Review: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Pretties

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: dystopia, young-adult

Series: Uglies #2

Pages: 370 (paperback version)

Published: November 2005
Source: bought

Rating: 3/5

I liked Pretties for almost all the same reasons that I liked the previous book Uglies. It's a semi-unique story in a pretty saturated niche market that is easy and quick to read. The idea of a government entity using looks and sex appeal as a population control is genius and innovative. This second novel is better than the first for a number of valid reasons, but I still felt a little underwhelmed. The basic plot structure seemed vaguely repetitive because in the first Tally Youngblood was an Ugly but longing to be a Pretty, and now she's a Pretty longing to be in the exclusive clique of Crims, she has to relearn about the Smoke like in the first book, Shay and Tally clash/reunite, etc. The first sixty pages felt almost like a reread of Uglies first hundred pages.

The depth that was sorely lacking in the first novel Uglies is present here as well. More details about day-to-day life in New Pretty Town are supplied, and even more information about the "Rusties" [aka humans from around now in history] emerge, but the characters like Tally, David, Shay themselves never grow and mature as the events in their lives unfold. They remain essentially the same self-absorbed teenagers from the first novel. I've read multiple YA where a necessary, and not complete maturation was handled admirably well, and I wished for such a development here. There were a few plotholes in the novel (how did the Smokies hack the dress requirements for the party without computers? and saying explicity that the operation of becoming a Pretty ensures no bruises, but prettified-Tally and her friends are bruised after the prank with the ice rink) but they were less prevalent than in Uglies.

The pseudo-slang that Westerfeld has created for his pretties is basically inane and unoriginal. "Bogus" "bubbly" "pretty-making" "[xxxx]-missing" just seemed like half-efforts at how brainless teenagers might talk. And it was annoying to read, page in and page out. I just kept wishing for a real grammar structure or an intelligent conversation. The pretties are supposed to vapid and dull, and the way they talk certainly impresses that aspect firmly into the narrative and into my brain FOREVER. I did like the names of the Mansions in New Pretty Town (Valentino Mansion, Garbo Mansion, Denzel Park...etc); I thought that was an amusing and clever way to subtly direct attention to who the "Rusties" were.

I enjoyed Zane. I didn't appreciate what he represented (the introduction to the inevitable YA love-triangle, something I've ranted on about at length, but I digress) but he was a fresh, intriguing character in Tally's life. I was happy to see (finally!) a Pretty who had recognized that something was off in their world. The romance aspect of the novel took a back seat to action, an editorial decision I more than endorse for this series. I was sad to see Tally and Shay's friendship end because in this series so far, most relationships are between the sexes, with girls only competing against each other or openly hostile towards one another. Tally herself annoyed me in the beginning because she was back in the vapid mental state I remembered and loathed from book one. As the story moves along, I could begin to tolerate her more. The evolution of Shay through the book was one of its highlights. Instead of being a vapid dull pretty, Shay takes things into her own hands and ends up completely different than the runaway from book one. Shay is more malevolent and interesting than Dr. Cable as an antagonist. Shay is just more interesting as an antagonist period. 

The ending, like the ending of the first one, left me vaguely depressed and unsettled. I can see the reasoning for Tally turning Pretty in book one so they can test the cure, but Westerfeld AGAIN "improves" Tally at the end of book two. I can't help but feel it's not as beneficial for the story as leaving her normal/pretty would have been. The author basically undermines the entire message he's been preaching for two going on threefour books. Add in that it seemed like a lot of the plot for this sequel was recycled. One time felt like a cliff-hanger, two times just makes it a unimaginative sequel.

This is a solid three star book. I had hopes that this book would improve over the original, but it remains at the same average grade that its predecessor did. It is enjoyable to read, but fails to be anything more than bubble-gum entertainment.

If you're interested in another take on this popular novel, head on over here to Agrippina's review. Happy reading!

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Genre: dystopian, young-adult

Series: Uglies series #1

Published: February 2005

Pages: 425

Rating: 3.5/5

The world that Tally Youngblood lives in seems to be idyllic. In her ultra-organized dystopian country everything is recyclable, everyone is a vegetarian and fighting, much less war and conflict, is unheard of. Once you're sixteen, you're in perfect health and you're gorgeous. Forever. You're invited to a literal life-long party where your only job is just to have fun with your fellow gorgeous citizens. Of course Tally never looked for more, or wanted anything but to be pretty until a new friend named Shay changes the course of her life.

This is not a perfect book. Far from it. There are large plotholes (black and white movies with "an English she could barely understand" but doesn't know the name David or what a roller coasters was/or Barbie?), inconsistencies (Tally doesn't know about trains but cars, though not used, are common knowledge?) and other errors. Sometimes it was hard for me to look past the how nonlogical the characters and settings were and focus on the story. But it is a good book; an entertaining and thought-provoking dystopia where life is based entirely on surgically-created and updated looks. 

Tally was a decent protagonist. She was aggravatingly dense often, and grated on my nerves when "pretty" or "ugly" was every fourth word out of her mouth. Those two words are all she focuses on, thinks about for much of the four hundred page novel. For instance, when her only friend Shay leaves Tally for "forever", striking out into the dangerous wild, all Tally can muster up for her friend is to wish she she could have known what Shay looked like as a Pretty. It was a tear-my-hair-out moment for me as a reader. That clearly showed just how far into conforming with the ideals of her society Tally was, and what a struggle it would be for her to have independent thought. Unfortunately, and rather inexplicably, she grew on me. Slowly and creepingly, her narrative matured, improved as she had to face new situations and deal with things outside her dorm and New Pretty Town. Tally actually thought more about others, she repeatedly tried to do the right thing and generally stopped being so self-absorbed. Yes, the pretties are self-absorbed and vapid, but the point is the uglies aren't so I felt that Tally's maturation was overdue by the time it arrived.

The big revelation about what happens to the Pretties seemed like a rather large let-down to me. I saw that coming from before page one hundred, when Tally mentions how an Uglies' party would have fights but never a Pretty party.  However the "twist" made sense with the storyline so far in the book and with the ideals of Tally's "world", so I have no complaints about that except predictability. I hope that the next in the series, Pretties, shows a bit more originality and creativity. 

On the whole, this is a rather slow-starting novel; the initial escapade we discover Tally during was not interesting or riveting to me. I unfortunately had about fifty pages right at the crucial beginning that I read without any connection or involvement with the story. However, the novel picked up immensely when Tally met Shay and started thinking outside the prescribed lines, and things got interesting --and messy -- fast. I enjoyed the relationship between Shay and Tally because Shay was challenging and questioning rather than meek, brainless and accepting as most of the uglies and pretties seem to be. The relationship between Tally and David was different, mostly because David remained off-scene or distant for most of the book. He remains mostly a mystery, up to and through the very end. I would have liked to see more development for David, as well as the rest of the Smokies. I never felt that the romance/relationship between the two teens was authentic; it felt rushed, thrown into the novel as a random opportunity for a plotline for maximum angst. 
 
The wording in the novel is pretty simplistic, and thus, very quick and easy to read. I think it was worth the few hours it took to read. It just needed a little more depth, more exposition on the characters. A mixed bag of good ideas with poor execution, with potential to become great.