Customer Reviews

Uglies (Boxed Set): Uglies, Pretties, Specials (The Uglies)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I loved this trilogy - It's a unique look at a possible future. Along the lines of movies like Gattaca, it explores the what ifs of how far we can take science. "Rusties" have destroyed the environment and were very violent and wasteful. We are the Rusties. The idea that people respond to beautiful people better than to ugly people is what's behind the titles. At 16, every "Ugly" has an operation to make them "pretty" -- This is the story revealing what the operation really does. I like the exploration of the human spirit to overcome, and the old - just because we CAN do it, SHOULD we? -- What are the ramifications of trying to stop one bad feature of humanity?

Students at my school LOVE this series. I cannot keep them on the shelf; a couple have not returned, but I consider it a compliment for the author.

If you like apocalyptic novels, you might as well order the trilogy and save time and money. "Uglies" is set several hundred years in the future where Rusties (the people of our time period) have left the civilized world in ruins, continues in "Pretties," and concludes with "Specials."

Tally is the main character and hero. However, her best friend, Shay, leaves her mark by being the catalyst that sets the story in motion. In this utopian world designed to distract the rebellious ones, Shay is the leader whose personality is such that others willingly follow. It is she who leads Tally first across the river to Pretty Town just to attend this party for Pretties. At sixteen Uglies are given operations to make them perfect in looks and bubbly-making in behavior. One thing leads to another and they leave the city for the Smoke, a primitive settlement way beyond, in the frontier where rebellious Uglies go to avoid the Pretty operation. It is the perpetual theme of conformity against individualism, or in this case forced conformity against individuality that erupts happenstance.

In "Pretties" Tally and Shay are finally one with the group of Pretties, although how they arrive is not typical. Even though they are Pretties now, part of the "worm" that caused their dissension is still there. Shay becomes a dreaded Special because she covets ultimate powers and Tally tries to get back to the Smoke to cure her Pretty boyfriend. Twists and turns and more betrayals are part and parcel of the story.

"Specials" quickly became my favorite of the trilogy. Specials are given special powers--they are quicker, stronger, can propel themselves several feet, and have super-hyper abilities. Pretties fear them because they were created to spy and evoke fear in Pretties, but the reader now knows that Specials are just that and not bogeymen. Until Shay and Tally. Remember that "worm" of dissension? Now it is a "worm" of discord and, boy, can it do some damage! When Shay and Tally were in the Smoke (the natural world), they learned important lessons for the third world beyond Pretty World and the Smoke.

For a quick criticism of society, find a science fiction book. Here's one: "Uglies." Look! Two more--"Pretties" and "Specials." What a bargain--a boxed set! You will be glad. And do something about your society and its ills before something evil this way comes.

The Uglies trilogy is a great teen story based on the power of secrets, a person's mindset, trust and friendship.

Uglies *****
This first book is set in a futuristic city in a time when everyone must wait until they turn 16 before turning into a pretty. Pretties are beautiful and strong and have special immune systems so they hardly ever get sick, except for hangovers; pretties are allowed to constantly party and have the life that every teenager dreams of. The main character in uglies is Tally Youngblood a adventurous 15 year old who is only 3 months from turning pretty and joining her best friend Paris, who she is no longer allowed to see until she turns pretty, But when she secretly sneaks into prettyvile to see Paris she notices something different about him. She later finds a friend who doesn't like the idea of turning pretty and is willing to do anything to stop from being turned into a bubblehead. When Tally and shay set out on their adventure they uncover one secret that will test the trust of Tally's own city.

I loved this book because it's new and adventurous and it has a very imaginative perspective of the future.

Pretties ****
In pretties tally has unwillingly been turned into a happy bubblehead and it isn't as great as tally expected, but she soon discovers that there's something different about her that could help her beat the lesions she also finds another friend that might help her along the way. then just when being a pretty wasn't so hard anymore an old freeing returns with Madee's pills and tally takes the risk of a 50/50 chance of the pills not working, but she shares it with a friend. She also has to find a way to get around Dr. Cable to rejoin the new smoke.

I liked this book because of its very emotional conflicts that made me want to jump in the book and scream at the characters.

Specials *****
Tally has been changed into a special by her own best friend, was it betrayal or was shay looking out for tally? Either way tally likes being a special and not only is she part of special circumstances but she's also in shays click the cutters. The cutters are a special kind of specials whose sole mission is to hunt down and destroy the new smoke but as tally tries to get rid of them she also might have a chance to help them especially when her feelings get mixed and she can't stay icy. Just when things can't seem to get any worse a war starts.

I loved this book because it was packed with unexpected problems and answers and the ending was really amazing!

I like the Uglies Series because I can relate to several of the characters. Tally Youngblood is the main one I can relate to though. I can see both sides of the story from Shay's perspective and from Tally's perspective.

In the first book, Uglies, Tally Youngblood is 15. She is an ugly and about to be a pretty. Her friend Peris already got the operation and she is dying to see him. Tally meets Shay and starts to have more fun, but when Shay runs away, Tally pays the price. Tally meets a special named Dr. Cable and is sent to find Shay. If she fails, she'll never become pretty. Tally's plans of betrayal are spoiled when she meets David, will she betray everyone in smoke or stay with David?

