Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Book Review: Shatter Me



Shatter Me

by Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #1
Release date: 15th November, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 346 (Hardcover bought by me)
Next Book: Unknown

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Review By Alaiel Kreuz:

Welcome to Shatter Me, please, enjoy the ride and don't forget to take your bag of hope before you leave! Ready? Come with me, please.

Facts:
- I read it in one night and one morning. Not because I wanted to stop but because I had had a rough day and couldn't keep my eyes open.
- I wanted to hug Juliette after reading the first page and keep her safe.
- I told my husband about the book and after that he kept sending me messages to know what was going on. Which I found hilarious and sweet.
- The characters were so real...

Juliette has been trapped in a cell for 264 after a homicide she didn't want to do... but it happened and she was convinced that, without her the world would be safer, secure. Besides? She never had a real friend or the love of her parents who often remembered her that she was a freak, an abomination that couldn't be their daughter.

With nothing awaiting her outside and a world where a group called The Reestablishment had taken the control her hopes were none. To begin with, this group proclaimed that they wanted to help the world reach a better place, find answers for the problems that were raising with Mother Earth and take care of the people.
And looks like, with nothing better to choose, we chose them.
Big mistake. Ever.

All they did was slave people, kill the rebels and use their power to terrorize everybody.

But the hope of our heroine began to blossom again when a new roommate entered her life. Another human being, probably a lunatic, was with her, in the same room, a boy. And... somehow, she remembered him from somewhere.

What began as a scary situation developed into a pure love that would change their world completely.
That is until Juliette realized that Adam was only spying on her and that a handsome but cruel boy wanted to use her to torture and kill people.

Personal opinion:
I have to admit, at the beginning it was hard to follow Juliette's thoughts because she kept repeating words, phrases, crossing out things she wanted to say but was afraid to do so. And then Tahereh caught me in the world she had created for Juliette and didn't let me go.

Soon I realized that the way Juliette thought was authentic, her own personality trying to break free from the prison that her life had become. The transition we share with her during the book allow us to see, with our own eyes, how her confidence improves, how she begins to say what she really thinks and that she is not longer afraid of being authentic.

What I loved most about her? She is strong. Truly strong. I picture her as a phoenix who, doesn't matter how many times you hurt her and try to destroy her, she will rise again, strong and beautiful, with her hopes intact.
The world chose to hate her? Fine. She understood that but she would never hurt anyone on purpose. And that defines her very well.

Adam will also enchant you with his charisma. He is simply amazing, a true gentleman, a kind soul that always looked out for Juliette. His side of the story is very important and you will also develop strong feeling towards him. Their relationship was fire and steam because, somehow, he could... Well, no spoilers, you know me ;)

And, of course, I can't forget our bad guy: Warner. It's rare for me to like the bad guys, you know? Specially people like Warner, heartless, cruel and mischievous but he is such, such a complex character! Amazingly done, Tahereh! This bad guy, being a cruel soul and all, will leave your heart sad. You will want to hug him, at least once. And then you will want to punch him a lot. Which is normal, believe me.

Anyway, my final opinion? Buy the book, read it and treasure it. The end will leave you with a smile in your face and your heart full of hope. The next book will be, for sure, amazing and marvelous. It's impossible to think otherwise.

Alaiel's Rating:
If you really like it, you can find it here:

9 comments:

  1. great review, i stopped and ordered it half way through...LOL

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  2. Oh, I love LOVE LOVED Shatter Me! I had such high expectations for it, and it exceeded all of them, over and over.

    And I'm with you: I know Warner was the bad guy, but Mafi made him fascinating, multi-faceted, and gave him depth. I couldn't hate him--I was too intrigued!

    Fabulous review--I love how well you've analysed and explained it, and I'm with you on the end. I LOVED that, especially for a dystopian, it left me feeling light, and with hope, and with a smile on my face :D

    Fabulous review

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  3. Aawww I love your review! And happy that you enjoyed this too! Can you believe the author is only 23!? She's fantastic!!

    Giselle
    Xpresso Reads

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  4. Argh. I want to read this so much it hurts, but it's a PAIN to get hold of in the UK.

    I've only skimmed your review because I don't want to ruin it for when I eventually do read it, but the five cheeses you gave it says a lot!

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  5. Wow! The blurb about this book sounds so amazing and I am glad to read how much you liked this book! I love strong heriones and when you said that you "picture her as a phoenix" that really catches my attention! I can't wait to read this book! Thanks for the info!

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  6. I like your review a lot, my thought of this book are pretty simmilar :) Love this book :D

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  7. I am really looking forward to reading this one. It is sitting at the very top of my TBR. Thanks so much for the thorough review. Now I am even more excited to dive into it :)
    Tracy Awalt Juliano

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  8. I LOVE this book! And I agree, Warner is so complex, I like him just for that even though he's completely despicable! Great review!

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  9. This is a book I've been considering reading, and now I'm going to do so. I loved your review and how you described the characters. I could just picture Juliette as a Phoenix rising out of the ashes as she makes her transformation. I can't wait to meet the steamy Adam and Warner, a villain that will make me want to hug him. This book sounds perfect for me to read, as I have finished the Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and this sounds similar as far as paranormal elements, as well as just as good.

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Something to share? (cheese would be awesome!) I love to read your comments :]