Juliette has been locked in a small cell completely alone for almost a year. Isolation is all she knows. For 264 days she has been silent. For 264 days she hasn’t touched anyone. 264 days without information. 264 days without knowing what is going to happen. 264 days of wishing she was dead.
Without warning a boy is shoved in her cell and panic floods her body. The closeness of his body is too much to handle after so much aloneness. It doesn’t take long for her to realize who he is. Is it a trick? Why would Adam be in the asylum?
It turns out Adam has a very specific reason for being in the cell with Juliette. Someone wants her as a weapon to wage war on those rebelling against the Reestablishment. What is it that Juliette can do? Her abilities are revealed to the reader slowly through periodic flashbacks. Juliette doesn’t have anyone she can trust. No one who wants what is best for her – or does she?
It is easy to see why SHATTERED is being compared to X-men. In the second half of the book the reader is introduced to a paranormal world bent on putting a stop to the controlling power of the Reestablishment.
What is amazing about this book is the writing. Tahereh Mafi is a master of metaphors. I wanted to constantly jot down my favorite lines from the story. I really wished for the ability to share the lines instantly over Twitter or Facebook so everyone could see how beautiful the writing is. For those of you out there that need help with metaphors, pick up the book, open to a random page, and I bet there will be one there.
In addition to the wonderful language in the book, the author has written one heck of a romance. Juliette and Adam’s scenes are HOT. My goodness! Everyone is going to wish they had an Adam after they finish SHATTER ME.
There will definitely be a sequel. I mean there is NO WAY there can’t be. Juliette has a lot to learn and a lot to do.
Strongly recommend this book!!! it’s an amazing story and Tahereh Mafi uses a unique approach to writing. It took me a day to read it because I could NOT put it down!
LOVED IT!
Shatter Me is one of those books that I couldn’t wait to read. Not only has it been incredibly hyped online, but it has an incredibly compelling concept and a great blurb that screams “Read me!” Being touted as the Hunger Games meets X-men, Shatter Me boasted some of the most unique marketing I’ve ever seen for a YA novel, despite its unknown author and not-incredibly-compelling cover. Being the dystopian nerd that I am, I was completely pulled in by the incredible blurb and was beyond exciting for this title.
Shatter Me was strangely difficult for me to get into. First, Juliette spends much of the first half of the novel being completely obedient to the horrible regime that locked her away and seemed completely resigned to her terrible fate. It also doesn’t help that she spends far too much time feeling sorry for herself, calling herself a “monster” and dripping with angst. There were times I wanted to tell her to just get over it. Thankfully, throughout the novel Juliette’s adventures help to meld her into a stronger, better person who is more confident and empowered.
I’ve also read some interesting reviews that have discussed how much they loved the writing style in Shatter Me. I’m not sure I like it -in fact, I was torn for much of the book. Most of the writing is done in stream-of-conscious style that really gets into Juliette’s head, but left me out of breath by the end of most sentences. It didn’t seem that polished or crisp to me. Again, this did get better as the book went on, but I wouldn’t rave about the writing style here. However, some sentences here were amazing emotional gems that really were beautiful.
I wouldn’t call Shatter Me the best dystopian novel I’ve read this year, but it’s still worth reading. It’s certainly something different in the genre with a unique style approach that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Recommended for fans of dystopian romance.
Have a lovely day,
Samantha