Scott Westerfeld: Uglies Quartet: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras

Uglies #1-4

by Scott Westerfeld, Rodrigo Corral

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Teen

1216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2009

About the author

Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His current series, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies.

The next book in that series, MIRROR'S EDGE, comes out April 6, 2021.

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made it through book three in this four book "trilogy" and just can't stomach reading any more. I'm just so sick of Tally-wa and Shay-la and all of their bubbly and icy speak that I'm totally hurly-making. Maybe if I hadn't read them so quickly it wouldn't be this horrible? Book one was a definite keeper. After that, they fell apart- mostly because of the annoying pretty-speaking that they do. I will be totally amazing-missing by skipping the last book, probably, but it's a chance I'm willing to take.

[Shul · Rating 4 out of 5]

When these books first came out, I was reluctant to read them. I suspected that - because of the covers - the books were the type of books I didn't care to read: stories of preppy, perfect girls and rejects. I had read Westerfeld's series The Midnighters, but none of his other series. A year after I read The Midnighters, I finally took Uglies out from the library with a sense of 'what the hell, I have nothing else to read.' Within the first few pages, I was drawn into a story of not only interesting characters, but a world I wish actually existed. To me, the worlds feel like a video game. There's the straight passage that gets you through the level's quickest, but there's also hidden areas for side games that you want to explore before you get to the end. When I finished the series, I wanted more. Not with the characters, but with the world itself.

I enjoyed the way each character is written. I don't necessarily like the main characters throughout the series, but I appreciate the way they were written. Tally Youngblood, for example. I enjoyed her character in the beginning, but - per the story line - her personality changed with each book. It was consistent, and accurate with the world, but at the same time, I grew to dislike her personality, but NOT her as a character. Westerfeld wrote each character in a way that you could truly appreciate each one. In fact, when one died, I was so upset that I spent two whole weeks debating whether or not the last book was even worth reading because I knew that character wouldn't be in it and I was so upset about their death. I ended up opening to a random page to skim and found that the author had unknowingly preyed on my love of anything Japanese, for the characters in the last book are, indeed, Japanese. Mentally shaking my fist at Mr. Westerfeld, I took it up and instantly fell in love with the world he writes all over again. The world leaves you day dreaming for eye scanners and your very own hover cam named Moggle. The world of EXTRAS was most definitely my favorite, but the little things in the first three that make you think on how our own world - the world of the Rusties - truly is. They give a whole new outlook on 'beauty' and the way someone who does not live like us would really see us. Absolutely fascinating.

I highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoys reading and entering new worlds.

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for the series as a whole. This series has a really great concept and some good aspects, but it lacks quite enough emotional depth and ends up being somewhat superficial as a result.

Uglies is about a world in which everyone is considered by default ugly and has to become pretty. The book certainly benefits from this smart concept; this is a world where beauty rules. Unfortunately, the interesting connections to our world aren't explored enough in this series. Pretties are stupid, Uglies have their brains. It's nothing new.

Tally and Shay are each interesting characters with believable inner conflict. They're flawed and their friendship is flawed, but they parallel each other in interesting ways. I almost wish we could've gotten both their points of view. Unfortunately, this series goes all over the place in terms of plot and character growth. There's no solid arc for Tally and Shay; they have emotions, then go back to being terrible because of an operation, then they develop again. Tally has three different character arcs because she keeps having her brain remodeled. I have to admit, it was quite disappointing. It gets old after the second time her character regresses.

Tally's ending as a character (after four books) is pretty good; she's changed a lot and lost many of her emotions, but she's not a robot. Her morally ambiguous character during books three and four was a lot of fun. While I didn't like Specials as much at the time, in hindsight it might be my favorite for Tally's slightly psychotic yet way more interesting character. Despite the fact that the twist at the end of book two was AWESOME.

However, I question the need for her in-between reset to become a Pretty. All that happens in book two is a romance. What was the need? If I were to rewrite the series, I would've skipped Pretties and instead left Tally as an Ugly.

Another issue with this series is the badly-written romance. The love triangle especially is just a fail. David is the love interest for this book, and he's a decent guy and decent character, but it's hard to ignore that he's supposedly dating Shay at the time he kisses Tally. Zayn, in the second book, is flat-out annoying. He's reckless and tiresome, and their entire relationship is based off his hotness. There's no need for the love triangle here, and frankly, both plots could've been executed better. The conclusion for Tally and Zayn is especially messy.

