Shatter Me - Review

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first half of Shatter Me is written with strikethroughs and run-on sentences that are a paragraph long and words and phrases are continuously repeated 3 times. And the metaphors are numerous. Depending on the reader, the writing may either be highly annoying or pure genius. I'm still not sure which it is.

Juliette is the protagonist. In the beginning her behavior is very inconsistent. One minute she is crying on the floor and the next she is standing up for herself against an army of armed men. Although she does get stronger as the book goes on. This is evident by the writing - the strikethroughs and run-on sentences and repeating everything 3 times goes away and the writing evens out. (These things DO come back later in the book, and seem directly tied to Juliette's mental state and feeling unsafe and insecure.)

Shatter me is set in a vague future. What is left of the civilization is suffering under The Reestablishment, who claim they are trying to undo the mistakes in the past and do things over the right way. The problems on Earth are huge - seasons are non-existent, food and water are poisoned, clouds are the wrong color, birds don't fly, disease is rampant, and people live is settlements that are controlled by The Reestablishment.

Juliette has been locked in an asylum in a room by herself with no contact with anyone for 264 days. She is a danger to others because her touch can literally kill. Then Adam shows up. Adam is Juliette's Romeo. He arrives pretty early in the story and we learn that he has been in love with her and looking for her since she disappeared 3 years ago.

Warner is running The Reestablishment. Warner takes Juliette out of the asylum and informs her that he wants to use her powers to help him keep order and run The Reestablishment. He orders Adam to be Juliette's bodyguard. Warner is your typical bad guy on a power trip. Juliette must decide if she wants to stay with Warner and help him. She is conflicted because even though she hates him and what he stands for, she is oddly drawn to him. She also has the opportunity to escape with Adam, whom she loves, and try to start over out in what is left of the world. Who should she trust?

Tahereh Mafi's debut has a fascinating writing style. It has a unique feel to it. Throw in an unpredictable plot and intriguing characters and Shatter Me is a compelling read.


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