Like the title implies, Shatter Me packs a punch.
Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
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Title & Author: Shatter Me
Genre: YA- Fantasy (Dystopian)
Release Date: November 15, 2011
Series: 1st in a planned series
Publisher: Harper Collins
How I Got the Book: Bought
Description:
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.
I liked loved adored Shatter Me
Before I jump into all the reasons why I really enjoyed Shatter Me, I’ll give you one warning first. This book has a very unique writing style that I’ve never experienced before.
Especially in the first few crucial chapters of the book, the writing is very disjointed in a sort of free flowing style. Mafi uses a generous number of crossed out words to illustrate Juliette’s real feelings vs. what she actually verbalizes. There’s a lot of confusion and chaos happening around Juliette, and it’s reflected in the text of the book.
That being said, don’t let the stream-of-consciousness prose through you off- Shatter Me is worth reading. I found Juliette to be incredibly endearing and likable even though she basically hasn’t had any normal childhood or adolescent experiences.
There’s some fabulous romance, too. Although Shatter Me had a touch of instalove, it wasn’t in big doses. Because Juliette is slightly unbalanced and feels adrift from society, she’s super cautious and wary. Not knowing who to trust, she keeps her barriers up, which leaves readers with delicious tension to lapp up.
X-Men Straight Up with a Twist
As many reviewers have already noted, Shatter Me reminded me of X-Men- mainly because Juliette’s touch is fatal (like Rogue from the classic comic). Although similarities between this book and X-Men are definitely there, Shatter Me has plenty of differences and twists to readers forget about Wolverine, Dr. Xavier and the rest by the end of the book.
One difference is that the book’s setting is dystopian America where those with special abilities are feared but also sought after. Plus, Juliette doesn’t even know the full extent of her powers, why she has them or if anyone else out there has powers like hers.
Shatter Me left me with a load of questions, yet still had a satisfying ending that didn’t leave me hanging face first over a cliff (gah, I hate that!)
OVERALL:
This book was awesomely-strange and weirdly-beautiful. Mafi did a great job of giving just enough information while introducing a whole new batch of mysteries. I connected with the characters and appreciated the endearing sense of humor and companionship infused throughout the novel. Shatter me is a keeper for sure!
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Carole
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http://profiles.google.com/lisaschensted Lisa Schensted
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http://twitter.com/sillylittle Linda P
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Wendy Ewurum
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http://booksbeforebed.blogspot.com Scarlett
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Bookishlilly
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http://www.readbreatherelax.com/book-review-unravel-me-by-tahereh-mafi/ Book Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi | Read. Breathe. Relax. | Ya book reviews and fantasy book reviews
