Name your favorite thing overall about the book. Your least favorite?

[Nick]

Please respond below!

[Megan]

This is tough. Its not easy for me to pick my favorite thing--though I thought the character development for Tally near the end was nicely done.

I'd say my least favorite part was the enviornmentalism sprinkled throughout the book. It just appreared out of nowhere in places.

Tally: I think I still want to be pretty.
Smokies: No you don't! Lets go cut down trees!
Tally: I'm appalled at your lack of respect for these beautful living things!
Tally: When I'm pretty, I won't throw away anything. Did I mention I want to be pretty? Lets talk more about that.

I don't know if the enviornmentalism was setup for the sequels but it certainly could have been more integrated into the story instead of feeling so incongruous.

[Ms. Hicks]

What I liked most was I didn't get a heavy handed message on most of the issues raised in the book. Clearly it's not good to be brain damaged by the government, but it wasn't like it was smoke=good, city=bad, either. I thought it was really interesting that the some of the city stuff was highly coveted in the Smoke because they can't make them there, for instance. I also really liked the social commentary of the Rusties (us) and the commentary about how people write and frame history.

What I didn't like...is the whole love triangle. Why didn't Shay tell Tally that she liked David in the first place? And why doesn't Tally care about that (at all really) once she does know? She doesn't even seem that conflicted.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

What I liked the most was the Smoke. I thought this was when the characters were finally brought to life and the plot took off. I think that the book before this was a slow setup.

What I least like was like Terry said... some parts seem to just go on and on. And I have to add one more thing.. I also agree Megan. I felt sometimes like it was totally pushed on me about environment and government, and that beauty is bad. I didn't mind it but I felt it was over done too.

[Meghan]

I thought this was an interesting take on a subject that is a pressing issue for its target market (i.e., pre/teen girls). Beauty is shoved down our throats via magazines, tv shows, and movies. And entering the terrifying world of teenagerdom, looking "different" is equal to being "bad". Most teenagers try to conform to what is considered "cool" for the times. Those that don't are often ostracized. So the problems that Tally faces can be related to by a real-life girl, even if the situations are fantastical.

The underdevelopment of Shay and Tally's relationship after Tally arrived at Smoke was probably my least favorite part. I thought the love triangle was interesting in that how were the girls going to handle everything, especially since Shay probably would figure out that Tally was a spy. How would that impact David's feelings? But none of these scenarios ever really developed satisfactorily so the whole thing seemed out of place and could have been easily left out.

[Katie]

I also really iked the character development, especially since many of the characters needed to grow in order for me to care at all about them. I came to really like Tally and need to finish the series because I want to know what happens to her.
My least favorite part I'd have to say is the fact that it is one book in a series. Don't get me wrong, I like series books, but sometimes I'd like to get the whole story done in one book, not three. I also sometimes get the impression that authors just drag stories out for the $$.

[Ashley]

This is a tough question. I think my most favorite thing is the part of the book where Tally realizes that it is inner beauty that makes one the most attractive.

[PandaRanda]

I really hated how shallow Tally was in the first book...that she lied to everyone in the Smoke just so she could be pretty. That was really low, and down right selfish. But at least she learned from her mistakes, and ending up liking herself and David for who they were. If only she didn't live a lie in the smoke...

But I liked the whole sci-fi, post-apocalyptic stuff about the book. It was the first book I read that made me like the sci-fi genre. :D

[Deb]

I've only read the first two books so far I'm working on the third . So far I like the subtle hints of what has changed, what the society has removed to make a perfect community (example: David is a biblical name that is no longer used or even heard of, one of the characters-cant remember which- comments that its a strange name)

[Deb]

I liked how it kinda switched in the second book that shay was the one that was being more selfish in getting her revenge that she went so far to betray tally in the end. It made shay seem down right evil. she never wanted to be pretty and she goes as far as being a super special just to hurt tally.

[Angie, YA lovin mod!!]

I need to finish this series!

[Priscila]

I adored the series, the author made an amazing job on getting the readers hooked (from page 1) and the other books on the series lived up to the expectation.

My favorite thing: The characters, in general, they were so rich and for lack of better word "real". The writer made sure we had enough details for each of the characters, but didn't overdid that either. This kind of balance is rare and something I enjoyed endlessly

My least favorite thing: this is a hard one, I wished that the whole love triangle thing had been developed a little more.