This isn't so much a review as a compilation of thoughts. God knows what my views would be today. Just see how you feel after reading the review, I guess.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped in the middle of book 3. I was SOOOO bored. When will it end? So boring. And not very well told. The main character is not likable. Why would you write a story and tell it from the perspective of a super unsympathetic narrator? Near the end of book 3 I was seriously hoping for her demise. I wanted her to meet a horrible and violent end. Well, maybe not her END, but I wanted her to "GET IT" for all the trouble she called.

The girl cannot make a good decision if her life depends on it. And often it does! and she always makes the wrong one. It got really annoying. Also, the books aren't very developed, aren't well told. For example, all of a sudden things just HAPPEN and we are supposed to take their word for it, and we don't get to see the development of the story. Like the ending of cities. Why did they end? Let's go into that! But they just say "oh yeah, there was this virus. Now back to blahs-ville". Not enough story-telling where needed.

I might go back, but maybe not. Again, SO BORING,

UPDATE: Ok, I'm back finishing off the series now. I think my break helped, because it isn't so bad this time. Then again, I just finished the Mysterious Benedict Society, so anything seems great after that.

FURTHER UPDATE! Never mind. This series is a bust. Don't waste your time. Blah with a side of annoying. See reasons above. Seriously, go re-read the Harry potter series. You'll have a much better time, even if you've read them 2 or 5 or 10 times before. It was that miserable.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH......MY........GOOGILY-MOOGILY!!!! WHY DID HE STOP AFTER FOUR BOOKS?!? THESE BOOK WERE AWESOME! IT AMAZING HOW HE ADDED IN VERSIONS OF THE PAST AND THE NEW FUTURE! THESE BOOKS GOT ME SOOOO ADDICTED TO THEM THAT WHEN I FINSHED ONE (WHICH TOOK ME ABOUT TWO DAYS) I WOULD NEARLY HAV A PANIC ATTACK TO GET TO THE NEXT ONE. I WAS BUMMED OUT ONCE I FOUND OUT THAT THERE WERE ONLY 4 BOOKS THOUGH. THE FIRST 3 BOOKS ARE ABOUT TALLY AND HOW SHE WENT THROUGH 3 TRANSFORMATIONS AND STILL MANAGES TO BE A REBEL AGAINST EACH ONE WHICH OBVIOUSLY CAUSED TROUBLE FOR THOSE AROUND HER. THE FOURTH BOOK CONTINUES ON THE PATH BUT THE MAIN CHARACTER IS AYA BUT TALLY IS STILL MENTIONED IN THE BOOK. SO BASICALLY, THESE BOOKS WERE AWESOME!!!! I MEAN SERIOUSLY THERE ARE ONLY 5 STARS? :)

[Jackiepellecchia]

Jackie Pellecchia
English
Ms. Peritore
April 9, 2012
The Specials
Non-fiction and realistic books tend to keep me interested more than fictional stories with magic. I am more interested in these types of books because I rather read a book about something that could happen rather than something that is all imagination. Scott Westerfield is a great author and does a great job of combining both of these elements in all of his books. I am truly fascinated in his set of books which include The Uglies, The Pretties, and The Specials.
Westerfield is a very descriptive and detailed writer. This book is based off of the two previous books. This book begins with Tally now being a cutter. A cutter is a branch of the specials whose leader is Shay. Tally finds herself disguised as an uglie at a party trying to watch for any party crashers. Since Tally is now a special she is almost completely perfect. Her bones are strong, her muscles can heal themselves, and she has great senses. She can even smell a smokey that crashes the party. Smokies use pills and nanos that can destroy brains, this happened to Tally’s boyfriend. She goes to get the smokey who has these but he gets away by being rescued by hoverboards with someone from Tally’s past, David. The cutters are now all in a race to capture the smokies. David is now Shay and Tally’s enemy. The smokies kidnapped Shay and another cutter and stole the Specials hoverboards. When Tally meets back up with Shay she realizes that the pills were supposed to be delivered to the Crims, and the Crim they were for were Zane, Tally’s boyfriend. Even though Zane’s brain was damaged due to the pills he is still trying to give them out to pretties, he is still one also. Tally asks Zane to help her take down the smokies. Are Tally and Shay going to survive? Is Zane going to help?
It is very easy to get into these books because there is another one after it, so you want to know what will happen in this one, but it also leaves it up to your imagination what is the next one about. Westerfield does a great job at having a lot of plots in one book. The subject of the book is never just one thing. I like these books because there are real life concepts behind the magic. This book is based on Tally’s life and what she does. What will she do next?

