Book Review- Shatter Me

08 Nov, 2011 by in paranormal YA fiction, shatter me 3 comments

Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Hardcover, 342 pages
Expected publication: November 15th 2011
by HarperCollins
ISBN 0062085484

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.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Hmmm I have really torn feelings about this book. The first thing that struck me is how similar it feels to Possessed by Elana Johnson. Both start out with a girl in jail who gets a male roommate who ends up being someone familiar, both are dystopian with a paranormal twist. So this didn’t feel all that new to me. Tahereh Mafi’s prose and writing style was a times lyrical and beautiful and at other times the strike through verse and metaphors were distracting. So here’s the break down for me…

What I struggled with: Warner. I know some of you may think he’s got an appealing side but he is the ultimate creepy antagonist to me. He reminds me of Hitler and the scenes he was in were too violent and sadistic for me.

Suspension of disbelief- that being locked up or isolated from touch all that time Juliette would have the rage of hormones she does as well as the ability to be sexy to every man that crosses her path.

While I enjoy the good kissing scenes this felt like too much sexual tension for a young adult novel. Too much too fast. This is one for older teens, not 14 year olds.

The last part of the novel felt completely disjointed from the first. It shifts gears from dystopian to X-Men with a paranormal twist. At times it reminded me of Disney’s Incredibles. I know the scene is being set for a sequel but the ending chapters struck me as odd.

What I enjoyed: Shatter Me is engaging. Once you pick it up you won’t want to put it down. It’s interesting and unique in its style.

I love childhood crushes rekindled. The relationship between Adam and Juliette reminds me of one of my favorite books Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. I like that it shows those from a dysfunctional abusive home can still choose to be good and kind.

I liked the relationship between Adam and his brother, that even though he has a new love interest, he goes back to save his little brother and protect him.

Overall: I will be reading the rest of the series but am hoping there is a little less focus on lust and more seamless transition between the two worlds represented-the Reestablishment and the Omega rebels.

Content: moderate swearing, lots of sexual tension and heavy making out/ petting, moderate violence. Not for younger teens.

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3 Responses to “Book Review- Shatter Me”

  1. Sophie

    I’m looking forward to reading it. Loved the frank tone of your review. I haven’t read Possessed yet but it’s on my TBR. Lately, I’ve been noticing a lot of similarities in plots. Hmmm.

    Reply
  2. Laura (All of Everything)

    I didn’t love Warner, he was the bad guy after all, but I loved how complicated he was. I think there’s so much more going on with him then we know.
    There was a lot of sexual tension but I like to think it’s because Juliette was so against touching anyone it sort of overwhelmed her and Adam in the process. I didn’t mind terribly ;D

    Reply
  3. A. Knight

    I’m so excited for this book, it’s getting harder and harder to wait out the release date. Warner doesn’t seem like a sexually attractive character, BUT he seems like a bad-ass villain that you will sickly admire. And I can handle heavy make-out sessions. I mean, what’s a little making out in YA *LOL*?

    – Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

    Reply

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