Well, I guess I’ll just have to remind myself that 1) I really liked the first book and 2) the next two were nowhere near as bad as, say, the Matrix sequels. Cable’s system seemed waaaaay too easy, so I didn’t find this satisfying on a plot level, either. Add to that Shay’s many reversals-I kept expecting it to be revealed that she’s totally PSYCHOTIC, but apparently not-Zane’s quick dismissal, and the almost complete absence of David (after he was also barely in the last book) and you can’t help being disappointed with the conclusion to these characters’ stories, because they barely seem like the characters you started out with and that Westerfeld made you care about. However, by the time we get to book three and Tally’s brain has been reset AGAIN, it’s becoming frustrating and it doesn’t help that in this final book Westerfeld doesn’t take the time to explore what’s really going on with her. In the first two books, Westerfeld took the time to explore these transitions, and Tally’s growth was really interesting. 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.

I’m still trying to figure out why it so completely failed to work for me. I really loved Uglies and there was a lot to admire about Pretties, but I found this to be a highly unsatisfactory conclusion.

Pretties uglies and specials