Shatter Me

I finally did it, I finally read Shatter Me. This book has been on my radar for a long, long time, but I've never had the chance to read it, until now. I'd seen the cover of the books and I was intrigued, but I never actually read the description of the book before reading it, so I was going into it completely blind. I didn't know what to expect, not from the story or the writing style or anything, beyond what I had heard, which wasn't that much. “I have a curse. I HAVE A GIFT. I'm a monster. I'M MORE THAN HUMAN. My touch is lethal. MY TOUCH IS POWER. I am their weapon. I WILL FIGHT BACK.” Shatter Me is the first book in the series by Tahereh Mafi, which welcomes you to a destroyed world governed by those who call themselves The Reestablishment, who've taken everything from the people, who want to control everything and everyone and submit them to their rules. In this dystopian story we found ourselves in a world where hope is almost entirely gone, where people live in fear, with nothing but what they're given, which isn't much. Juliette is one of those who've lost everything, but not because of them, The Reestablishment. She lost everything the moment her parents gave her away, locked her into an insane asylum and forgot all about her. Their reasons? She's a monster, an abomination. She killed someone. With her bare skin. Now, after spending 264 days locked away, completely alone, she's forced to share her room with a boy. Not any boy, but one she remembers from her childhood. One she's dreamt of all her life. Should she trust him? Should she be scared of him? Does he remember her? Now Juliette has to make some decisions. Follow him and see where he takes her, risk her life and his too, or stay where she is, and be the weapon agains the remaining hope some expect her to be. “Raindrops are my only reminder that clouds have a heartbeat. That I have one, too.” Now, here I am, writing my review. This book is something entirely different from what I've read before, not because of the story itself, but because of the writing style. I have to admit, it felt a little weird at first, because it was so different from the way authors usually write, but the more I read, the more comfortable I got around it. I started feeling like I was reading somebody's, Juliette's, diary, like I was reading her deepest thoughts and secrets, and I realized that's how someone's words would normally sound when they're describing something. With pauses. With metaphors. With questions, doubts. And let's not leave the story on the side. Everything was incredibly, wonderfully amazing. “All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.” Now, let's talk about the characters. Juliette, what an amazing girl you are. I love how good she is, even after being feared and hated for the people she's always known. Being inside of her head is definitely an unique journey, because it feels like you're part of it, the way she thinks is completely natural and easy to relate. She's scared all the time, and it can get a bit difficult to deal with from time to time, but her circumstances make it impossible for her not to be afraid, so you need to learn (and you do, at least I did) to understand her. She's strong and capable of amazing things, and not just because of her horrible gift. She has a lot to offer to the world. Then we have beautiful, and patient, and gorgeous blue eyed Adam. From the moment he showed up, he's been giving me butterflies. His goodness and sweetness is so remarkable. I love him so, so, oh-so much. He's the kind of guy that deserves all kinds of happiness. The way he feels towards Juliette, his love is pure pure pure and beautiful. And then, we have Warner. Warner who's all kinds of bad. Warner who's a monster, a murderer. Warner who's obsessed with Juliette. Or is he in love? Warner who's intriguing and frustrating and maddening. Warner. You need to read this to understand who he is and what he can be to you. This story includes a bunch of secondary characters that are as important as the main characters. Kenji, Castle, James. I love stories that make it so that without the secondary characters, the story wouldn't be the same. I just can't wait to get more of these characters and I can't wait to learn more about their stories.

