Ratings:
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆
If This Book Was a Movie Rating: PG-13
Review:
firstly and foremostly, let us all agree on one thing:
KENJI IS AMAZING.
KENJI IS THE BEST.
KENJI IS THE MOST HILARIOUSLY SARCASTIC CHARACTER I’VE EVER HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO MAKE THE ACQUAINTANCE OF.
*gasps in more oxygen*
KENJI IS STUNNING.
KENJI DESERVES BETTER.
i know i’m nearly a decade late to the hype, but #KENJISUPREMACYFOREVER OK YESSSSSS.
*collapses exhaustedly onto much-squashed pillow*
let’s get started.
first off, important note: at the time of writing this, I’ve read all three books of the first Shatter Me trilogy (Shatter Me, Unravel Me, and Ignite Me). Thusly, everything I wrote down here is stuff I was thinking at the time, combined with my omniscient future-Isabelle perspective.
It’s worth noting as well that my ratings for all three books have steadily increased, from three stars for this book, to four stars for the second book, and finally to five stars for the last book.
so basically what I’m trying to say: even if you didn’t like the first book, PLEASE KEEP READING. THERE IS HOPE.
and Warner isn’t such a jerk in the later books. Ms. Mafi 100% turns it around.
*another very obvious WINK*
ahem i will now be talking about the plot before i spill all the secrets about the characters.
Juliette Ferrars of Sector 45 has been locked up for exactly 264 days. 264 days in an insane asylum without even catching a glimpse of another human. Certainly without touching another human’s skin.
Why?
Because contact with Juliette's skin is fatal.
She found out at the age of fourteen, when she accidentally killed a little boy she was trying to help stand up. Juilette became a demon. Her parents quickly grew to hate her. Her mother made Juliette stick her fingers in fire on her sixth birthday, just to prove her skin burned like everyone else’s. Her friends and peers abandoned her. Doctors told her she’d have to be contained for the people’s safety.
Thus the 264 days in the insane asylum.
However, on Day 265, something different occurs. Juliette’s given a cellmate, a supposed reward for good behavior.
This new cellmate says his name’s Adam.
Adam Kent.
Adam tells Juliette stories of the world outside. The cardboard houses, the lack of vegetation, the dying wildlife.
A few weeks later, the commander of Sector 45 demands Juliette’s release. The infamously ruthless commander, known simply by his surname Warner, says he needs Juliette as a weapon. A human weapon of mass destruction.
Both men offer vastly different futures to Juliette.
Juliette now has to not only pull her shattered pieces back together, but she must also make a choice: the deadly chance to reach her full potential, or the chance to work together to save them all.
but what does each entail, and exactly who is offering which?
bahaha if you’ve read at least the first three books you know that’s a very difficult, loaded question ;)
The storyline itself was nothing particularly mind-blowing, but it had two things that separated it from your average YA:
the writing was absolutely ridiculous.
the plot was ridiculously addictive.
I won’t say a lot about the writing, mainly since thousands of other reviewers have expounded on how flowery (and just plain weird) it is sometimes, but it was mainly small annoyance at worst and guilty pleasure at best.
HOWEVER. THE CROSSED OUT WORDS WERE ANNOYING AS HECK.
They do go away after the first half, but STILL.
The plot starts a tad slow, but becomes 100% GUILTILY ADDICTIVE AND I UNASHAMEDLY LOVED IT.
NO I WILL NOT DISOWN SAID OPINION BAHAHAHA
So yeah. That was it. It was all this strange mashup of weird and cool.
OK FINALLY THE CHARACTERS EEK.
The supporting characters are half-and-half. Exactly half are flat and stupid, and the other half are GORGOUSLY AMAZING. I have too few brain cells to talk about the flat and stupid, so we are going to skip that category. However, this second category is very important: this is where we are going to gush over Kenji.
KENJI.
KENJI.
KENJI.
KENJI.
I LOVE YOU KENJIIII
He’s sarcastic, he’s hilarious, he’s an incredible leader, he’s popular, and he’s bloody the only character with a sense of humor. What literally is not to like. I could seriously read a book just about Kenji’s favorite recipe and live happily ever after.
*sigh*
Now, I understand you have to see/read this man to properly believe him, so I’m going to shut up about Kenji now and talk about our MCs.
The three main characters are Juliette, Adam, and Warner.
Juliette Ferrars.
I know a lot of people have complained about Juliette, but for what she went through, that girl has every reason to be slightly crazed and socially challenged.
Let us look at this from a real-life medical perspective: Juliette has almost never touched another human because any contact with her skin longer than about ten seconds kills said other human. According to Web MD, if we as humans don’t have enough touch with other humans, we can become more stressed, anxious, and depressed. Without positive experiences with touching others, we struggle making emotional connections with other humans. The article even says “long-term touch deprivation can even trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
so THERE juliette haters.
*grins satisfiedly*
In this book, Juliette’s personal character arc is learning to live in the real world. In Unravel Me, she learns to find her own identity and her own life outside of others, but that’s a story for a different review. Here, Juliette is taking baby steps. Trust me. She gets so much stronger and more authoritative ;)
Warner. (no, i will definitely not be telling you what his first name is *wink wink*)
When I read Shatter Me, I did not see any appeal in Warner whatsoever.
HOWEVER.
After reading Unravel Me (#2) and for sure after reading Ignite Me (#3), Warner has made me fall hopelessly in love with him. I know. If all you read is this book, it’s impossible to understand how in the world millions have fallen for this man.
Trust me again. It makes sense later.
Adam Kent.
Ew. In this book he’s ew, and the other books he’s ew. He gets more ew as the trilogy goes on.
Ew.
We don’t stan a non-supportive and overprotective “boyfriend”
Goodbye and good riddance to you, Kent boy.
ALRIGHT THAT’S IT. THAT’S ALL I GOT.
go read Shatter Me. Even if you don’t like the first one, please keep reading. It gets sooo much better. I loved each book more and more the longer I read.
lol trust me for like the third time ok, i need more people to fangirl over Ignite Me (#3) with :))
Friend me on Goodreads (yes, you, I wanna be your friend): https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/136268749-isabelle
Buy this book: https://www.amazon.com/Shatter-Me-Tahereh-Mafi-ebook/dp/B00526VVN2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1639692159&sr=8-1
Recommendations If You Liked This Book:
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Comments