Review: ‘Shatter Me’ by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me
by Tahereh MafiSeries: Shatter Me #1
Published by HarperCollins on October 2, 2012
SubGenres: Young Adult Dystopian
Format: AudioBook, Paperback
Pages: 338
Source: Library, Purchased
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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.
I’m working my way through my physical TBR and have had the Shatter Me series on my TBR since my youngest daughter was an infant. She’s now a preteen, so I’m twelve years overdue on reading the first book.
I’m surprised, though, after reading Shatter Me that I find myself wanting to pick up the second book immediately. It’s been a while since I read/listened to a YA Dystopian novel, and I found myself finishing this book quickly because the storyline hooked me.
The idea of the FMC, Juliette not being able to touch anyone due to her touch being fatal, would bother me, too, just like it did with her. She could no longer touch her loved ones or friends, especially after touching someone by accident, and now she finds herself locked away thanks to the Reestablishment that sees her as a huge threat to mankind until eventually they see her as someone they could use for their advantage of getting what they want.
Everything that Juliette was experiencing made me feel deeply for her because here is a 17-year-old girl who has her life turned upside down, and she can’t trust anyone, not even the guy she knew when she was younger who had been placed in the cell with her. The Reestablishment has ideas for Juliette, and she knows once she meets Warner, they have something planned for her, and she’s not willing to cooperate.
This book is written from the perspective of Juliette, and there are slash marks throughout the book, which are there for a reason. There is repetition, too, which is Juliette writing down her thoughts on what she is experiencing the whole time. It took some getting used to, and I had to remind myself the book was written that way for the readers to learn and understand Juliette and what she was going through. The poor girl is going to go through a lot, and the world is much different now, so she has to learn to trust some people along the way. Thankfully, she finds someone who shows her to trust again.
This book does have two male characters that have an interest in Juliette, Adam, and Warner, and as of right now, I don’t know what to think of Warner. His intentions for Juliette are obviously for his own gain, and he enjoys tormenting her when it comes to having her reveal her powers and using them for harm. Adam, on the other hand, is gaining a friendship (or more) with Juliette. He remembers her from when they were younger, and it’s obvious he has good intentions with her and wants to save her from Warner and what the Reestablishment wants to use her for.
I liked how the author set up this book and started introducing key characters that would either be Juliette’s friend or enemy. I can’t wait to read how Juliette grows as a character, which is why I’ve already borrowed the next book in the series from my local library. I’m curious about what is going to happen next and how Juliette is going to handle everything she learned in this book with the ability to touch certain people and other things that were revealed.
I’m glad I took a chance on this book and now look forward to reading the rest of the series. I did actually listen to this book and enjoyed the narrator telling the story for me. It did take some getting used to hearing the narrator repeat lines and then hearing the slash mark sounds, but again, I reminded myself this book is told solely from Juliette’s perspective, and she’s been through things a normal 17-year-old shouldn’t experience.
Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Shatter Me series and I recommend reading in order.
Cliffhanger: Yes.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading Young Adult Dystopian novels.
Reading Level/Age: YA – Ages 14-17 (Explicit language and violence.)
Genre/SubGenre(s): Young Adult Fiction | Young Adult Dystopian
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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