Enthralling and ultra fast-paced, Shatter Me features a unique writing style and a narrator that held my attention throughout the entire novel. These impressive qualities are accentuated by exquisite world-building that gracefully led me into a setting riddled with tension, corruption, and totalitarian leadership. The plot heightened with every page turn, though some of its events certainly disappointed me. When it comes to YA dystopian novels, it is almost pedestrian for the world-building to be lacking. Either it is incomplete, confusing or simply too unbelievable. Fortunately, Mafi did not leave me in dismay. Her world-building is exemplary as it is very easy to understand. Readers are not overwhelmed with foreign ideas or terminology. Instead, Mafi utilizes our familiarity with today's Earth and juxtaposes it with the new, miserable world. This is primarily done via Juliette's memories of the world before and after The Reestablishment - the elite authority that has deteriorated the world under its dictatorship. Furthermore, the world of Shatter Me is quite realistic, especially when considering its militaristic aspects. There are three central characters in the book; however, I found myself quite impressed by Juliette, the lead character who has been in confinement for nearly a year. Put into an asylum because of her fatal touch and dubbed a threat to all of humanity (sounds a lot like Rogue), Juliette's mind is obscured by solitude. This is evident in her eerie journal entries and nonexistent social skills. Throughout the novel, she loathes herself for being a 'monster' for her curse, yet I was never overwhelmed by her self-hatred. She has been a pariah of society all her life, so it is believable that she disgusts her condition. Mafi ensured that Juliette never forgot why society shunned her. This is definitely a sad truth, but it is realistic. I felt so bad for the disgraced protagonist especially when considering that she is such a kind being. What I really admired about Juliette was her initial independence. After being seized by Warner, the son of the leader of The Reestablishment, to be a weapon, Juliette is so determined to avoid becoming a ploy for a merciless organization. As desperate as she is for food, clothes, etc., she refuses to appear vulnerable to the malignant Warner. However, this resilience vaporizes quickly as a romance with Warner's go-to soldier, Adam develops. This seems to be the common trend in YA books: A broken girl subsides her independence only to be "rescued" by a charming male. With this occurring Juliette's character became more naive and reliant. I was gravely disappointed. Warner's devilish character though selfish and controlling, is interesting. Though a villain, sometimes a streak of kindness appeared in him. His "polarizing personalities" really made me question what his true motivation was. To me, his surface motivation, to use Juliette as a super weapon, was not far-fetched; however, I was doubtful that was his only incentive. There are instances where I saw a romantic spark between Warner and Juliette - a Christian Grey kind without the kinky sex. It was very queer to see that Juliette would even have a slight attraction to the person imprisoning her. Sadly, that romance was not the most agitating one present in Shatter Me. The Adam-Juliette one was. Juliette's attachment to Adam is very bothersome. For someone who has not seen a flower for nearly a year, and who has had no human interaction, Juliette latched onto Adam very quickly. I cannot comment much on this without revealing spoilers. Let me just say here that Shatter Me eventually manifests itself into a paranormal romance in a dystopia. Ornate with metaphors, repetition, strikethroughs, poetic flourishes, and lyrical prose, the writing style of Mafi really hooked me. I have seen much negative criticism about Mafi's writing, especially her nonsensical metaphors. Fortunately, I found Mafi's unorthodox writing to be more than purple prose. I found it refreshing and beneficial. For instance, readers get to learn so much about Juliette through stream of consciousness. This popular method of narration is given an amplifying twist with the use of strikethroughs. These simple typographical embellishments enable readers to know exactly what Juliette is really thinking, even if she says something else. Even the absence of commas is helpful as it accelerates Juliette's stream of consciousness, and made me easily absorbed. This exemplary, unique stream of consciousness is vital, as it allows leaders to attach to the protagonist within the first book of the series. The metaphors in Shatter Me are ever-present and powerful. They underscore how disconnected Juliette is with the world. She lives in a figurative world because she does not have freedom in her own. Even though Mafi may have made metaphors of the simplest things, most of them were captivating and did not overwhelm me. It excited me to see these metaphors dominate Shatter Me , especially since they conveyed beautiful imagery and developed Juliette. This of course, may deter other readers who find it completely unnecessary. Saturated with alliterations, metaphors, personification, run-ons, and even questionable sentence structure, the writing in Shatter Me exuded poetic beauty. Though the characters began to disappoint me as romance seized the novel, and some plot events emulated a popular mutant comic book series, Shatter Me devoured me, despite my reluctance.