Specials by Scott Westerfeld

So, after finishing the first two books in this series - Uglies and Pretties, I picked up the third book called Specials.  I started reading this book on June 2 and finished it about or so later (can't find the little piece of paper I usually use to track when I start and stop reading).  Like the others in this series, Specials picks up right where the last one left off.

Specials finds Tally it's newest member of the kind of rogue and wild subgroup called the Cutters.  The Cutters, you guessed it, cut themselves to escape the influence of the brain lesions that cloud their thinking.  The Cutters are made Special and are the youngest members of the Specials group.  They are tasked with finding and destroying the New Smoke.

As you also can guess, shit hits the fan with this endeavor too.  A neighboring city called Diego serves as the home base for the New Smoke, and was never as strict as the hometown of Shay and Tally.  On the journey to the New Smoke, many of the Cutters/Specials are captured and they voluntarily take the cure.  The are very happy with their lot in life.  But somehow, Tally has escaped taking the cure.  And, this ends up being helpful.  Diego is about to be attacked by Dr. Cable and the Specials.  The former Cutter Specials convince Tally to help them defend Diego from this eminent attack.

Of course things go awry and not as planned, and of course shit hits the fan again.  Tally gets some semblance of revenge on those who wronged her, and ends up splitting off from her former Pretty Cutter Specials and doing something unexpected.

The book is a quick and easy read.  It is entertaining and I enjoyed reading the series.  I haven't picked up the fourth book in the series, Extras, but I may check it out from the library sometime.