Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (summary and review)

I just finished reading Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld. This is the second book in the Uglies series. This book proved to be just as captivating as its prequel, answering many of my questions but posing new ones as well. When Tally Youngblood turns herself into Special Circumstances and becomes Pretty, she forgets the real reason for her sacrifice - until she meets Zane. This book explores Tally's journey: testing the cure, escaping the confines of the city and developing relationships. The city realizes the danger that Tally might bring. Privacy is restricted, conversations are constantly monitored and locations are tracked. Obstacles such as these, as well as Shay's stubbornness and Zane's negative reaction to the cure, produce a lot of suspense and conflict. The following quote demonstrates the fact that the city doesn't tell its citizens the whole story, or give them a choice to stay ugly and keep their brain in tact:

"'Their reasons don't mean anything unless I have a choice, Peris. And they don't give anyone a choice'" (Westerfeld 232).

In this book, Tally, on her way to find David and Zane and the New Smoke society, finds herself trapped in a barbaric culture that is only in existence as a sociological experiment for Special Circumstances. She witnesses the terrible results of a powerful society that's based on cruel, corrupt ideas of beauty and perfection. As Tally slowly regains her memories, which were originally stripped from her during the operation, she remembers why she truly back came to the city and the one who helped her in the process, David. 

Overall, this book did an amazing job building off of the first book and creating suspense for the rest of the series. The foundation of this series is very interesting and the characters continue to develop and surprise. I'm left with some questions, however. What do Zane and Tally have in store for them with their return? Will the 'New Smokies' escape to safety? Will Tally join Shay and the Specials? I cannot wait to read the third book, Specials. I would definitely give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fictional books centered around futuristic, dystopian societies, with some action and romance mixed in as well. In this trilogy, the characters are developed very well and they're individualistic in personalities. Brave and shy. Guilty and ignorant. Courageous and sentimental. Ugly and Pretty.

The following link displays various symbolic quotes from the book:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1568076-pretties