[Leisha'sinfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this series when I was in middle school going through my Twilight Phase and always wondered why this wasn't a movie? I love this series so much, it's not just about a boy and a girl it's about the things around them. It's about what happens when they turn 16 and finally get to be a 'Pretty'. I love this series because its very original and it's so creative. It really is one of my favorite series even if I read it like five years ago, that's how good it is that I still consider it one of my favorites. Xo Leisha

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED these books. Scott Westerfeld has such andinteresting writing style.
He started off uglies great right away talking about the salmon cat vomit pink sky. I hate when it takes a couple chapters for the book to be good.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, the second book is okay. But I kinda hate most of the main characters throughout the series, which doesn't help. The overuse of 'futuristic' slang gets old after one chapter. The resolutions are...anticlimactic. Good concepts though.

[Terri Mcleroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series so much ever since i was a kid.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books 1-3 are 5 star ratings and the 4th book is 4 stars.

[Carol Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a nice quick read with tons of social/moral and ethical questions raised. I want call it on a similar level of Orwell's "1984" but with a strong focus for YA readers and not nearly quite as dark or hopeless.

Uglies: A little slow start on this one and the "teenage" babble was a little tedious at first and then I realize that was the whole plan. Make the reader so bombarded with Tally's quest to be pretty that when truth and reality hit her it crashed her entire world and forced her to see things from a very "antiquated" point of view. 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pretties: Much faster paced than the first book and it took us right into the world of the Pretties and how ones core can stay fairly constant in spite of any meddling that might happen. I was hoping for a bit more of David in this one but it didn't detract from the read. Some parts did get a little annoying such as the whole Dr. Cable conspiracy. 3 out of 5 stars

Specials: Quite a nice thrilling ending to the trilogy. The concept of right vs wrong were nicely blurred and neither side had all the answers or even the best way or living. Which side should reign- its very difficult to make judgment on either as both are riddled with pros and cons. I also liked the fact that there wasn't any real "winners" at the end and everything is left quite open-ended to succeed or fail. 4 out of 5 stars

Entire series: not quite a perfect average but I'm giving 4 stars because of the unresolved ethical issues that the last book tied everything around and the overtones that superficial beauty can never take the place of ones identity.

[Amanda Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about what science could be able to do in the future along with the pros and cons of the consequences.
The series is mainly written in one persons perspective watching her mind mold and change throughout the series!

[Selaine Henriksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I typed in the titles of this series I realised this is one of the few times that having the story divided into separate books actually makes sense, rather than just a chapter divide. In each story our heroine is basically a different person and is dealing with a different aspect of the futuristic society. Hard not to give spoilers in this review. I will say the first book was hard to finish. It's like YA writing from A to B. And I didn't like the betrayal of the girlfriend; it seemed unnecessary. In fact, all the romantic elements might well have been left out. None of them felt true, or particularly important, just thrown in because they were expected. Those relationships would have been better as friendships and still worked as they do (as motivators) for the plot. I also found some logic problems: why make everyone look the same then allow them to dye their hair different colours? Get tattoos? All distinguishing marks that could lead to preference of one person over another which the surgery was supposed to eliminate and make everyone equal.

That said, once I finished the first book I had to read the second and was delighted it was so different, the same with the third and the fourth is a great summary/finisher and is quite funny as well. Get through the first book and the rest are a terrific read.

[Nicole Pulver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the books overall, their were a few annoying points however. First off, the were way over enviornmental, I'm all about helping the enviornment, but not at the expense of humans. The book was pretty preachy about how humans eat meat and cut down trees, and how they should never populate the whole earth again and drones on about over population. Honestly I think children are more important than a few trees. The other annoying point, was that they used a really ditsy type of lingo, I understand it while they are Pretties and their minds have been changed, but not when they are cured. They talked like a bunch of bimbo valley girls. Overall the books were entertaining.

