Review: FRACTURE ME and IGNITE ME

Titles: Fracture Me and Ignite Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #2.5 and 3

Why I read it: DUH. 

Thoughts: Fracture Me is the novella that comes between books 2 and 3 in the Shatter Me series. I liked it, but definitely not as much as Destroy Me. (Then again, how could I? Destroy Me blew my MIND.) Fracture Me is from Adam's perspective, which was interesting, though by the end of Unravel Me, I was already starting to lose interest in him. But hearing his thoughts on the situations they were in was still helpful in understanding his character. 

My main problem with this novella is that the first half takes place at the same time as the end of Unravel Me, just from Adam's POV instead of Juliette's. So while we get a few insights into Adam's personality, it is mostly just a rehash of the same events. The second half, after they are separated, is better, because it delves into events that we don't get to see in either book 2 or 3. So that was great, but there wasn't enough new content for my liking. 

But then, I moved on to Ignite Me, which...whew. The writing remains beautiful, as is normal for Tahereh Mafi, but the strikethrough passages are a thing of the past, since Juliette has finally come into her own and become more confident in who she is. And that character development is just so on point. 

But really, all of the characters are amazing in this book. I know I've pretty much said that about every book in the series, but in this book, all of the characters have much more interaction with each other. I love the dynamic between Juliette and Warner and Kenji and all of the other Omega Point members. 

But the real star here, for me at least, is the relationship aspect. I was rooting for them the entire time, and there was SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION it killed me. But in a good way. Seriously. If you need a lesson in sexual tension in YA, read this book. Because it was so amazing, it left my stomach in knots the entire time. 

I love the conclusion. The ending felt abrupt at the time, but I realize that was just because my heart was racing about a million miles an hour when I read it. And my mind continues to race even now, a month later, thinking about what happens now in that world. And if a book can make me think about it that long after I finish it, I know it's a good one. 

Definitely one of my new favorite series. Absolutely recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian worlds, teenagers with powers, and delicious romance! Look for a overview series review in the near future!

Ratings: 

Fracture Me: 4/5 stars

Ignite Me: 5/5 stars

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

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! 

Review: SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #1

Summary: 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 tht 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. 

Why I read it: I have heard SO many things about this series. Back when this book was first released, I never gave it much thought because I loathed the original cover. But in 2014, when everyone was finishing the series and raving about it, I started taking notice again. The new covers were gorgeous, everyone seemed to love it, and it just sounded so intriguing. So I asked for the series for Christmas, and started this book the day after!

Thoughts: Wow. I totally see why this series had everyone totally obsessed. Because I am, too.

I know a lot of people tire of dystopian series, but Ii love them. And this is definitely cream of the crop as far as dystopian goes. The world-building here is subtle, but powerful.

Our narrator Juliette is broken, and the way Tahereh Mafi shows that is just brilliant. She's a scared girl whose touch kills, and she doesn't know why. She's been mistreated all her life. Tell a girl she's a monster enough and she starts to believe it. When the story starts, she's been isolated from the world in an institution for the better part of a year, and the solitude has taken its toll.

Since the book is told from 1st-person present POV, we are constantly in Juliette's head, seeing how her mind works. And a big part of this is seeing thoughts that are struck-through. I know that this is a turn-off to many people thinking about reading this series, but I think it's a brilliant story-telling technique. Juliette's thoughts are rambling, beautiful, poetic tangents, and the strikethroughs only enhance the fact that she's a little bit crazy, or at least she thinks she is. And since she hasn't had anyone to talk to, she's had time to come up with some beautiful, provocative insights into the world. Some of my favorite writing I've read in a long time.

We also have Warner, who as the villain of the story, is a military general of The Reestablishment. Warner is definitely one of the most complex villains I've ever read. Every interaction he had with Juliette vs. everyone else was so fascinating, and I couldn't wait to learn more about him in the rest of the series.

Adam is less interesting, but he's still a great love interest for Juliette. He is exactly what she needs: sweet, caring and protective, and for now that's perfect.

My only complaint with this first book is that the beginning was a little bit slow. But around halfway through the book, the action really began to pick up and I couldn't put it down anymore. I immediately continued with the series after I finished this, and marathoned all the way through! So check back through the next week or so for my reviews of the rest of the series!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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