Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This is another one of those dystopian young adult books like Divergent or The Maze Runner.  I have enjoyed the series so far and have just started the second book.  The first book is a little slow moving and honestly there is not a lot of action until the very end and even them not too much drama or anything going on.  Still, I have enjoyed the idea of the book.

Every goes through stages in their life.  They start as Littlies, then go to school and are labeled Uglies waiting until they turn 16 and can finally become a New Pretty.   They later become Middle Pretty, and finally Old Pretty and then die.  Each group is separated from one another and do not associate with the other groups.  Uglies go to school and learn while New Pretties pretty much just party and have fun.  Everyone has a surgery that changes each person into the ideal 'pretty.'  They see pictures of what we deem as pretty and popular for us and they believe they are too skinny and have uneven faces.

We start the first book with Tally Youngblood who is just waiting for her birthday.  Her friends have already turned Pretty and she is the only one left.  She meets up with Shay, another girl with her birthday also waiting to turn 16.  Shay, however, leaves a week before their birthday to go to the Smokies, a place where no one is turned pretty and is able to be themselves.  It is not a widely known place and secret from everyone, but Sally leaves directions for Tally hoping she will come.  Unfortunately for Tally, who has no desire to stay ugly, the special agents get involved and force her to travel to the Smokies and turn in the location.  Of course, by the time she gets there and falls for a boy, she no longer wants to turn them in, however she accidentally triggers the locator and the people are caught and sent back to their respective towns to become pretty.  Tally escapes with her boyfriend and frees everyone from the Special Agents.  Shay by this time has turned pretty, but they take her with them anyway.

The first book ends with Tally leaving with SHay to become pretty so she can test out a pill that is suppose to return your true thoughts and feelings.  Sally does not want to take it since the Pretty transformation makes you pretty and it makes you care free and happy.  You do not care about anyone or anything and just go along with what people tell you to do.  So our second book which I have just started starts with Tally in New Pretty Town as a Pretty.  She vaguely remembers her previous life, but it is fuzzy and she does not really care about it anymore.  By the third book, Shay has taken Tally and mad eher into a Special.  Shay is the leader and they are looking for the New Smoke where everyone is heading too.  By this time the cure is being distributed to a lot of people.

I like how the series ends with Tally not really being cured or changed from being a Special.  She is still herself and able to push past the mental changes that were imposed on her.  She does not fully support the New Smoke rebels and what they have done.  True, everyone is able to think for themselves and make their own decisions, however, this comes with consequences.  The people are now forming clicks and able to get any modification done to their body.  They have to expand the city which means cutting down trees and destroying nature.  People start to get angry and fight.  These are all consequences that Tally and David decide to watch and stay out of.  They warn their friends that if things get out of hand they will become their enemy and put them back in place.  So which type of government is really better?