[Dr.Given · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wouldn't it be better if no one was "ugly"? What if society had a way to make everyone beautiful - no more envy, no more issues like eating disorders or feelings of inferiority? What starts as a plan to improve life for its citizens ends up as not such a great idea. This is a good series for exploring Utopia, science fiction and beliefs about our appearance. It took me a while to get into the first book, but I like the way the voice of the main narrator changes as she goes through different experiences in the series.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I reeeeeeeally wanted to like these books. I thought the concept was creative, and liked where it was going in the first 2 books. When I got to the third book, I completely lost interest. I did not like what happened to the main character, and felt like her personality was lost by the end of the series.

Also the slang kind of annoyed me after a while . . .

The fourth book seemed to be more of an add on rather than an actual part of the series. I did think it was pretty cute, and it read a bit like a manga, which I kind of liked.

Unfortunately, not my favorite series!

[Sarah R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars, so I will be generous and round up to 4 because I did really enjoy reading them. I am rating them altogether instead of seperately because I read them so quickly that they are pretty much just one book in my head. They weren't groundbreaking, but they were fun, interesting, quick, easy books to read.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much!! the fact that its set in the futur where hoverboards can work perfectly! would be a dream come true. this series can possibly keep me up night, by the unexcepted happenings.

[Megan]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Best books ever... If you read this another good book to have is Bogus to bubbly. Bogus to Bubbly is a guide to the series. But only look up what you are reading about or you will already know too much!!!!

[Kristen Nutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book set I tell all my friends about because it’s a fun read. It’s creative, energetic, and compelling. It tackles a difficult topic “what defines pretty/popular” directly but without discussion. This author is one of my favorites.

[Betsy]

It was totally bubbly to read ;)

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a great series, very happy-making :)

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the series and was glad i read it.

[Mirkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras

I read/listened to each of these books individually and did write-ups on each one, with the intention of writing a review covering the entire series. This is that review.

My individual write-ups can be accessed at the following links:

Uglies
Pretties
Specials
Extras

Note: While I avoided spoilers for each book, I did refer to events of earlier books once I got past the first.

The remainder of this review will be placed behind spoiler tags. Spoilers for all four books follow.

Uglies
When the book begins, Tally Youngblood is three months away from turning 16 years old. She lives in one of those future dystopian worlds in which everything changes when you turn 16. (If you have read many YA dystopian novels, this is likely a phenomenon you know fairly well.) In the case of the Uglies-verse, everyone gets plastic surgery upon turning 16, transforming them from an "ugly" to a "pretty." The "ugly" stage lasts from age 12 to 16, and during that stage, uglies live in dormitories and attend school as they await their pivotal birthday. From birth to age 12, children are considered "littlies," and live with their parents in suburban communities. The 16-year-olds who undergo the operation are called "new pretties," and they move to New Pretty Town, separated by a river from Uglyville. The other life stages are "Middle Pretties" and "Crumblies," with other surgeries associated with them. (We never get many details about those, though.)

The inciting incident at the start of Uglies is Tally sneaking into New Pretty Town to crash a party, so she can see her bestie, Peris. (I spent most of Uglies listening to the audio and thinking his name was PARIS, but then I discovered in the text version that he's PERIS. PERIS?!?!?!) Peris is three months older than Tally, and she feels lost being separated from him. They once made matching scars on their wrists to show they would always be best friends, but the Peris she catches up with at the pretties party is not only beautiful, but he no longer has the scar.

Although she catches up with Peris at the party, the most significant event of the night is meeting Shay during her dramatic escape (she has used a bungee jacket to jump from the roof of the mansion where the party is being held and is on the run to evade patrolling marshals). Shay is also an ugly, who coincidentally shares a birthday with Shay, and has also sneaked into New Pretty Town because she misses 16-year-old friends. Shay and Tally spend the next three months becoming close friends, while engaging in "tricks," including sneaking out of the confines of the city into the "Rusties Ruins." (Rusties are basically us, the people who destroyed the environment, clear-cut land, and engaged in wars 300+ years before the action of the quadrilogy.)

