that great. I also didn't really get the feel that he and Tally were ever really that good friends; there weren't any examples of their 'best friends forever' status.
I don't think I've ever really been sure whether I like Shay or not. I think she's a really selfish character, and always has been. But I don't think the way she was presented as needing friends and help, and then turning bad was a good idea. First of all, it kind of screws up the whole morals of Westerfeld's, and secondly it's just a bit too typical. Again, I also don't really see any evidence that her and Tally ever really got along.
I was glad David was actually in it - I was getting quite worried near the end that he wouldn't turn up at all. I was a little put off when the love triangle thing was put it place, but they didn't destroy everything else in the plot just to focus on it luckily. Like Zane, David felt real to me and I do actually care about him. The other good thing about him is I start believing Tally and what she says in her narration when he's around - I'm not even sure why, but it's quite useful.
I don't find Dr Cable particularly intimidating. Maybe that's because the narrator always puts on a brave face, and he's constantly described as 'scary-looking', which, again, sounds childish to me. This annoys me a little bit, because I think he could be an amazing villain. Having said that, the quiet threat is quite effective - but only when Dr Cable isn't there to demonstrate it.
The pace was really slow until right at the end, where it rocketed up, and then didn't really come back down. If there had been more climaxes like the final one throughout the whole book, I think it would make it ten times more engaging. But it isn't: for the most part, the book is quite slow, with reasonably mild events. (I do understand that a lot of it is key to the story, but I'm being honest in saying that it isn't very interesting to read.)
Having said that, for some reason I didn't really put the book down at all whilst I was reading it. I think the easy writing was part of it, but I usually don't have much patience for books that don't have a proper story. So Westerfeld must have been doing something right, even if I can't pinpoint what it was.
I would recommend Pretties to anyone who's read the first book, and liked it. I didn't really enjoy this as much, but I can understand how it's probably really important to the story for the final book in the trilogy (I know there's Extras too, but it was originally a trilogy). It is worth it if you really liked it the first time, but I wouldn't read it to get into Westerfeld's writing, but he really can do better.
(Just a small warning, it is a surprisingly triggering book. Don't let that discourage you too much, because it's really good how the author has decided to deal with these issues, but that way he goes about it might be a little too distorted for some people.)
Image Source: http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/blogimages/prettiesbig.jpg
I have to say, after the first action-packed thrill-ride of Uglies, the sequel seemed amazingly dull and typically Young Adult. Having said that, the morals were still as strong as ever, but I don't think there was a solid plot in the book.
Tally Youngblood is finally a Pretty. After her adventures our in the wild a few months ago, she finally realises what a great idea it had been to give herself up to help the others - only because now she's living the life she's always wanted. But when someone from her past comes back to haunt her at one of the many parties of Tally's new home, she starts to realise that maybe her old suspicions about the Pretties and their manipulation might be real after all. But Tally's a Pretty now, so she couldn't get out to find her old friends even if she wanted to. Or could she...?
I think Westerfeld's writing is good enough for a Young Adult novel. There's nothing wrong with it, although there may not be anything particularly amazing about it. I wish his action had a little bit more detail, but it isn't an action book, at the end of the day. The description is really well done because the reader pictures it as the character does, with all the little alterations showing how the Pretties think.
I can't get used to the slang. I remember having trouble getting to grips with it in the first book, but there's a lot more this time, since the majority of the book takes place in New Pretty Town. I'm still not sure why - it just sounds stupid and, frankly, childish in my mind when I read it. Maybe that's the point, but I don't really like it and it's distracted me from the story more than once.
I think it's really difficult to create a story that has very strong and important and morals, but still make it really enjoyable to read. I think Westerfeld fell down here just because it is hard. The only surprising thing for me was that he actually managed to do it really well in his first book. I'm not sure if it was just he didn't have as much of an idea for this book, or if it simply wasn't his best work. I don't know, but I have to admit I was quite disappointed.
