Thursday, September 27, 2012

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

“I've been screaming for years and no one has ever heard me.” 
Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)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've got a message for our heroine: Juliette, you're a pretty cool person. You believe that you're going to be devoid of human contact for the rest of your life and will most likely be eternally held in a cell against your will and somehow, you're not having a mental breakdown. So props to you, Juliette.

Okay, in the book, we get to see some of Juliette's more hidden thoughts using strikethroughs. They're used, well, just like this. I loved the effect they had with the writing. I don't think Shatter Me would have been the same without them.

Plotwise, I was lost—but in a good way. (I hope that makes sense to someone besides me.) Usually, I go into a book knowing what the bulk of the story is going to be about:

This book is going to be about 24 kids fighting to the death.
This book is going to be about a young boy going to a school for wizards.
This book is going to be about a teenage girl dating a vampire.


But with Shatter Me, every time I thought I knew what the characters were going to do for the rest of the book—gotcha—there was a twist to uproot them and move the location somewhere else entirely.

And while I won't spoil anything, be sure to look out for Kenji—who now holds the record for being one of my favorite secondary characters ever. Every good story needs that bit of humor for the tough times and he, much to my joy, brought more than his fair share.


Maybe this is just me, but I can't really seem to find a series where the main character doesn't get into a relationship with their soulmate by the end of the first book. Sure, I love seeing my beloved characters happy as much as the next book-obsessed girl, but I don't like it to be able to predict it. Also, it leaves me scared to pick up the sequel because I know something horrible is going to have to happen between them to make their relationship still interesting and relevant in books to come.

My other problem was the writing style—the author has a very poetic one, which isn't a bad thing. Some of it I loved:
“My life is four walls of missed opportunities poured in concrete molds.”  
But some I wasn't too crazy about:
“I'm wearing dead cotton on my limbs and a blush of roses on my face.”

Some people completely rave about her style, but some of it just wasn't for me.
I got a  kick out of Juliette's story, I'm crossing my fingers that this couple will break YA tradition and stay together throughout the series, and Unravel Me has officially been added to my TBR list: Let the wait begin.

12 comments:

  1. Hello Cheyenne, I am now following you on twitter and your blog:) Would love for you to check out my blog and follow as well.
    blog http://kindlehooked.blogspot.com
    twitter @kindlehooked
    Thanks, Tanya

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm following you on Twitter and I'll check out your blog. (:

      Delete
  2. I absolutely ADORE this book! I'm one of those people who absolutely loved Tahereh's poetic writing style, while I admit some descriptions were a little odd, like the one you included about wearing dead cotton I still loved her style overall =) I totally agree with you in the fact that I'm scared to read the second book because I know something is going to happen to separate Juliette and Adam =/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See, I've heard from so many people who adored her style like you did, and for the most part I agree: it's just pretty to read! But I also agree with some people who pointed at some specific quotes that were a little odd. I still definitely think people should read this book, but it was something to point out. (:

      Haha, sequels almost always get me terrified for that reason...and yet, I keep reading all these series! ;)

      Delete
  3. I heard this book was not so great:/ I still really want to read it! And I'm encouraged by your review... somewhat.
    http://shesgotbooksonhermind.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well I hope you give it a try and see if you like it—you never know! Thanks for stopping by! (:

      Delete
  4. Glad you liked it! I definitely really loved this one, and I thought Taherah's writing was absolutely gorgeous for the most part. However I can see where you're coming from -- I can see how sometimes it was a bit much. And despite loving Adam/Juliette, I totally get where you're coming from there too. I do prefer romances that are more slow to develop, though at least these two characters had history together.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I liked it for the most part, and I know there are lots of people who just absolutely adore every bit of her writing.

      The point about them having history together is a really good one—I'd forgotten about that when I wrote my review. But I still wish it'd been a little slower to develop, like you.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. I really like the way you set out your reviews - it makes them easier to read with all the headings and stuff. You have a lovely blog, if you have time could you please check out mine?
    Ruby - http://feedmebooksnow.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello, Cheyenne. This is Jhobell Kristyl from Book Blogs. I am 2 days late but I just want to tell you that I featured this post on my GREAT POST TUESDAY. So what is it? Every Tuesday, I feature posts from other bloggers that I think are awesome. I thought that your review of Mafi's SHATTER ME is awesome so I featured it on my blog. Check it out at http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/shatter-me-by-tahereh-mafi-this-girl-reads/

    Take care & continue what you're doing.

    Best,
    Jhobell Kristyl

    ReplyDelete