On the cusp of turning 16, Shay reveals that she does not want the operation. She is running away to a place known as "The Smoke," where people live in "the wild," free from the conformity of the city. She leaves coded instructions Tally can follow if she decides also to escape to The Smoke. And while Tally still wants to become a pretty and resume her friendship with Peris, she is given an unexpected ultimatum. Dr. Cable, who is with a unit called "Special Circumstances," urges Tally to follow after Shay, infiltrate the "smokies," and use a tracking device (hidden in a heart-shaped locket), to alert the "Specials" to the location. If she does not fulfill the request, she will not be given the "pretty" operation. Reluctantly, she does as asked.

When she is reunited with Shay and is accepted into the group, Tally becomes increasingly sympathetic with their ways, and decides she does not want to betray them. During that time, David, Shay's original contact person and recruiter to the smokies, of course falls in love with Tally (because she's the protagonist of a YA dystopian novel). David introduces Tally to her parents, Maddy and Az, doctors who used to perform the "pretty" surgery and know the dark secret behind it. Not only does the operation give its recipient beautiful faces and super-healthy bodies, but it results in brain lesions that make the new pretties compliant and not terribly smart!

Tally believes she can destroy the tracking device by burning the locket, but instead that actually reveals the location to the smokies. So it's an accidental betrayal. The specials ("cruel pretties," per Tally's description) descend upon The Smoke. Most are captured, to be taken to Special Circumstances and given the surgery. David and Tally of course escape and are able to mount a valiant rescue. By the end, Shay has been made pretty, Az is dead, Maddy and David know about the accidental betrayal, and Maddy proffers a cure to pretty-headedness, which Shay (whom they have taken with them) refuses to take. Tally, wishing to do penance for the betrayal, offers to allow herself to be captured and made pretty, so she can take the cure.

Pretties
Tally is pretty, living in pretty housing, and besties with Shay. Most of their energy is devoted to preparing themselves for parties and trying to get into the best clique, The Crims. Zane is the leader of that particular clique, and he annoys the heck out of me by having a cutesy device where he asks people how many "milli-Helens" something or someone has. It's a reference to the mythological Helen, whose face launched a thousand ships. So a "milli-Helen" can launch one ship. It's a silly measure of how awesome something is. Probably.

The Crims are all about pulling stunts and being "bubbly." Being bubbly means you're not just being a boring, placid pretty, and on some level, Zane and his clique-mates perceive their is something wrong with their brains. At the first party of the book, Croy infiltrates, to leave a special message for Tally. She and Zane later go on an adventure to retrieve it (after quickly becoming a couple), and have to climb into an old elevator shaft to retrieve a pouch containing two pills and a letter from Tally to herself. It was her informed consent, transcribed by Shay (because "kids today" don't learn to handwrite anymore, and Shay had learned in preparation for being a smokie). While Tally dithers over whether to take the pills, Special Circumstances hover cars create a sense of urgency. She and Zane quickly decide to each take one pill.

There is a protracted period where Tally, Zane, and other Crims wish to run away to the New Smoke (which Tally has semi-made up), but they can't because Tally and Zane have been fitted with monitoring bracelets. Much of the book is devoted to devising a way to get rid of the bracelets. Ultimately they do, but on escape night, Zane and Tally are separated, because Peris gets scared and decides to stay behind. Trying to convince him to come along slows down Tally, so of course, she ends up making a giant journey on her own (mirroring her journey in the first book; a pattern that repeats in Specials). Peris, by the way, is marginal in this book, and will be even more marginal in the next. It's hard to believe he and Tally were ever BFF.

The end of this book somewhat mirrors the end of Uglies. Maddy, David, Zane, and Tally are together, along with members of the New Smoke. Zane has been suffering from debilitating headaches, and Maddy reveals it's because the two pills were different. The one Zane took was the one that actually got rid of the lesions. But the pills work by unleashing "nanos" that eat brain tissue, and the second pill, the one Tally took, stops the nanos. So, the changes Tally has been going through (she has been getting more and more "bubbly") must have been placebo effect and maybe also sheer will. So, at the close of the book, most of the new smokies are fleeing, because the specials are coming, the specials are coming. But Tally won't abandon Zane, who needs medical care. And guess who the newest special is. SHAY! She jabs a needle into Tally's neck, and... CURTAIN!

