Musings: I had really liked Pretties and so decided to go straight into Specials. I don't know if it was the timing or the book itself, but I really had some problems with it. The story was interesting, but I hated Tally. She was cool as an ugly, annoying but growing as a pretty, and obnoxious as a special. She's accused of being ego-centric, and it's true. She thinks of nothing but herself and her desires, and I really didn't think she'd changed by the end. She wants to change Zane because she's repulsed by him "only" being a pretty and not a special, but at the same time, she's madly in love with him and uses him as her motivating source throughout the book. I couldn't understand her absolute devotion. I understood her choosing Zane over David in Pretties, but this passionate love seemed out of place.
The egotism continues at the end of the book, when Tally decides she can't rejoin the struggling cities, but instead she will act as their "watch dog" and keep them from destroying the environment (somehow along the way she became a nature freak). And who is she to be guard for them all? Who is she to decide what the reforming cities can and can't do? She's made more mistakes and caused more problems than anyone.
I was frustrated throughout much of the book, which kept me from enjoying most of what happened. Tally's snooty view of everyone else filtered to me as well, so that by the end I not only disliked Tally, but I could care less about the other characters and their attempts to rebuild society as well.
- See my reviews of book one in the series, Uglies, and book two in the series, Pretties.
I think this one was my least favorite of the series, as well. Of course the plot kept me moving, but I didn't connect with Tally the way I had in the other books. Extras was pretty awesome though (I thought!), so keep the faith! Nice review!
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