Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publication Date: November 15, 2011

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. 

WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SLIGHT SPOILERS!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

My Thoughts:


I have to be honest here. I have mixed feelings about this book. I don't know if it's because of all the hype around it or what, but it fell a little short for me. Mafi is clearly a gifted writer, but I still feel like this book was missing something. At first, I was really annoyed by the crossed out lines all over the place. I knew that was going to get old real fast but thankfully it did seem to cut down quite a bit as the story moved forward. I do understand why it was necessary to the story though. It really helped bring out the intensity in Juliette's voice.


I liked Juliette, but it took me a little while to connect with her. I don't know why. But once I was finally able to connect with her, the book really picked up. I felt like I had more interest in her story and where things were going between her and Adam. But I have to admit something else: I kind of liked Warner. Is that bad? I actually found myself liking him and his ego and found him kind of entertaining. I know he is supposed to be a major asshat, but I couldn't help myself. I loved the tension between him and Juliette. 

I think my biggest issue with this book is that after I finished it, I felt like I didn't really learn anything. I know that is absolutely wrong, because we learn quite a bit, but I didn't get any of the answers in this book that I was hoping to. I know we will learn all there is to know eventually, but I was desperate to know more about Juliette's gift and how she got that way. I also wanted to learn more about Adam and why he was able to touch her (Warner too). This is why I hate series, I need to know now!!!! I hate having to wait, I am really inpatient. 

I liked Shatter Me, but I wasn't in love with it. However, I think it shows some serious promise. I just know that book #2 is going to rock my socks off. If you are a dystopian fan, you'll want to read this! This series is going to be huge (as if it isn't already) and you don't want to miss out!

And seriously, if Juliette and Adam don't get some alone time soon I am just going to crack!!!