Specials
In which I hate Tally.

Tally has been made into a special. And not just any special--a VERY SPECIAL special. Back in Pretties, Shay was so desperate to be bubbly she formed a "cutter" clique, who all got together and cut themselves to make and keep themselves bubbly. Somehow, all the cutters were made into teenage specials, and Shay is their "boss." Tally is part of this group, and she and her fellow cutters cut themselves and perform stunts to keep themselves "icy." It's like "bubbly" but with more clarity.

Becoming special involves more surgeries--face, brain and body. The specials have sharp features, coal-black eyes, super-strong, muscled bodies, knife-like teeth and nails, and sociopathic brains. They look down on anyone non-special as "random," and to them, pretties are all "bubbleheads." They are given to fits of rage and feelings of superiority.

The "cutter" specials spend all their time camping outdoors and patrolling New Pretty Town and Uglyville. According to rumors, smokies are colluding with uglies to bring the cure to pretties. Oh, noes!

Tally wants Zane to be made special, but there's a problem. He suffered permanent neurological damage from his cure (in Pretties), and he has slight tremors. Shay assures Tally that if Zane escapes, Dr. Cable will be convinced that he is "specials" material. They hatch a plot to help him and some fellow Crims escape and reach the smokies. This will involve finding a way to remove a collar from Zane (sound familiar?). Shay's plan for that involves breaking into an armory that has weapons dating back to the "rusties" time. It's an overlong, boring action scene that leads to disaster and later unintended consequences, but Tally and Shay get what they're there for, and Tally removes the collar from Zane.

There is a long, dull sequence involving Zane and his group of Crims (including superfluous Peris) going on a journey into the wild to find their contact who will take them to the smokies. Tally follows at a distance to make sure they make it, and at one point, Zane catches her. They kiss, even though he disgusts her now. He urges her to rewire her brain.

The Crims are taken via helicopter to a distant city called Diego. Tally stows away by holding onto the bottom of the helicopter. In Diego, Tally is shocked to learn that everyone has taken the cure. Uglies, pretties, middle pretties, littlies, and crumblies co-exist. Instead of having standard faces devised by a Pretty Committee, people have features and modifications of all kinds.

Meanwhile, Tally discovers that Maddy has also developed a cure for special-brain. Fausto, a fellow "cutter," has taken the cure and tries to stick Tally with a syringe so that she can, too. But she doesn't want to lose her special-mindedness, and flees. She is captured and brought to a hospital, where she is to be forcibly operated on, as her body is considered a lethal weapon. However, all hell breaks loose because Special Circumstances from Tally's city is waging war against Diego.

What? But that kind of thing doesn't happen anymore. That was a "rusty" thing, wasn't it?

Diego is being blamed for what Tally and Shay did in the Armory. This is being declared a "special circumstance."

During the mayhem, Shay helps Tally get away. Does Shay know that Fausto has been "cured" of his special-brain? You bet, and Fausto has cured Shay! Not thinking like a special anymore is a relief. But Shay believes that Tally should hold off on getting cured herself. The plan is to return to Dr. Cable and confess about the armory. If Dr. Cable scans them, it will be better if one of them is still special.

Oh, and there is one more thing. Zane tried to get a cognitive and physical upgrade, but something went wrong, and during the attack, the emergency system broke down. He's on life support, and he is going to die the moment he is unplugged. So he's about to die and it's all Tally's fault! She does a final goodbye.

Shay's plan is to leave at first light, so of course, Tally has to go off on her own while Shay is sleeping. Because she's Tally. Back at home, Shay is ready to make the confession, but she discovers that Dr. Cable knows who is responsible for the armory incident. And she blamed Diego anyway. Because it's a convenient excuse, and Dr. Cable is evil. Tally's new plan is to make the confession to the Council. But instead of being led to the Council, Tally is taken down to a sub-basement. Where the final confrontation with Dr. Cable happens. And the Villain Confession. Which Tally says she recorded with her special device. Which is actually the syringe that has the cure of special-brain. And Dr. Cable sticks herself with it, while trying to snatch it away.

