Pretties picks up right were Uglies left off with protagonist Tally Youngblood having gone through the surgery process to become "pretty", along with the sinister side effects.

This installment of the Uglies series felt incomplete. The first book felt like a complete story. Pretties didn't seem to have the same arc and I think that's because Tally doesn't really "change" she just gains "realization." As a result, it felt like a shorter journey and I was reading just to find out what happens next rather than understand the world and characters that Westerfeld created. I guess I'm a little disappointed in this sequel and I'm not sure what that portends for the next installment.