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is one of the best books that I have read in a long time, and I read quite often! This book had me hooked from the beginning because the main character, Juliette, is a very vulnerable girl who just seeks to be understood and wanted. However, she has a barrier that keeps her from what she desires most; she cannot touch people without causing them harm. Put in an asylum at a very young age, she was forced into isolation and wanted nothing more than to touch and love another human being. This book mixes the perfect amount of post-apocalyptic science fiction, and young adult romance together to challenge the reader while remaining pleasureful. The plot of the story is very complex and contains much internal and external conflict. The setting of the story is in a post-apocalyptic American city. Juliette, the main character telling a first person, present-time account of her life to the audience, has been put in an asylum because she cannot touch another human without causing them pain. She does not know why or how she has been cursed with this power, but it has resulted in a lifetime of solitude and rejection. Almost a year after from when she was placed in a room with no outside contact, Juliette received a roommate named Adam. Adam, however had been placed in the asylum for a different reason: he worked for the government and was there to collect Juliette and take her to his base. The government saw Juliette as an inexpensive human weapon that could be used to their benefit as a tool for torture. There was only one problem with this governmental plan. When Adam accidentally touched Juliette, the only thing either of them felt was butterflies in their stomachs. Juliette could not hurt Adam. Adam was a soldier, but he had a soft heart and knew that he needed to help Juliette. The story continued to develop the relationship between Adam and Juliette while Juliette had conflicting emotions about her self worth and purpose in life. Although she may be supernatural, she still wanted all of the same things from life that any other seventeen-year-old wants. I would recommend Shatter Me to a young adult audience ranging from ages around 16 to 25. One reason that I believe people should read this book is because of the language and ideas presented within the complex plot. As the story is a first-hand account, the reader is able to visualize exactly what Juliette sees. However, because Juliette has been in solitude for so long, the only thing that keeps her sane are her thoughts. Because of her deep thinking, Juliette interprets the world in a different way. Mafi uses figurative language, anywhere from metaphors to personification to describe the smallest attributes of something. She does this in such detail that by the end of the page, you feel the exact same way toward something that Juliette does. I feel that this is a poetic way of writing and can be better appreciated by an older and more mature reader. Another reason I would recommend this book is because of the style of writing. One thing that intrigued me from the start was the way that Mafi was presenting her words. The structure of the sentences led to an assumption that Juliette was mentally unstable. She had many mid sentence changes in tone and attitude, crossing out words and rewriting them in a more sane matter. For example, on the first page while talking about why Juliette was to receive her room mate Mafi wrote, "'We hope you rot to death in this place (crossed out) for good behavior (not crossed out),' they said to me". I found this style of writing to be very entertaining because the story is already composed of Juliette's thoughts, but it is as though she is ashamed of having them and rewriting them is her way of taking words back. This shows how insecure Juliette is when she can't even admit to herself what she is truly feeling. Lastly, a great reason that someone should read this book is because of the ironic love story. Juliette is destined to die alone because of her power, however she can touch one person: Adam. Adam is not supposed to fall for Juliette, but cannot help himself when he realizes that he is the only one that can make her truly happy. The childhood of each character only gravitates them closer to each other as they reveal secrets that only a trustworthy person could ever know. Shatter Me is part of a young adult series by Tahereh Mafi, so, you can't be too sure of the fate of the relationship in the future books!

