REVIEW: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Published: 15 November 2011
Format: 1st Edition; Hardcover: 338 pages

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.


My Review:
Have you ever read a book where you just never wanted it to end? Or you felt that you couldn’t get enough? Where no matter how fast you read it, no matter what you did,
You. Just. Couldn’t. Get. Enough. 

 

For me, Shatter Me is that book.

Shatter Me lived up to its hype and way way more. It has surpassed my expectations with flying colors. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I don’t love about Shatter Me. It’s one of the best books I have ever read, ever. 



Tahereh Mafi’s writing is so completely incredible. I have never read anything like it. Shatter Me is like a 338 page poem. It magically flows into this novel made of perfection. Tahereh made every word intoxicatingly addictive, allowing me to turn the pages until I reached the very last one. I loved the crossed out words and sentences. It was like reading deep into the mind of the main character. It added more depth to the writing and the story overall. 



The world in Shatter Me is fascinating and a breath of fresh air. Everything I learned about the Reestablishment was interesting and really different. I loved how both sides were different and yet the same, both fighting for what they believe is right. 
I hope to learn more about the Reestablishment and the outside world.

What I love most about Shatter Me is Juliette. She is introduced as this character who has been trapped in this cell with little hope left. She just tried to make the best of it to live. At first, she was lonely and it felt like she was just getting by. As the story went on, she started to become someone else. She realized that she wasn’t a monster, but someone powerful. Juliette learned that she’s able to make her own choices in her life. She can do anything that she wants. Her strength and courage to survive was unbelievable. Her transformation from the first page to the last is downright extraordinary. She grew as a girl and as a person. She became better than the girl imprisoned. Juliette’s voice in Shatter Me was intense, clear and explosive. Her thoughts and feelings were so palpable. Of all the books I read, Juliette has to be the one MC where her growth was most notable, most phenomenal.



The romance in this book was wonderful. Adam and Juliette gave me chills. I love them together so much. My heart couldn’t help but skip a beat whenever they were together. Their connection was so remarkable and so perfect. I couldn’t help but be attached to them. The way their relationship progressed was just mind blowing. Tahereh Mafi had me gasping for breath with several scenes between Juliette and Adam. When they’re together, they could light up even the darkest of places.



"All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart".

I have to say that I adore Adam so so much. He was just the sweetest. Adam was brave, tough, devoted and kindhearted. Who wouldn’t fall for him? I I loved how he would do anything for Juliette. I loved how he stuck by her all the way. I loved how he made a better man out of himself despite the circumstances.

What surprised me, but I also enjoyed was the fact that I had the hardest time hating Warner. I couldn't find it in my heart to hate him or think of him as a monster. I feel as if he was misunderstood. I feel as if someone needed to open his eyes to the world. I sympathized with him. I could tell that he was lonely and was just looking for something, someone to fill a void. He was broken and needed someone to make him feel loved. He needed someone to love. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s freakishly hot. :] I just thought the way Tahereh created Warner was astounding. I never thought an antagonist could be so damn likable.



All in all, diving into this book head first was the best thing I have ever done. I love how intense everything was. Shatter Me surely kept me on the tip of my toes in excitement and action. The pace of it all was like a dream. It was unpredictably exhilarating.

There’s not enough words in this universe and not enough lives in my lifetime for me to describe how exceptional this book really is. 



Tahereh Mafi is a genius. She made one heck of a story that is crazy crazy good.


I highly recommend this book to everyone. It’s a must-read and will definitely make your Top Favorite Lists for sure.



My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!