Specials by Scott Westerfeld

372 pages

"Tally thought they were a rumor, but now she's one of them. A Special. A super-amped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But maybe being perfectly programmed with strength and focus isn't better than anything she's ever known. Tally still has memories of something else.

But it's easy for her to tune that out--until she's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same." -Back Cover

*SPOILERS*
I was only going to read a few chapters last night and before I knew it I was staying up really late because I couldn't put this book down. First of all, the Specials are scary with their wolf-like features, ceramic bones, and razor-sharp teeth and fingernails. For awhile all I could think about was how much Tally's physical appearance has changed since the first book and if she's even recognizable at this point. This book started off like the second one: Tally has been changed and she's got to try to think her way out of the brain damage. Sometimes that bugs me a little when a series does that because it feels unoriginal...and frustrating in this case because you finally get the character back that you love and then she's gone again.

In the end I thought this was a story about victims, just not helpless ones. Tally, Shay, Zane, even Dr. Cable, they were all victims. They were all manipulated/changed for someone else's gain or ideal and the beauty of the books is how they fight against that. They have bad things happen to them and they keep going. I had wanted Dr. Cable to "get hers" in the end but loved how things turned out with her. After all, she deserved the cure just as much as everyone else and rescuing Tally was a form of redemption for her. Although...I kind of wish Tally had had the operation. Her staying Special and her Manifesto at the end was a little disappointing for me. I didn't think that her moral compass was good enough for her to declare herself the policeman/woman of the new world. But maybe with David's help, who knows. The author is definitely an environmentalist.

I have to admit, I cried when Zane died. I really liked his character. I knew it was going to happen ('cause that's what happens when you read reviews sometimes) but I wanted so much for Tally to be able to shake off the effects of being Special as quickly as she shook off the effects of being Pretty and think clearly regarding Zane. Zane never stopped believing in her. Or loving her. But then again, neither did David.

For some reason I went into this series not expecting to like it as much as some of the other dystopian novels I've read but it ranks right up there. Any book that makes you care for its characters and have strong feelings about their decisions and what happens to them is a book well-written in my opinion. I'm sure eventually I'll read the fourth book in this "trilogy".