Title: Shatter Me Author: Tahereh Mafi Rating: 3.5 My Review Given that lots of folks have now signed up for my reviews, I feel obligated to actually finish one. :) I've been a wee bit busy publishing Emergence, the last in the Eden's Root trilogy, but I DID have a review waiting in the wings... I recently read Shatter Me and have been waiting for a chance to gather my thoughts for a review. It's been more challenging than I expected. As you know, I'm a huge fan of ya dystopians and apocalyptics, and in that way, Shatter Me is smack in my wheelhouse. But when I sit down to write my review, I find myself perplexed. I'm not certain how to express my feelings and perhaps that's because I can't quite put my finger on them. Lately I've been feeling like the whole STAR rating thing has to go because it's too hard to give just one NUMBER to a novel. Nothing illustrates that better for me than Shatter Me. I need stars for various categories: writing, originality, pace, tension, characterizations, sex appeal, etc. If I got to do that, I think I'd say: Writing - 4.5 - 5.0 Originality - 4.5 - 5.0 (the whole not being able to touch people thing is very compelling...human touch is so very important) Pace - 2.0 - 3.0 Tension - 3.0 - 4.0 Characterizations - 2.5 - 4.0 Sex Appeal - 3.5 *sigh* Sadly, individual stars are the way of things, I guess. I've ended up slipping this book into the 3.5 bucket overall, but that is just my opinion or rating of this book for ME. I'm not sure it is a fair rating for everyone. Not that Ms. Mafi needs my help. Plenty of others have already gushed and squee-ed over this series, so I'm certain my personal take will be just that: personal. As a result of my shifting perspectives on Shatter Me, I have been reduced to lists of pros and cons to find my true feelings. Forgive my split personality disorder-esque ramblings. (No, not schizophrenic. People use this term all the time when they actually mean split-personality. Schizophrenia involves hallucinations like hearing voices or seeing people, as well as possible paranoia. Very different from split-personality disorder.) Pro I found Ms. Mafi's writing style to be unique, adept, and often quite lyrical. I was intrigued by her use of the strike through to signify Juliette's internal censor, the things she didn't even want to admit to herself. It's a clever and effective vehicle. You'll note she even uses it on her cover. (I also think the concept of writing from the perspective of a young woman locked away in solitary for nearly a year was excellent and challenging.) Con Sometimes the vehicle seemed repetitive. And sometimes the lyrical language strayed into rhythmic or repetitive prose that was intended to add beauty or feeling...but it often just jarred my flow. Pro I'm not usually a cover fanatic, but I love the one above (liked it better than the one of Juliette in the dress). It is beautiful and subtle and intriguing. Con I "get" more of the world from this picture than the story. Pro I've been waiting to get to this one for a while and I read it in one sitting. It was a fast and fun read, always a major plus. Con The plot pacing seemed to jump around. Chapters go by (especially in the beginning) where nothing really seems to happen and then big changes all come at once. At times I thought I might put it down, but then I didn't...it kept me going... ("How is this a 'con' then?" I hear you cry. Good point. It's a semi-con because I did think about putting it down on several occasions. That didn't even occur to me with some others I've read.) Pro Juliette is a kick butt heroine-to-be. You know how I love me a tough-a** lady. ;) Con She's apparently stunning and is told so repeatedly by the men around her, but after three years in an asylum and with a mirror in her bathroom available, she didn't look at herself ONCE until just before the end? Even just to see how much she'd changed from 14 to 17 years old? That seemed off. Stretched my believability meter. Like we're supposed to see her as weak and discovering her strength. But in my mind her whole issue was being too strong so why not make her fiercer? Pro At the end, it seems that Juliette is transforming into the strong heroine I craved the entire story. Instead of all the, "woe is me, I'm a freak and a murderer," she starts to be more, "I could make a difference." In a skintight purple suit no less. (Again, she's apparently a bombshell who doesn't know it. Sometimes that bugs me a bit in ya or any genre, actually. - Don't worry...I won't use the "B" word here. :P) Con The dystopian world. I don't get major pieces of it, but most especially Juliette's mysterious power. If toxins or radiation changed her, then a) why doesn't she know this? b) why aren't others affected, and since we eventually learned that there are others affected, c) how come Juliette didn't know that? Was she the only mutant when her powers first cropped up? If so, how come she wasn't globally famous as a lone freak? I dunno, there were just questions about the world around her and how it came to be. For those of you who've read many of my reviews, you KNOW this is my most frequent howl (bugaboo, frustration, obsession...choose your own term) It derives from my love of science-fiction. (DON'T use the word "hard" science-fiction with me, please...see my last