by Tahereh Mafi
"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."
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."
Shatter Me really took me by surprise. I had expected to enjoy it, but to be overwhelmed by too many romantic scenes. These prejudices, of course, were based solely on things I'd heard about the book, and so in retrospect they weren't extremely reliable to begin with.
However, in a way I'm glad I began reading the book with this perception, because it allowed the story to prove me incorrect. Although there were intense scenes that I found to be distracting from the main plot at times, they were greatly overshadowed by my fascination at the writing style of this book.
Metaphors, similes, imagery, personification - you name it, it was used, and effectively so, in Shatter Me. And I loved it. It was very refreshing to read a story constructed in this way, as every sentence was deliberate and clearly thought through, each word carefully selected. Something else that I really appreciated were the changes that were made strategically. For example, in a scene where Juliette awakens in a disoriented state, the writing style undergoes a significant change. The sentences were shorter. There were less adjectives. Everything was a lot more objective. This was because Juliette was still confused by her surroundings, and she couldn't process them in the way that she was used to. All of it showed in the writing style.
As for the characters, wow. Juliette, Adam, and Warner were all undeniably interesting. The love triangle that is beginning to form, for me, is a no-brainer. I was instantly intrigued by Adam's tendencies, his apparent lack of fear of Juliette despite her abilities, and most of all, knowing he remembered her from the past. It was great to see that there wasn't insta-love, that the two had a history and had long formed a connection.
Warner, on the other hand, frightened me, repulsed me, and, as strange as it may be, eventually received my sympathy. He seems like such a complex character, and I feel as if there wasn't enough of him in this novel. For that reason, I've decided to read the novella, Destroy Me, which is centered on his story. Though in my mind Adam is the one who deserves Juliette, I'd like to give Warner a chance before writing him off as absolutely "evil".
Shatter Me was so engrossing. Its writing style was so original and carefully crafted, I honestly believe Tahereh Mafi could've been writing about absolute nonsense and it would still be captivating, still admirable and entertaining. I am very grateful to have found such a story, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about these characters and this series.
However, in a way I'm glad I began reading the book with this perception, because it allowed the story to prove me incorrect. Although there were intense scenes that I found to be distracting from the main plot at times, they were greatly overshadowed by my fascination at the writing style of this book.
Metaphors, similes, imagery, personification - you name it, it was used, and effectively so, in Shatter Me. And I loved it. It was very refreshing to read a story constructed in this way, as every sentence was deliberate and clearly thought through, each word carefully selected. Something else that I really appreciated were the changes that were made strategically. For example, in a scene where Juliette awakens in a disoriented state, the writing style undergoes a significant change. The sentences were shorter. There were less adjectives. Everything was a lot more objective. This was because Juliette was still confused by her surroundings, and she couldn't process them in the way that she was used to. All of it showed in the writing style.
As for the characters, wow. Juliette, Adam, and Warner were all undeniably interesting. The love triangle that is beginning to form, for me, is a no-brainer. I was instantly intrigued by Adam's tendencies, his apparent lack of fear of Juliette despite her abilities, and most of all, knowing he remembered her from the past. It was great to see that there wasn't insta-love, that the two had a history and had long formed a connection.
Warner, on the other hand, frightened me, repulsed me, and, as strange as it may be, eventually received my sympathy. He seems like such a complex character, and I feel as if there wasn't enough of him in this novel. For that reason, I've decided to read the novella, Destroy Me, which is centered on his story. Though in my mind Adam is the one who deserves Juliette, I'd like to give Warner a chance before writing him off as absolutely "evil".
Shatter Me was so engrossing. Its writing style was so original and carefully crafted, I honestly believe Tahereh Mafi could've been writing about absolute nonsense and it would still be captivating, still admirable and entertaining. I am very grateful to have found such a story, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about these characters and this series.
5/5 stars.
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