Review: DESTROY ME and UNRAVEL ME

Titles: Destroy Me and Unravel Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi 

Series: Shatter Me #1.5 and 2

Why I read them: DUH. 

Thoughts: Destroy Me is the novella that comes between books 1 and 2 from villain Warner's perspective. This is really the first novella I've ever read for a series, but I absolutely LOVED IT. I don't think I've ever read something that so completely and quickly changed my opinion on a character. I had heard enough booktubers talk about how much they loved Warner to know that change was coming, but I didn't think it would hit me this hard. I nearly cried reading this novella, and this was only the second thing in the series I had read. So if you're one of those people who doesn't read novellas for series, you need to amend that for this series. Because this novella is can't-miss information for fans of the series. 

Now moving on to Unravel Me!

If you'll remember from my review of Shatter Me, the only thing holding me back from giving it 5/5 stars was the act that the beginning was a little slow for my liking. This book did not have that problem. There were no parts of this book that felt slow to me, so I flew through this book in two days. I stayed up until nearly 4 A.M. finishing this book because I just couldn't bear to put it down. 

The characters continue to grow. I loved watching Juliette battle with herself, and with others. After so much time spent in isolation, she finds it hard to interact with others in a healthy way. I still love the strikethrough passages, though they begin to happen n ot nearly as often as Juliette becomes more comfortable with who she is. 

Juliette and Adam's relationship is so believable. As is her relationship with Warner. The latter is what really kept me hooked. After reading Destroy Me, we have already had a chance to see Warner's inner character. But throughout Unravel Me, Juliette gets insights into his true personality as well, and their interactions were the highlight of this book for me. 

Well, that and Kenji. I LOVE Kenji Kishimoto. He is sarcastic and cocky but genuinely caring, and I absolutely love that about him. His interactions with Juliette were definitely my other favorite parts. 

We also get major plot developments, and I have to admit that I saw one twist coming. But Tahereh Mafi handles it in a way that never felt contrived. The characters react to it in a very realistic way, and it was so interesting to see those reactions. Even into the third book. 

The writing is still gorgeous here. Mafi really has a way with words. She makes them not only tell a story, but also invoke emotions through words alone. It's absolutely brilliant. 

This book definitely doesn't suffer from the sophomore slump! Still highly recommend the series to anyone interested. 

Ratings: 

Destroy Me: 5/5 stars

Unravel Me: 5/5 stars 

Tell me: have YOU read these books? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!