post on this topic.) I don't care if the explanation someone gives for things (ummm, for example, the near end-of-the-world) is mostly fantastical, as long as there IS one. In Shatter Me, Mafi gives us nearly zero in the way of explanation for the post-apocalyptic backdrop. Why aren't there birds anymore? Did they all die or just mutate? What about plants? Are they all gone? How do people survive? Is this all over the world or just certain areas? She starts to give you crumbs at the end, so I think perhaps she'll tell us more in the next books, but for now, I am left with too little information to really PICTURE Juliette's world and life. Pro Adam is properly dreamy, hunky, and devoted. And if you believe him, then he's also a rare sensitive, kind, loving person in a horrific world. Con I feel attached to Juliette but not as much to Adam. I kept thinking, "This guy is a liar or something. He can't just be the awesomest, hottest guy ever who's been in love with her for her whole life only she didn't know it. Can he?" I never trusted him. AND the "insta-love" thing was tough for me too. These two were in school together for years, formed an unspoken attachment despite not really interacting, and then only three years later, they don't really remember each other? Or they do? It was a bit confusing. I like to see relationships build. Also, I started to get annoyed with the whole "sex interrupted" thing that was going on. The make-out scenes were pretty steamy (pro), but they were always cut short (con), and were sometimes a little too poetic for me...drinking each other in and such. I'm not a romance reader generally so that feel isn't for me. MANY readers LOVE that kind of thing, but I like a little more I don't know...kind of realism or detail in love scenes. I want less drinking each other in and more of where the lips or hands or teeth are at any given moment. But that's just me. The thing that did kind of kill me in the end was the way Juliette was basically begging Adam to ahem, take it all the way, and then they just never got to do that. She keeps being like, "I'm not telling you to stop," but then you don't get the sex scene. Teasing I guess, but I ended up being kind of "over" it by time number three or so on this, so I have no idea how Adam is taking it (ha). Maybe we get the consummation in the next book. I DO applaud her for not making Juliette a prude. AND I do understand that there is a specific perspective here: Juliette CAN'T touch people, so Adam's touch is incredibly overwhelming. THAT is very cool. (Crap, my CON has wandered into PRO territory again. Darnit.) Pro The villain is interesting. Warner is not just a twisted psycho, there are some layers -- some kind of past damage. She hints at something with Warner's mother, but doesn't tell you a single thing in this book about what that secret may be. Also, like Adam, he seems to be immune to Juliette's powers. Another secret to be revealed in coming attractions, it seems. Either way, I appreciate a villain with a little flesh to him/her, rather than a flat evil portrayal. Con The villain can survive ridiculous injury somehow. This is very "Terminator" to me. Warner was shot at point-blank range (in addition to other things), and he lives through it just fine. It does make him scarier in a lot of ways, but it's very fantastical. Then again, this story morphs from one that seems a pure dystopian at first into more of a superhero tale as you reach the end. You can see why I've been tearing my hair out writing the review. I think I've figured it out... it was a very pretty and fast read. But it had too much pretty and not enough backstory/character connection for me. So in a way, something always felt like it was missing. BUT it had a ton of foreshadowing landmines built in that may be waiting to go off in the next book. Like Warner's mother. And is Adam really trustworthy? Or Kenji? Or the resistors in general? And what does the world really look like and how does it function if Juliette has been misinformed or our of the loop all this time? Summary I want to be clear that a 3.5 IS a recommendation. There are just some aspects that feel unfinished...for me. These questions interest me enough that I will definitely continue with the series. Perhaps some of my cons will come off the table as the story comes to full incarnation.

There are 3 major things I love about this book. The first is the balance on the edge of sanity. Juliette begins with a roll of a mini-book and a tiny pen where she scratches her thoughts. She has no one to talk to, so her thoughts begin as written and even when she is no longer living precariously out of that mini-book, her thoughts follow the pattern of writing to herself in it. She is forever catching her thoughts and correcting them. Sometimes, she is forcing her will over her emotions... sometimes it is her initial reaction that is virtually insane, but at other times it's her will-power insisting on an imagined reality that is even more insane. Either way, Mafi has captured a level of emotion and imbalance that is exquisite. As the story progresses and Juliette's confidence grows, these cross-outs lessen. She doesn't have to correct herself as often. Except in moments of great emotion... and it's precious. What she refuses to admit carries more story than the words she allows to live. Not to mention, so much more of Juliette's character is revealed without any description! The second thing I love is the use of Numbers. "I've been locked up for 264 days... 1 window. 