Reviews

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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heartscontent's review against another edition

5.0

There is this thing about dancing in public for me. Before I do it, I have inhibitions stacked as high as the Eiffel Tower. But when I'm actually DOING it, it's just the music, my feet and beat of my heart. The world, the crowd, the time is not known to me. I'm dancing because I like it. I'm dancing because it's me.
That's how this book felt like to me. I wasn't sure how this book would be. I was actually slightly uninterested in it because it seemed a little dull. Yeah, yeah, I judged, I shouldn't have, yada yada. Anyway, but once I started the book. I was lost. All I could see were the words that flowed into lines and the lines that weaved the story.
Juliette has a a deadly power that forces her from touching people. She wax avoided by all in her life. Even her parents. But the goodness in her stays intact. She would never kill for pleasure, she would never kill because she gives a damn about the world.
Talking about the world. The time set in the book is in the future. Where the repercussions of our misuse of Mother Nature is shown.
Where food is artificial and the weather is unpredictable, the animals unknown and the birds uncommon.
It's sad to think that the future generations may or may not know that birds had the ability to fly.
Juliette gets locked up in jail for a crime she unknowingly committed. She stays there for six months, before she gets a cellmate.
And that makes all the difference.
And he changes everything.
Adam is an amazing character who seems to carry so much burden on his shoulders but can love nonetheless.
Juliette and him are perfect together.
The story line is crisp and very fast paced.
The best thing I like about the heroine is that she never wavers. Her principles remain intact, even after being exposed to a chance of luxury.
Now, Warner. He's a mystery.
He's got some background story...something probably to do with his mother. He's ruthless, evil and a murderer.
But the thing I liked best about this story is the writing.
It was beyond beautiful. I remember reading A few lines on various pages more than once because they seemed to remind me of something. Because the readers can connect to it, each in their own way.
There wasn't a dull moment and sometimes when I looked up from the book I would experience an adrenaline rush, or a sense of euphoria, or fear, or sadness, in relation to what's happening in the book.
So, Five Stars. I highly recommend it.
This review can also be viewed on reviewspree.blogspot.com

swagv_mfs's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

bbckprpl's review against another edition

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2.0

I know I originally added this to my TBR pile because there was an excerpt somewhere about the main character, a "girl who couldn't be touched." Since I'm pretty much a version of that in real life (only I don't hurt other people when I am touched; they hurt me), I stuck it on the list and waited for it to come around. I was not expecting some sort of dystopian, end-of-the-world battle of good vs. evil, which is definitely the direction the book went in, nor was I expecting the Team X, Y Z or 52 pickup, which is what most of the reviews on Goodreads (at least the more positive ones, and definitely the ones on any of the sequels) focus on.

I was not Team anybody, unfortunately - not even Team Juliette: I had no real strong connection to either the main character - said untouchable girl. None of her fellow teenage wanderers and conquerors really moved me either. I guess, when the world disintegrates and needs to be "reestablished" we all of the sudden decide that teenagers are capable of leading armies? And being homicidal maniacs in control of entire countries? That's probably not our best bet, but I might be wrong. ~~I don't think I'm wrong.~~

That was another thing - the strikethroughs: A lot of the story unfolds inside Juliette's head, and, lord does that girl need some sort of focusing therapy, because the girl is scattered. Her thoughts are very conflicted. The author shows us this by crossing things out a lot. I did not find this to be a great descriptive tool, but it seems to appeal to some other readers, so your mileage my vary.

Originally, I was only going to give this book 1 star, but towards the end, when there was more action and less waiting and plotting and thinking and ~~rethinking~~, it started to pick up a bit. Even though the ending improved the book some, I still doubt I'll be reading the sequels, based solely on the writing style (so many illogical metaphors and random incomplete sentences) and the idea that a series (ostensibly written about a strong, kick-ass heroine) is once again getting boiled down to Team Boy A or Team Boy B, which is a phenomenon I am truly sick of. (Not to mention the fact that, in this case, Team Boy B is rooting for an obsessed ego maniacal mass-murderer, which: Ick.)