Pretties, by Scott Westerfeld, is the second book in a trilogy about a girl named Tally. The first book is called Uglies because Tally has not yet undergone cosmetic surgery to become "pretty." Tally does everything she can in the first book to avoid the surgery, but she is caught by the government and forced into the surgery. Pretties are not just physically changed to be aesthetically pleasings; their brain-makeup is also changed, but Tally doesn't find that out until near the end of Uglies. Her mind before the surgery is then altered so she can forget everything that happened before she was caught in the wilderness. So, in order to describe the Pretties, one would have to include the perfectly pleasing physical changes of the cosmetic surgery, but also discuss their mind-frame and attitudes towards life. For example, at the beginning of Pretties, Tally is more concerned about what to wear to a party than the friends and boyfriend she lost at the end of Uglies.

It was fun, though, hanging out with Shay and trying things on, then snorting and giggling and tossing the costumes back into the recycle [bin]. Tally loved seeing how she looked in new clothes, even silly ones. Part of her could still remember back before, when looking in the mirror had been painful, her eyes too close together and nose too small, hair frizzy all the time. Now it was like someone gorgeous stood across from Tally, following her every move--someone whose face was in perfect balance, whose skin glowed even with a total hangover, whose body was beautifully proportioned and muscled. Someone whose silvery eyes matched anything she wore"(11).