4 walls. 144 square feet of space. 26 letters in an alphabet I haven't spoken in 264 days of isolation... 6,336 hours since I've touched another human being." Pg 1 Numbers are emphasized by using the numerical instead of letter form... Juliette divides her life into counting everything around her to keep her grasp on reality. She counts to wait. She counts to make sense of things. She counts to keep her brain ready to think because she also has moments of freezing, where she can't move and can't react and those moments frighten her. I loved, LOVED this use of numbers through-out the entire book. The third thing I loved, but I also squirmed uncomfortably with... there is an awful lot of sexual tension!! Consistent with the power of the first two major themes, Juliette's senses are so deprived that any TOUCH at all is an exclamation point!!! Experiencing human contact through her deprived point of view was... beyond words. My words, that is, so I'll quote again: "His fingertips are 10 points of electricity killing me with something I've never known before. Something I've always wanted to feel. `Then why are you here?' I whisper, broken, dying in his arms. `Why...' 1, 2 attempts at inhalation. `Why are you touching me?' `Because I can.' He almost cracks a smile and I almost sprout a pair of wings." Pg 117 I loved this incredible dive into emotions, but, but... those shower scenes are... OMG!!! No, there's no sex, but only because they keep getting interrupted!! Here's my one tiny complaint: apparently Juliette is any-man's idea of beautiful `cause every one of 'em ogles over her. Since this is opposite of her childhood memories, it leapt out at me as beyond-believable. That EVERY man would suddenly desire her beyond their physical control was a little excessive for me. Adam makes complete sense... they have deep long-bonding connections that ooze believability. Warner also makes sense in a sick, twisted way. Warner, btw, is a great hate-able, detestable character and that hint of attraction between him and Juliette is extra creepy, but totally believable. It's just... every other man that saw her flipped over in awe of her seemed far-fetched `cause... frankly... if she was THAT hot, she couldn't be THAT innocent at the same time. You know? She'd have that cocky self-assurance that natural beauty slathers it's bearers with. So she's either one or the other... but both? End of teensy-weensy complaint. I've found one more thing I love about this book, now, which makes four: "He closes his eyes for half of a second and I marvel at the drop drop drops of hot water caught in his eyelashes like pearls forged from pain." Pg 117 "Killing time isn't as difficult as it sounds. I can shoot a hundred numbers through the chest and watch them bleed decimal points in the palm of my hand. I can rip the numbers off a clock and watch the hour hand tick tick tick its final tock just before I fall asleep. I can suffocate seconds just by holding my breath. I've been murdering minutes for hours and no one seems to mind." Pg 127 The writing behind everything... behind the numbers and the edge of sanity and the sensual tension... is incredible. It's picturesque, unexpected and sharply graphic. I don't know how many times my heart pounded and I stopped reading and just soaked up an odd phrase here or there, reading it over and over again wondering how Mafi ever thought to put those words together in that combination? She took a busy storyline filled with complicated characters and spilled it out her own unique way. You know when you love a book so much you have to read the Acknowledgements section? This thank you to her editor made sense: "It's been such a privilege working with someone who so absolutely understands my story. My characters are safe with you in a way they wouldn't have been anywhere else and I still can't believe I got so lucky." Actually... I can't believe we all got so lucky!! This book could have been edited to pieces, stuffed full of punctuation and strict rules about how numbers are handled in books, not to mention No Crossing Out when it's Thoughts and not even Journal Entries!! This book is a work of art from the writer all the way through the publishing industry... and I really love it. NOTE: At the book signing, Tahereh clarified that her agent loved the book in it's entirety, strike-through's and all, so there was never any scary looming publishing bullies to fight off. I was just letting my imagination go crazy in my own little world. Weird. Cover Commentary: What's with the dress?! I'm just curious... it's not even the shimmery one with the pockets or the too-tight one that's hard to run in. I was (happily) caught off guard when the story inside did not match that cover. The blips are right-on... but based on the cover, I thought some super-human girl in formal wear was going to storm the town. My Rating: 5 stars - Love it!! I love this book, I want to quote this book, reread this book... I want to follow the author around so I can listen to her quirky humor. Oh, I don't have to!! She makes vlogs!! Phew! That would be creepy!

