REVIEW: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: February 15, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 461 pages
Rating: 5/5 (loveloveloveSOMUCHlove)
Get it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

tick
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it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

My thoughts, feelings, and reactions

True to its title, Unravel Me did more than just that, it consumed me, shook me, broke me, and left me without words and with so much emotions. 



The familiar yet alluring and lyrical writing of Tahereh Mafi is back and better than ever. Like always, it took my breath away and left me gasping for air. The writing in Unravel Me was beautiful, haunting, and totally made my skin tingle and shoot straight to my heart. It was the type of writing that made me want to close my eyes, absorb, savor, and relish every single word, sentence, and page and brand them permanently to my soul. 

Now settled in Omega Point, Juliette still had her old doubts and fears that continued to plague her. Although Juliette felt like this, there were plenty of times where she wanted to prove herself, pick herself up, and actually do something to help with the upcoming war. Juliette seemed weak before, but in Unravel Me, she exudes strength physically and mentally. She grows, develops and really tries her hardest to fight her demons and insecurities away. I’m even more impressed with the amount of restraint and strength Juliette possesses. I really got to see even more improvement in Juliette throughout this second book from start to finish. A little fragile and still struggling internally, Juliette continued to be the good person I knew her to be. She finally stepped out of the hole she dug herself in and really showed an immense amount of courage, bravery and damn it all, she was fierce and a little scary too. I loved it! 

I will always have a soft spot for Adam. I loved his love and devotion for Juliette. Even when trouble rose up between them, he kept on trying to make things work and never gave up. He was determined more than ever to stand by Juliette’s side. And as much as I love Adam, I have to admit I love Warner just a bit more. While Juliette owns this book, Warner shines brighter. Warner had me holding my breath, clutching my heart, and had me feeling all kinds of inappropriate feelings and things. I got to see another side of him that had me falling for him, hard and painful. I saw the tortured, lost and broken boy he tried so hard to hide. He was delicate, yet intimidating and like a tornado you can’t help but want to be closer to watch and be fascinated by no matter how dangerous. Warner was so intense and beautiful and magnetic, I was drowning in that intensity, tension and ethereal beauty he had. When he spoke, he was captivating. When he was quiet, he made me curious. I’ll tell you now that Warner got me addicted before, but after Chapter 62, I think I need an intervention.


While some sequels fall flat, Unravel Me was a sequel far superior than its predecessor. Any questions I had during and at the end of Shatter Me are answered; from Adam and Warner’s immunity to Juliette’s touch to Warner’s first name and more. The inner workings of Omega Point are explained and experienced with great detail that I found very interesting. Any other powers and Energies are touched upon and explored more as well. There are some new characters that I fell in love with and old ones I missed and ended up loving even more. Even better, Mafi throws in surprises that never gives Unravel Me a dull moment. 



Overall, Unravel Me was bolder, darker and a lot more sexier. Tahereh Mafi doesn’t fail to impress. She tug tug tugs on the heart strings in plenty of different ways. For me, the whole book was exceptional! 


Waiting on Wednesday #26

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where you share an upcoming release that you're anticipating on reading.

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #1.5)

Expected Publication: October 2, 2012

From Goodreads: 

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #2)
Expected Publication: February 5th, 2013

Summary: Not Yet Available


Why I'm waiting?

1. Tahereh Mafi
I love her. I love her writing. I want more and I need more. She really needs no explanation because whatever she writes, I want to read it. And I mean BAD. (Plus the fact that Tahereh is suuuuper funny and nice and BRILLIANT.)

2. Juliette
I loved her in Shatter Me, when she was broken in the beginning until she transformed into a fierce-hear-me-roar type of girl in the end. She's amazing and lovely and I just miss her. I loved being inside her head. I loved her scratched out words *wink wink* ;) and I love that scene where she totally seduces Warner and BAM. Well, you know. THAT WAS HOT. Also, her touch is lethal and powerful and unusual and all kinds of awesome, I have to have more. Juliette's character is addicting. I'll be that girl running to the bookstore yelling GIVE ME UNRAVEL ME OR GIVE ME WAR. xD

3. Adam.
Oh yes baby, give me more Adam. Give me more shower scenes because holy tricycles, that boy.. I want to have his babies. LOL. Also, he's sweet and kind and protective and I want to see what Tahereh has planned for him and Juliette.

4. WARNER. WARNER. WARNER. YOU TORTURED SOUL, I LOVE YOU.
Dude, I need to know his first name. AND I need more Warner-Juliette seducing scenes because for the love of god, I am dying here. And I need to know what's going on in his mind. Is he for real? Should I really love him?! He's the villain damn it and although I AM Team Adam for Juliette, I cannot help but love Warner because I feel like he's misunderstood. And damn it, he just wants love and if Juliette can't give it to him.. *WAVES MADLY* WARNER I AM HERE! ;)

So that's what I'm waiting on! What about you?

Let me know! <3

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!


Teaser Tuesday #4

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading.

This week's teaser is from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

He steps forward. His lips twitch. His eyes fall, his lips draw in a tight breath. He drops a gloved finger down the apple of my cheek. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," he whispers, too close to my neck." pg 77

I'm currently reading Shatter Me now and so far I am loving it. :]




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