So I didn't like Tally as much in this book. Her personality has been altered by the "special" surgery, so she looks down on anyone who isn't "special" themselves. Part of the plot line is that she is supposed to overcome this, but I didn't feel she completely did.

Other things that marred my enjoyment of this story...

I hated the cutting aspect. Several times they talk about cutting, and how "Icy" it makes them feel. Eventually Tally quit, but only because it was repugnant to Zane, then because s More...

This disappointed me so much. I really loved Uglies and there was a lot to admire about Pretties, but I found this to be a highly unsatisfactory conclusion. I’m still trying to figure out why it so completely failed to work for me. I think mostly it’s a case of character development: Tally goes through a lot of mental and emotional changes in these books, which makes sense, because her brain is being fucked with. In the first two books, Westerfeld took the time to explore these transitions, an More...

No. No. No. No. No. A thousand times no.

I feel incredibly vitriolic and I have decided to vent my spleen unrestrainedly, so beware: Here be sarcasm, swearwords and possibly dragons. Maybe even spoilers.

How did Scott Westerfeld get away with earning the admiration of so many people?

I do not count the actual target audience, because all the turgid teenage harlequin romance probably makes a huge difference when your swirling helplessly in the grip of raging hormones.
It irritated the hell out of m More...

One thing I've noticed about Westerfeld's novels is how bittersweet the endings are. Although there is still a rainbow (or fireworks) to brighten the blow, there is still death, failure, destruction. Westerfeld knows life will never have a happy ending, just a bittersweet one.

Specials is no exception. Although the novel starts off slow, it quickly builds up speed, carrying you along Tally's final journey. She's now a Cutter, a Special Circumstances pet project. Cutters are stronger -and more obn More...

Note: I am considering this book the finale of a trilogy, because Extras was an un-planned addition.

It is finally time for me to deal with Specials, the final book in the trilogy that began with
Uglies.
I have put off this review for a couple of days, because I honestly dont know how I feel about this one.
I think the main problem for me, is the fact that Specials is the conclussion to a trilogy, yet it certainly did not seem that way when I was reading it. Allow me to explain:
The Hunger Game More...

COUNT AS TWO BOOKS! Tally has been transformed into a strong, mean person like the specials she saw when she was an ugly and pretty.Everything is perfect, Shay and Tally are friends, the privileges of being a special type of special (a cutter), and she can have any crazy surgery she wants.When she helps Special Circumstances bring the Smoke down, her life as a pretty and ugly clash with her current life, making her decide if she should follow orders or fight for the places and people that bring More...

I have ambivalent feelings about this book. It's fatally flawed in my opinion, both in tone and content.

The tone is adolescent hyper-drama.... which is okay I suppose since it's written for a teen audience. But, as an example of literature, it falls flat and since my interest in YA lit is exclusively how it might be used in the classroom or whether I can suggest the book for outside reading, I have to say, it's a problem. Soaking in a gossipy, soap opera loop of teenage angst and action adventu More...

this series of books caught my interest when i read a review by another goodreads member who seemed to have tastes similar to my own. so i was a little surprised when i realized it was young adult fiction but seeing as i am always looking for what may be the next great dystopian work i decided to give it a go.

for the record i started out with the first in the series, uglies, but a week or so later i had torn thru the first three which seem to be the trilogy. there is another in the series but More...

What happened? It wasn't the greatest series I'd ever read but c'mon! Did they give him time? It was worse the the third movie sequel that shouldn't have had a second. Where do I begin with this train wreck? There wasn't one storyline that was wrapped up. The plot was thrown together so hastily and it left more holes (and was as deep as) an 80's John Hughes film. The ONE character I thought was interesting barely featured and fizzled out pathetically... so much potential! Also, the ending was th More...

I have only commented on Goodreads on a couple of books I've read, but this one really bothered me. (I still liked it enough to not stop reading, hence the three stars.) By the time I finished all three, I felt I had been lectured to and virtually yelled at about how awful a people we currently are and how horrifying our lifestyle is. Even though I am more than twice the age of the target audience (:-), I think the target audience is well equipped to understand a more nuanced approach to the obv More...

Oh Scott! I am so so proud of you! Only 2 'purchases' in the whole book! Such an improvement: like you can think for yourself, like youre curing yourself of bogus making writing! Bravo.

