Sunday, April 22, 2012

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Pages: 352
Publisher: Harper/Harper Collin
My rating: 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.08 stars
Published: November 11, 2011

Description:
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.


Oh.  My.  Word.  This book was amazing.  And, honestly, I didn't read any reviews of it before I started - I didn't even read the description!  I read the inside of the dust jacket and the back cover.  Which is probably why its taken me so long to pick it up {that and I had to wait for my hold to be filled at my local library}.  If you have not read this book yet, do it.  Do it now.  My only regret with this was not taking longer to read it so I could stretch out the enjoyment.  This book has all of the addiction of The Hunger Games, piled with X-Men and glued together with amazing.  At least this is only the first in a very promising series.

Juliette is an astonishing character.  I felt like I was there, inside her head.  I was feeling her insecurities, her hurt, her betrayal... her pain and love and loss.  She has flaws, but that makes her beautiful.  What she sees as weakness, someone sees as selflessness.  Kindness.  Goodness.  She grows up her whole life thinking she's a monster, because no one has told her differently.  She was taken away from her parents at the age of 14, after she touches someone.  And kills them.  And the books finds us with her in a cell inside an asylum.  After the Reestablishment has taken over {and by "taken over", I am talking the world, people}.

Then comes Adam.  Okay, I don't think the male opposite in a book can really get that much better than him.  Seriously.  Brave, handsome, caring, sexy as all get out... I want to say so much about Adam, but I don't want to give away one bit of this book.  Its too wonderful watching the story unfold to give anything away.  But he's wonderful, lovely, good...

I normally take a little while reading books, especially when I'm working every day after picking one up.  I picked this book up on Friday night and finished it the next day.  And I was working both days {and, no, I don't have a job that lets me read while I work.  That would be the life!}.  I wanted to drag it out and eat it up at the same time.  I'm in love.  I love how Tahereh Mafi writes, with it being from Juliette's perspective, but not having a huge inner monologue.  And the thoughts writing.  I'm in her head.  I'm right there with her.  I cannot get enough of this book.  I want more.

Okay, I was going to end it with that, but I do need to say something.  I freaking love the X-Men.  I have since I was a little kid.  This book takes that to a whole new level... and Rogue was always my favorite.

1 comment:

jennifer said...

I really loved how the book was written in a stream of consciousness type point of view. It really helped me get into the girl's head and feel what she was feeling and see what she was seeing. I also loved how she'd think things, but then strike them out like she wanted to take back the thoughts. I didn't think I'd like it when I first picked it up, but I thought the cover was beautiful so I was drawn to it. I'm very glad I ended up reading it.

http://yepireadbooks.blogspot.com/