I just want to start by letting you all know that, at first, I was listening to the audiobook of Shatter Me. However, due to the different writing style Tahereh Mafi uses, I had a hard time following it. Shatter Me is written in a stream-of-consciousness narrative, almost like reading from the main character (Juliette's) diary. Mafi uses a lot of strike-throughs in her writing that didn't translate well to the audio version. What would happen would be the narrator would say a sentence (or more), then there would be a scratching noise, and then the story would continue. At first, I couldn't even figure out what the noise was supposed to be, but after a while, I was able to guess. However, in looking at the sample for the Kindle version, I realized that just hearing the scratching noise didn't always get the point across. I never knew whether she was crossing off one word, a few words, a whole sentence, or more. However, I found the story itself interesting enough, so I decided to DNF the audiobook and try again with a print version. I ended up borrowing the hardcover from the library. The print version was much easier to follow, but it still took a little while to fully absorb it. Once I got used to the strike-throughs and run-on sentences that illustrated Juliette's unstable state of mind at the beginning of the novel, I really began to enjoy the story. I immediately was interested in Juliette and her gift/curse/power and even found her likable very quickly. I was also intrigued by Adam. I immediately sensed that there was more to him and his story than I originally suspected. I loved watching Juliette's journey throughout Shatter Me. She goes from being locked up in isolation to locked up with a cell mate to locked up with interaction with several people, many curious about her, and one seeking to use her as a weapon. I was very interesting seeing how she changed along with and reacted to her different situations. I also thought that Warner was an intriguing villain. He seems so heartless and cold throughout the entire story, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt/hoped that there was more to him than what the reader is shown. What I loved most about Shatter Me was the mix of genres. I love both paranormal and dystopian, which are usually seen separately, but Shatter Me combines them in a very interesting way. There was also plenty of mystery and some romance. The ending had some surprises that I totally didn't see coming, which I really enjoyed. I also felt that the ending had great set-up to make me want to read the next book in the series, but it also tied up enough of the storyline that I wasn't left feeling frustrated or anxious. Overall, I thought that Shatter Me was a great read, though I would probably avoid the audiobook. Well, I'd avoid the audiobook for a first read. It would probably be okay for a reread. The writing style takes some getting used to, but once you do, I think the story takes over, and it really makes sense!

Wow! This book left me with my mouth hanging open! I really, really LOVED IT! The author has created an AMAZING world in "Shatter Me"! Truly an original storyline with twist and turns, you've never seen coming~! I mean as soon as I thought their couldn't possibly be anymore surprise, then BAM, it's a slap in the face with something incredible! Okay so I have to keep it real in this review, So I have to be honest about how felt about the authors writing. When I first open this book and started reading I was tempted to put it down an start something else. But then I remembered that a lot of the reviews I read said that the writing might throw you off at first, but to stick with because it gets truly amazing! So that's what I did. I held on until about chapter 3, then I was really hooked! The author writes in a way that I have NEVER read before. At first it was annoying, an driving me up the wall. But then as the story progressed and plot thickened, I actually started to enjoy the writing and the way Juliette process information. The author had this annoying habit of repeating herself over and over. She would also write a sentence then cross it out and write something new. At first I didn't really understand the meaning of this because I've never experienced it. But after I got to know Juliette as a character, I started to enjoy the way she expressed herself. Then the writing actually became enjoyable and understandable. By the end of the book I adored the writing and the difference of it. It really is a one of a kind. Not just the storyline but the writing itself. And when combined it truly makes an original and AMAZING book/series! Okay so with that out of the way let me tell you about the storyline: "Spoiler Free": So we follow a girl named Juliette. But she's no "Normal" girl! Everyone thinks she's a freak! An Abomination to her people. They don't want her near them! They don't want her to touch them! They want her locked up and the key thrown away! But Juliette just wants to be "Normal"! To have friends an someone to love her for her! Juliette has the touch of Death~! Yeah, you heard me right! Her touch is lethal! One touch by her and your Dead OR Serious hurt! So she goes through her whole life alone, shunned by people in society! Even her parents treat her like an outcast, like she's not worthy of love and compassion. Juliette is the sweetest and most caring person, but the people don't see her that way. They see her as a demon! A demon that needs to be dealt with and locked away Forever~! So while Juliette is locked away and forgotten about the world around her falls apart! People aren't the same. Food is hard to come by. Animals are few to none. And Birds don't even fly anymore. The world they knew is GONE! So what do you do when everything you ever known is gone~! You stand up an fight for a new way! BUT the WRONG people fight to start over! The Wrong people are given control of the world they knew. The wrong people now control what little people are left. Juliette rots away in a cell day in an day out. Losing hope a faith by the minute! That is until hope walks into her cell one day and everything changes! Juliette is proposition with a chance to start over, a chance to be free! Well that's what she's told anyway! But how can she believe that when the very person telling her that is the very person who is killing an destroying the world she'd known~! So Juliette is faced with many lies, many heartaches, and many obstacles to find her way through the life that is put in front of her! She is lucky to meet a good guy named Adam along the way to help her throughout this mess. But what do you do when your heart is telling to go for it but your hands are telling you STOP, you can't touch him! Or can she....??? Truly an AMAZING storyline! I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to read "Destroy Me" from Warner's POV and see how he really feels about Juliette and the world he helped create! This one was REALLY HARD to rate because I loved it very much but I also did not enjoy the book/writing in the beginning. Even though I did enjoy it later. But after thinking it through I decided either way it deserved 5 Stars because this story ROCKED ME! This a MUST-READ!