So, the cure sinks in and the war is called off. World saved! Tally reconnects with David, and devises her "plan to save the world." She issues a manifesto.

Extras
Ugh, I spent way too many characters on plot summary up above. So, at first glance, Extras seems to have little to do with the first three books, beyond being in the same universe, almost three years later--in Japan. But Aya Fuse, the main character, stumbles upon a hot story that appears to uncover devices that could destroy the world. So Tally, Shay, Fausto, and David show up. And there are alien-looking figures involved. But it turns out they actually want to save humanity by colonizing space. Who knew?

As described in my write-up of Extras, I was not a fan of Aya for the first third of the book. She lies to the Sly Girls, who don't want publicity, and pretends she's not into kicking stories anymore. Except she secretly still does. But the girl does grow and change. It's also fun to have the main cast of Extras interacting with Tally, Shay, Fausto, and David, and vice versa. In both cases, we get characters making comments that readers might have been thinking. The book provides some closure that was lacking at the end of Specials.

Finally....
Tally is a reluctant heroine for much of this. In some ways, I felt Shay could have been a better protagonist. I wish she had accepted the cure!

[MymcplSmithville · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked:
This book series has a little bit of everything. A heroine who puts everything she's got into achieving her goals. Likable characters. A plot that you can enjoy and a conclusion that leaves you content after you've made it to the end, even if it wasn't perfect. The MC was capable with and without her friends supporting her but the book does a good job showing her limitations. The romance in the story drives it without being the focus of the book, which is amazing. The love hate relationship she has with her best friend is believable after all they go through together. Even the 'bad guy' isn't completely unrelatable / evil for the sake of it. The technology in the book is interesting as is the society. I wouldn't have minded spending some of my teenage years in this book.

What I hated:
For a young adult novel, I felt like it dealt with it's heavy themes pretty well. It could have gone a farther but I don't hold that against the book. I would have liked to see and learn more about the other towns and cities. The book was good about showing us everything from the MC's perspective so we do't know what she doesn't know but it felt like we were missing out some details because of it. The story would have felt off if there had been random info dumps to explain the world she wasn't privy too though, so maybe it can't be helped. I'm not going to hold a grudge about it though. I also would have liked to see more going on with the tribe of people The MC found. I felt like they were going to be more important than they were and even when they were more involved it felt like an after thought.

Final thoughts:
I had a lot of fun with this book. I started reading it in high school and didn't read the last book until relatively recently and I fell in love with it all over again. It has a good pace and I even when it wasn't booming with action, I had fun taking in her surroundings. I often think that with a few tweeks, it really could be an amazing utopia, which made it all the mroe enjoable for me. It also made me feel for the MC towards the beginning when all she wanted was to have whatthe other kids had. They made the status quo seems fun and it gave more weight to her decision to fight against it!

What do you think? Feel free to comment or recommend books for our library staff to read and review!

~Jamie

[Winnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember adoring this series. I've read my share of future dystopian stories (why must they always come in threes?) and none of them have impacted quite the way this series has. (I consider the fourth one a separate entity.) It was a great story that's plot driven and kept you reading. Each book is its own arc with the main character placed in a different setting and how she battles the regime while limited be it in the wilderness, social class, memory loss, all the while facing issues that an adolescent can strongly relate to even though we don't have the pressure of saving our community on our shoulders. I don't recall there being filler, each book was exciting and served a purpose and not written simply for the sake of fluffing it until we can somehow reach the next obstacle. I would reread this.

[Doug Kauffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit to enjoying these young adult novels. I am a sucker for futuristic dystopias, so I guess that's part of the reason. There is also a deeper message here about the dangerous allure of superficial beauty and groupthink. I didn't find the narrator to be a particularly compelling or sympathetic character; indeed, she's not a very nice person a lot of the time. That's an interesting choice by the author. One negative for me was that the magnetic technology underlying most of the narrative seemed pretty far-fetched, so it required a bit more suspension of disbelief than I like.

[Freedom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first and second books in this series just enough to keep reading, even though the dialogue was annoying. Crazy making, even....ugh.
Once I start a series, I feel like I HAVE TO finish them. That led me to regret every single minute that I spent reading books three and four.
I kept thinking “Omg. IS IT OVER YET?!”