Not a lot happened, and I was a bit irritated to find most of the story took place in New Pretty Town - basically a typical high school but without the drama. The setting just didn't appeal to me and there wasn't a whole lot for the characters to do, apart from scheme to themselves. When Tally eventually did escape the city, it just became the first book all over again, without practically any differences at all.
Westerfeld has this tendency to make things really good right at the very end. Literally, in the last couple of chapters it becomes so interesting and engaging. But there's practically any build-up and the climax finishes far too soon, and then with basically no wind-down. And the ending was pretty much exactly the same as the last time.
I'm only so annoyed about this because I know the author can do better, because he has done before.
I felt like we were introduced to a new set of characters - which in a way we were, and were supposed to be - but it did make it a little harder to understand each person's motives for a little bit.
I don't like Tally the Pretty. I have a feeling we're not supposed to, but she really pissed me off. I found it a lot harder to sympathise with her character, because I really didn't like her. Unfortunately, that did mean when she (spoiler - kind of) became ugly again I didn't really care about her as much as I had in the previous book. But, I do think her character worked well within the story, and developed throughout it.
I really like Zane, actually. I'm not sure whether I like him more than David or not, because I can't really remember David that much. I definitely had more feeling for him than I did for Tally or any of the others. I liked him because he always had that realistic feel about him, unlike Tally (sorry, but the whole Pretty attitude (which I know is supposed to be weird and alien) was just too far-fetched for me). Zane was always the more caring, and emotional (as in he actually had feelings) person.
Peris disappointed me. After hearing so much about him in Tally's narration in Uglies, I expected him to be in a little more this time. But in the short intervals when he was present, he wans't all that great. I also didn't really get the feel that he and Tally were ever really that good friends; there weren't any examples of their 'best friends forever' status.
I don't think I've ever really been sure whether I like Shay or not. I think she's a really selfish character, and always has been. But I don't think the way she was presented as needing friends and help, and then turning bad was a good idea. First of all, it kind of screws up the whole morals of Westerfeld's, and secondly it's just a bit too typical. Again, I also don't really see any evidence that her and Tally ever really got along.
I was glad David was actually in it - I was getting quite worried near the end that he wouldn't turn up at all. I was a little put off when the love triangle thing was put it place, but they didn't destroy everything else in the plot just to focus on it luckily. Like Zane, David felt real to me and I do actually care about him. The other good thing about him is I start believing Tally and what she says in her narration when he's around - I'm not even sure why, but it's quite useful.
I don't find Dr Cable particularly intimidating. Maybe that's because the narrator always puts on a brave face, and he's constantly described as 'scary-looking', which, again, sounds childish to me. This annoys me a little bit, because I think he could be an amazing villain. Having said that, the quiet threat is quite effective - but only when Dr Cable isn't there to demonstrate it.
The pace was really slow until right at the end, where it rocketed up, and then didn't really come back down. If there had been more climaxes like the final one throughout the whole book, I think it would make it ten times more engaging. But it isn't: for the most part, the book is quite slow, with reasonably mild events. (I do understand that a lot of it is key to the story, but I'm being honest in saying that it isn't very interesting to read.)
Having said that, for some reason I didn't really put the book down at all whilst I was reading it. I think the easy writing was part of it, but I usually don't have much patience for books that don't have a proper story. So Westerfeld must have been doing something right, even if I can't pinpoint what it was.
I would recommend Pretties to anyone who's read the first book, and liked it. I didn't really enjoy this as much, but I can understand how it's probably really important to the story for the final book in the trilogy (I know there's Extras too, but it was originally a trilogy). It is worth it if you really liked it the first time, but I wouldn't read it to get into Westerfeld's writing, but he really can do better.
(Just a small warning, it is a surprisingly triggering book. Don't let that discourage you too much, because it's really good how the author has decided to deal with these issues, but that way he goes about it might be a little too distorted for some people.)
Image Source: http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/blogimages/prettiesbig.jpg
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