Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me
On Sale Date: November 15, 201
Juvenile Fiction \ Dystopian
Ages 14 And Up, Grades 9 And Up
HarperCollins, 368 pages
Source: Borrowed
My Rating: 5 Stars
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
Intense, dangerous, romantic. I could not put SHATTER ME down. There's something very compelling and unique about the way author Tahereh Mafi writes, using a strikeout method, that really brings life to her characters, a deeper meaning to them. I was immediately drawn to Juliet's voice, I felt her despair and hope, her fear and strength. Her determination to fight back and reclaim her identity.
Shatter Me is a romance at heart, with some Dystopian and supernatural elements. It's about a 17-year-old girl named Juliette who believes she is cursed and no better than a monster due to her ability to harm others with just the power of her touch. Locked away and shunned by others, she desperately longs for love, and the comforting touch she's always been deprived of.
Now The Reestablishment wants Juliette and prizes the very powers she has been taught to despise. They have come to set Juliette free, but with this freedom comes a high price, for they plan on using her power as a Weapon. A weapon against those who fight against all that The Reestablishment stands for. Suddenly Juliette's world is turned upside down as two young men enter her life, one from her past that she thought she had lost forever, and the other is someone who covets Juliette for much more than her powers. Now Juliette must fight for her freedom and the boy she lost her heart to long ago.
Juliette is a fighter, a heroine who has traveled to hell and is slowly climbing her way out. She is taking everything bad that has happened to her and turning them into tools of strength. I could not help but lovEthis heroine, her strength and resilience. I wanted her to learn more about her unique ability, for her to be capable of fighting back, and to find that amazing love she was searching for.
I've been neglected abandoned ostracized and dragged from my home. I've been prodded tested and thrown in a cell. I've been studied. I've been starved. I've been tempted with friendship only to be left betrayed and trapped in this nightmare. I'm expected to be grateful for. My parents. My teachers. Adam. Warner. The Reestablishment. I am expendable to all of them.
They think I'm a doll they can dress up and Twist into prostration.
But they're wrong.
Warner plays the part of the anti-hero perfectly. A walking contradiction. Handsome and possessive. Often cruel, and yet darkly compelling to Juliette. He seems to see through Juliette's defenses and understands her more than most. As the son of the leader of The Reestablishment, he is a dangerous enemy to Juliette. Power hungry, and mad he wants to Juliette for himself.
"I know everything about you, love." He grins. "I've wanted you for a very long time. I've waited forever for you to be ready. I'm not going to let you go so easily.
Adam has been searching for Juliette as well, but for very different reasons. He remembers Juliette as a little girl, struggling with her power, always taunted and dealt cruelly with by others. He has not forgotten Juliette nor his feelings for her and now that he has found her, he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
He whispers, "You have no idea how much I've thought about you. How many times I've dreamt"-he takes a tight breath- "how many times I've dreamt about being this close to you." He moves to run a hand through his hair before he changes his mind. Looks down. Looks up. "God, Juliette, I'd follow you anywhere. You're the only good thing left in this world.
The romance, of course, is a big part of the story but does not overshadow it. Juliette and Adam are like two lost souls meant to be together, and now that they have found each other again, but their suddenly their world together is threatened with a new danger... The Reestablishment. Warner.
The Swoon Quote:
"Juliette," he whispers, and I realize just how close he is. I'm not sure why I haven't evaporated into nothingness. "It's been me and you against the world forever," he says.
“He looks at me with so much emotion I nearly crack in half.
"God, Juliette--"
And he's kissing me.
Once, twice, until I've had a taste and realize I'll never have enough.”
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is recommended for readers looking for a light Dystopian, a fabulous romance, and a heroine to love. I really could not put this book down. I was enthralled by Juliette's character, her voice, and the beautiful and unique way Tahereh Mafi writes.