Ok, as far as the series is concerned, this is where I'm abandoning ship. I held on this long in hope that somehow you would bring me around and show me how to like Tally, but it kind of went the opposite direction, you know?

Anyway, I'm stopping here because youve given me no reason to continue. The fourth book, More...

It was just ok. bleh! I don't know what it is, but I am starting to get so bored with the dystopian YA novels. They all seem to follow the same formula of two (or more) kids in "love" that fight the government (that NO adults are fighting or they are not really in the picture)

Personally I think “Specials” was a great book, the only thing I did not enjoy was the ending. The book’s ending made me a bit angry, I understand Westerfeld’s style, his endings tend to leave you with a few questions which urge you to read more, but this book being the last of the trilogy I was very disappointed. I’m not the type of reader that loves cliffhangers and I would have prefered a much more explained ending. I hope in his next book “Extras” he tells a bit about Tally and David’s futur More...

Original/full review here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2009...

Review
Scott Westerfeld concludes his remarkable trilogy with his final installment, Specials. (Yes, I said TRILOGY. In my opinion, Extras was merely an after thought.) With Tally now a Special, she has even more power to change the course of events in her life and in the world. And she does.

Specials was even better than its two predecessors, Uglies and Pretties, though they too, were great. Westerfeld continues to do an excellent More...

Even though I have The Host waiting for me, I just really had to find out what happened to Tally, Shay, David, and especially Zane. This book was a good conclusion to The Uglies Trilogy, but it didn't have the same magic Pretties held for me. What I really liked about the trilogy is that Tally is very different in every book, and I think Westerfeld handled those changes very convincingly. However, that's also what I didn't really like about Special. Tally was so changed in Specials, and I really More...

Tally...WHY? I have to check out alternative ending now. I still have one more book to go but I really like this series. It's like right on the edge of gettting 5 stars. You know me I need romance dam it! And there is not to much but I found myself addicted to Tally's story. The message in these books are fantastic and the non stop action made my heart race. I keep chatting GOGOGOGOGOGO when Tally was in a tight spot. Aaahh it was exhausting..lol I want more of Tally but it seems like this is th More...

Um, I am very sad to say that this book really didn't leave me as fullfilled as the last two. Not even close. I was so excited for everything to be resolved, and it just didn't happen very nicely. The whole book was great, very exciting and fun, then the ending came, one tiny aspect of the ending, and ruined everything!! And by tiny aspect, I really mean HUGE aspect. I hated that ending! Endings are very important to me, they can ruin a book for me, which is what happened here. So, though I want More...

I'm so.... confused. Overall, I guess I could say I liked this book, but it made me wonder again, "What's the big deal? Why are so many people seemingly obsessed with these books?" I can't quite fathom it. It was good, I guess. The main character still bugs me. Any endearing qualities she seemed to show in the second book were wiped away in this one, and I don't think it was just because of her newest operation. This book was sad... I read it all for one character who never played to much in the More...

This was really more of 3.5 stars.
This is the 3rd book in the Uglies trilogy and while it was a good book it did not grab me as much as Uglies did. In a way it was sort of a repeat of Pretties taken up to another level. Tally once again has been transformed without her consent and has to “rewire” herself to remember who she really is. There is continued tension between she and Shay which I was really hoping would get resolved in a happy way. I would have liked to see more interaction between Tal More...

I enjoyed the final book in the Uglies trilogy (i have yet to read the 4th "Extra" book). I enjoyed the trilogy a lot. I know many people have complained that there isn't a usual trilogy feel to the books where the first is the beginning, the second the middle section, and the third book the climatic end. Each book has to be looked at individually because each time Tally is a completely new person who though the novel has to re-find herself. The books feel a little formulaic due to that, however More...

Did anyone else notice how CREEPY the inside of the cover was while reading the first half of this book? The other half of the cover lady's eye was just WATCHING you and it was black.. Creepy-making.. (Remind me to NEVER say that again). O.O

Commenting on Westerfeld's writing throughout the series: I thought the series lacked any emotional power in the writing style and characterizations. By the end of the series I was entertained with all twists, turns and overall plot, but I still didn't give a More...