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the writing style. I have never experienced a visual and descriptive way to get inside a characters head as this author does with Juliette. There are several times that writing is crossed out on the pages. I think that it made the points more poignant by not only letting the reader know that Juliette is confused, not thinking straight, imagining things and cannot choose the correct words of how she's feeling. By crossing one thing out and using another in it's place in some instances was a way to show two different ideas flashing across her mind as well as her indecision and insecurity of what is really happening and what she may be imagining. Juliette has been locked up for a very long time and before that she did not have interactions with people in fear of hurting them. Hurting anybody either physically or emotionally is the very last thing she wants to do. Another factor about the writing was that it was very descriptive and visually poetic and almost demands the readers attention at all times. I have chosen some of my very favorite examples here. "I'm spinning, stranded in the middle of the ocean of my own imagination." " I can shoot a hundred numbers through the chest and watch them bleed decimal points in the palm of my hand, I can rip the numbers off a clock and watch the hour hands tick tick tick their final tock just before I fall asleep. I can suffocate seconds just by holding my breath. I've been murdering minutes for hours and no one seems to mind. " What a masterful way of portraying an idea like "killing time." "He shifts and my eyes shatter into thousands of pieces that ricochet around the room, capturing a million snapshots; a million moments in time. Flickering Images faded with age, frozen thoughts hovering precariously in dead space, a whirlwind of memories that slice through my soul." "The sun is an arrogant thing, always leaving the word behind when it tires of us. The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do, Every day it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections." As the story goes on some of this imagery in the writing dissipates and we see less of it, but we also see less of the timid and indecisive girl we are introduced to in the beginning of the story as well. I saw as the story progressed there is less being crossed out and less of this descriptive writing into a more of the usual type of writing. I can only hope that the next books will still portray some of this writing style that I have come to love and we just don't see enough of in Young Adult literature today. I also have read that the writing style has put some people off from enjoying the story. I can also see why others may not enjoy it as much as I did, but nevertheless there is a fantastic story behind the writing as well. The book has action, adventure, and super humans in a highly imaginative writing style. I loved the characters and how they interact with each other. Warner has more depth than just being the bad guy and Adam is more mysterious than just a love interest. Kenji brings humor and in the end the story just would not have been the same without him and hope that we get to see more of each of these characters in the near future. As I was skimming the Amazon website I came across and advanced e-copy that stated it had audio and video. This made me very curious as what an interactive copy of this book would contain. I decided to ask the author what the "advanced audio visual" might mean for this book and she responded " it has a bunch of bonus features, plus a piece from Warner's POV" and I purchased this immediately and checked it out. I loved the added documents and the piece of Warner's POV, it also gave me a first chapter glimpse at the audio book (which I think the narrator is a little too soft spoken and I have to say I enjoyed the reading experience much more. I also did not see any visual additions to the advanced e-copy, just the sample of the audio which you can also get a sample of for free on audible.com just not as much as the ecopy offered. I will still recommend the e-copy if you are interested in some extra info and Warner's piece.