Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me 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.

Review:

I am kicking myself for not reading this sooner, it was brilliant! Shatter Me is Tahereh Mafi's debut novel, and what a debut it was! Shatter Me has an awesome protagonist, a sweet love interest, a devious villain, one hell of plot, and beautiful, beautiful writing. How can I possibly wait a year to read the sequel? I loved Shatter Me! 

The writing was what originally captivated me. Some people said it distracted them or felt like too much, but I think it was amazing. Every word seemed to be perfectly placed and the lyrical writing was gorgeous. It had me completely invested in the story and I felt like I was there experiencing things with Juliette. 

Juliette was amazing! She was brave and snarky and just plain awesome. Watching her grow over the course of the book was one of my favorite aspects of Shatter Me. In the beginning she was broken and emotional after being locked up, as anyone would be! She hasn't touched anyone in 264 days because of her "problem"- she can't touch anyone. My heart broke for Juliette, what a terrible thing to have to suffer from. It's scary to realize how often you touch other people, even just a brush against their arm when walking by. I can't even begin to imagine how awful that would be! Being in Juliette's head made everything more real and she is definitely one of my new favorite heroines. 

The dystopian genre is booming of late, but I can't get enough of it. The world-building in Shatter Me was great and I'm eager to find out more of the background in the sequel. Everything about Shatter Me was unique and fresh and... different. It completely grabbed me and had me gripping the pages from the start. 

Shatter Me's plot was action-packed and intense. Everything Juliette had to face made her grow as a person and I was constantly on the edge of my seat. Especially when Warren entered the scene. What a fantastically twisted and evil villain! I know other people have felt the same way, but I have to say there was something about Warren that just made me like him. I hope to see more of him in the sequel!

Adam was...wow. What a guy! He was brave, determined, and sexy. I loved him! His relationship with Juliette was wonderfully developed and I was rooting for them throughout the book. They went through a lot together and even had some steamy scenes ;) 

Shatter Me was a spectacular debut that blew me away. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone and anyone I can. Tahereh Mafi is an author to watch and I am counting down the days until I can get my hands on the sequel....

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

November 15, 2011/Harper Collins/338 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Publisher (ARC)