The second book, Pretties, is Tally's and Shay's life as a pretty. Tally has given herself up to test Maddy's (David's mom) cure. While in the city she meets Zane. She splits the pills with Zane and he gets the unlucky one. They fight bubble headedness together and they win, or do they? They escape the city and find the new Smoke. Zane's pill is really taking effect on him now. The pills were meant to be taken together but of course, Tally Youngblood just has to experiment with everything. Shay got caught in the city and was turned "special" and now she and the other "specials" are tracking the new Smoke. Everyone except Tally and Zane get away.

In the third book, Specials, Tally is now a cutter, she is finally "special", but Tally is still Tally and she is still her stubborn self. Tally so badly wants Zane to become a special. She and Shay decide to help out a bit. They blow up the armory and make the city think it's under attack (by accident), and they track him to the New Smoke. The New Smoke is actually a city, Diego. Everyone looks so weird, no one finds her scary or intimidating anymore. They put her in a mental hospital because she is so dangerous. Tally's city attacks Diego and Tally and Shay have to stop the war they started. Tally gets to Dr. Cable and tells her the truth and then cures her. Dr. Cable loses power and the city tries to make Tally unspecial. Is this going to be enough to stop the war? Tally gets back to Diego and finds Zane in the hospital hooked up to a bunch of machines. The doctors tell her the only reason why he's alive is because of the machines, is he really dead?

Extras is the last book in the series. Aya Fuse is 15 and everyone says the world has changed and there is no more separation from uglies and pretties but it still pretty much sucks to be 15. Aya is looking for the Sly Girls, a group of girls who did dangerous stunts. No one knows about them except Aya Fuse. While on adventures with them they find some weird people who are trying to take over the earth and kill everyone, or are they? Aya puts the story out but of course, no one looks at it. Her older brother, Hiro, decides to help her out. He re-kicks the story and everyone looks at it. She becomes famous in a matter of minutes. Aya gets a ping from Tally Youngblood, the most famous person in the city. Tally is the one who defeated the operations and gave everyone freedom. The ping tells her to run and hide. They get captured by the aliens on purpose because of Tally and then they find out the truth.

I would recommend this series to everyone. I know this series sounds really weird but it is really good! I found this series really interesting. This series is by Scott Westerfeld and he is one of my favorite authors because he never writes the average book. They are always interesting.

Tally-you either love her or hate her because she makes every possible mistake and is so disloyal to her best friend but, it is her lack of loyalty that makes her so human compared to everyone else. By the end of the third novel-she grows on you.

Scott Westerfeld is a great author with a distinct voice!

[...]

Tally is about to turn 16 and can't wait for the day she goes for the surgery that will make her pretty for the rest of her life. Her best friend Peris has already changed, because he's a few weeks older than she is, and Tally is lonely waiting for her turn. Then she meets Shay, who takes her on adventures outside their city. Shay claims to know of a place where kids run away to before they become pretty. And she's unsure of whether she wants to be pretty or not. When Shay disappears before her birthday leaving instructions for Tally to follow, Tally has to decide whether to follow and be ugly forever or stay and become pretty.

The innovations of this futuristic world were fun to read about - hoverboards for transportation, holes in the wall that spit out new clothes. But as with any Utopian society there is a dark side that inhabitants don't see until they buck the system. A fascinating book! There's so much to talk about whether you're in a mother daughter book club or just reading for fun. How does society pressure us, girls especially, to have perfect looks? How can you choose your own path when everyone around you is moving in another direction? How much are you willing to give up for beauty?

If you are wanting to read a humorous book, you might want to get a different book. But these books are one of my favorite series of books. They tell of Tally Youngblood and her experiences from being an Ugly all the way to being a fighting machine with really good reflexes an amazing senses (Special). When you read to the end of Uglies it sort of drops off and you automatically start looking for Pretties. The same at the end of Pretties, you look for Specials.
The whole series is action packed. Westerfield uses all kinds of descriptions that makes you feel like you're actually right beside Tally even when she's at places we aren't advanced enough to have. Through the dialog of the characters you can see the emotions of each character and even feel their pain or excitement.
Each book of the series gets better and better. I can't remember how long it took me to finish reading Uglies and Pretties, but I just finished Specials yesterday. I had the whole day to read (we weren't in school) and spent around 6 hours reading. In that time I began and finished Specials. It was the best of the series in my opinion. It has more action and war than the others.
I haven't started Extras yet, but I'm sure it will be just as the other books in the series.

Great read for youth today who are bombarded with pressure to look perfect and accept shallow joys. In fantasy it draws out the consequences of such values. Slowly those who accept differences and tune into the clever ways of Earth, become far more attractive.

I have never read one of Scott Westerfeld's books, but after reading "The Uglies," he's got me hooked. The genre of this book is Science Fiction, and fantastic for teenagers. I heard about this book from a student in my English class and it sounded really interesting. This was an incredibly well written book. The setting was well created and the characters were believable and well developed. Tally Youngblood is Ugly and all of her friends are Pretty, but Tally lives in "The Uglies," which pretty much means until she turns 16, she will always be an Ugly, but on her sixteenth birthday she can be turned into a "pretty" and go live with the "Pretties," but a lot of hard decisions come in the way of her becoming a pretty, and she's always dreamt of becoming a pretty. Tally can't wait to become Pretty and join her best friend Peris. Then she meets Shay, another Ugly who shares her birthday, but who is not planning on becoming Pretty when she turns 16. When Shay runs away to a settlement beyond the city where everyone is Ugly and invites Tally to come along with her, life gets very complicated for Tally. Does she want to be Pretty? How badly does she want it?
Juliana L