Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi | Book Review

(Shatter Me #1)

Published: October 2nd 2012 (first published November 15th 2011)

Synopsis:

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.

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My Rating:  4.5/5 (Amazing)

Book Information

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre(s): Young-adult sci-fi, dystopia

Page Count: 340

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 0062085506

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Used for the Popsugar challenge: A Book Written by Someone Under 30

I finished Shatter Me… I don’t even remember anymore, which is a clear sign that I should’ve posted this review way before.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Shatter Me! I’ve heard a lot of hype around this book for a while now, and in case you didn’t understand from my rating, my expectations have been met. 😉

Quick Summary.

Juliette has a power. A curse. A gift. Whatever you want to call it. Whenever she touches someone, the worst pain beholds the person, or even worse, they die. So she’s been locked up, isolated from people. Then one day, she has a cellmate. From there on, everything Juliette thought she knew is being questioned, and she’s faced with a choice. A choice that will shape her future.

The Plot.

I really liked the plot. I wouldn’t it’s a completely new and unique plot, but it was still interesting. I have to say that the first part of the book went kind of slowly, in comparison with the ending, but I still easily got into the story.I also really liked the idea of a person suffering/dying through a single touch. The whole storyline is based on this idea, so it’s important that it’s a good idea, which it is! The dystopian element to the novel was also very well-played; I had a very clear image of the world I was in. Overall, the plot was very interesting and the world, etc. was very well-written.

The Characters.

I liked the characters! I loved how Juliette, despite her many years of isolation, hate, discrimination for who she was from herself and others, was still holding on to good morals, and just was a good person. I also felt like Tahereh Mafi captured Juliette’s sentiments nicely. After all, Juliette had spent countless years in isolation, and there was certain air to her—not particularly insane, just she seemed different, and that made me enjoy her even more than I would’ve if it was a traditional character. In fact, if Juliette was more of a ‘normal’ character, it wouldn’t suit her background at all. I look forward to seeing more character development from her, as well as have her become a more stronger person, and find out who she really is.

As for the other characters love interests: Adam & Warner. There’s not specifically a huge love triangle in the first book, but there will be. And it is quite the interesting love triangle, as both guys, while both handsome, are on different ends of the scale; one is brave and sweet, while the other is obsessive [with Juliette/Juliette’s powers] and sadistic. Complete opposites, right? And while the choice seems obvious in the first book, I can tell there will be some competition in the next books. They’re both interesting characters, and although while reading this I was mostly Team Adam, I think I’m currently Team Warner as well. Even though it seems like Warner is a sick, cruel person (which he can be, admittedly), in the next books he changes, bit by bit. Both are characters I can’t wait to understand and see more of!

The Writing Style.

The writing style was quite unique! There was a lot of ‘purple prose’ as you would call it, which I understand is not for everyone. I myself was kind of wary of it as I was reading the novel at first, but as the novel progressed, I grew an appreciation for it. It kind of ties in with how I felt about Juliette’s narration; the writing style kind of reflected Juliette and the way she thinks, you know? It was really as if she was narrating it, because the way the story was written and narrated just spoke as Juliette. Does that make sense? It makes sense in my head but it might not.

I always wonder about raindrops.

I wonder about how they’re always falling down, tripping over their own feet, breaking their legs and forgetting their parachutes as they tumble right out of the sky toward an uncertain end. It’s like someone is emptying their pockets over the earth and doesn’t seem to care where the contents fall, doesn’t seem to care that the raindrops burst when they hit the ground, that they shatter when they fall to the floor, that people curse the days the drops dare to tap on their doors.

I am a raindrop.

My parents emptied their pockets of me and left me to evaporate on a concrete slab.

Another thing I have to mention is there are many strike-throughs. It can get climbing Mount Everest tiring for some people, and I have to say it thre me off a couple of times. But overall I really enjoyed the touch of strikethroughs, it’s kind of as if it’s simply Juliette’s thoughts, no filters. All in all, the writing style isn’t for everybody, and if you’re not a fan of metaphors and lots of purple prose, or strikethroughs, the writing may get on your nerves.

Overall…

It was amazing! Adding up the plot, characters, writing style and my overall reading experience, it translates into a solid 4.5 stars. This book is not for everybody though, I will warn you. I know several people who didn’t enjoy this book, but if you think you’ll enjoy this book, or are interested in it, I say go for it! If you like dystopia, and romance, I think you would enjoy this, but there’s no way to tell if you don’t try it out yourself! 😉

Book Trailer

Check out this awesome book trailer! I love the little phrases she says, and the graphics are really good as well!

If you’ve read this, let me know your thoughts below! Do you agree? Disagree?

If you haven’t read this, and want to, all I can say is;

Go eat it now! Because it is absolutely shattering! (Pun intended.)

-A