Specials (theme and review)

I finally finished Specials and the Uglies series! I very much liked the ending and it was surprisingly fitting. It perfectly tied all the books together and the futures written for each character were great reflections of his or her traits and choices. Tally's adoration of the wild and her yearning to be free of restrictions and authority were demonstrated superbly in the resolution of Specials. Unlike The Giver and Matched, two books that I've compared this series to, the ending was very satisfactory. There were some unexpected twists and turns in terms of difficulties Tally faced and the actions of characters like Dr. Cable, leader of Special Circumstances and Tally's old city. Surprising acts of bravery and kindness on Dr. Cable's part illustrated her as a dynamic character, becoming more compassionate  by the end of the series, even if some of her choices were lined with selfish ulterior motives. I would definitely say that by the end of the book, the action and suspense picked back up compared to my reading last week.

A few themes and corresponding quote I have uncovered from this series include:

-Getting to know a person will reveal his or her true beauty; outward appearances can be deceitful.

"He peered into her eyes for a longer moment, then sighed and shook his head. 'You just look like Tally to me.' ... 'You just took on five million years of evolution again' (Westerfeld 366-367).

-It can be a mistake to underestimate a person's ability to change who they are.

"Tally blinked, unable to believe her eyes. It was Dr. Cable...'So that's why you're here, Dr. Cable? To blame me for everything?' 'No. I'm here to let you go'" (Westerfeld 354 & 357).

-Letting rules and false standards define you can prove to be a discouraging, uphill battle.

"She was finally free of her cell, of the operating tank, of Dr. Cable. No one would change her against her will, not ever again. There would be no more Special Circumstances" (Westerfeld 359).

I created this collage to represent some important quotes from the trilogy.

I would give the book Specials, and the entire trilogy, a 4 out of 5 stars. The first book, in my opinion, was the best. In Uglies, the setting, plot and characters were new to the reader and were all very well developed. It was fascinating to read about such an abstract society with new technology and corrupted philosophy. But as the books continued, the set-up gradually lost its captivating appeal. Familiarity with the characters gave way to predictability of the events. Sure, there were some unexpected scenes. But overall, the setting and outcome were anticipated. The last book followed the traditional layout of this series but I will give Scott Westerfeld credit for great closure and some brilliant additions to this book. For example, the setting of the New Smoke was revealed, admittedly a surprise. I would recommend this book and this trilogy to anyone who enjoys fiction, particularly science fiction, or reading about dystopian societies. This isn't a series you can quit reading halfway through, simply because there are so many facets to one particular conflict that must be solved, so many questions at any given point. 

The next book I plan to read is The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank. In this book, Anne Frank depicts the circumstances of her life as a young Jewish girl during the Holocaust. She writes about frightening experiences and her thoughts, hopes and fears. Although this book fits into the category of a genre I wouldn't typically read, it seems very moving, interesting and inspirational. I can't wait to move on to this book as well as others on my "to-read" list soon!

This is a link to the GoodReads page for my next book:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48855.The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl