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crybabybea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Destroy Me is a short novella from Warner’s point of view, the main antagonist of the first book, Shatter Me. Since the book is so short, there isn’t a whole lot to say about it. It adds a nice layer of complexity and depth to a character who, in the first novel, seems to be nothing but ruthless, evil, and unfeeling. Destroy Me paints Warner as a great morally-grey villain rather than the sociopath he appears as in Shatter Me. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he is an incel with boundary issues and should be banned from being near women ever, and the thought of him being a potential love interest makes me gag. With that being said though, this novella did add a nice layer of understanding as to why Warner is the way he is. Destroy Me also confirmed that Warner has had a sick infatuation with Juliette for a long time, and used the power as the commander’s son to literally force Juliette to spend time with him. It’s gross. I feel like the narrative forgives him for being creepy and abusive by using his trauma as a crutch. He has potential to be a morally gray character, but I wish he could just be a villain and not a love interest.
Personally, I think it would have been nice to have this sort of complexity included in the first book, as I felt the characters were flat and relied on their tragic backstories in lieu of actual character development. I understand that throwing a random instance of Warner’s point of view in Shatter Me would be a bit jarring, so it makes sense that Destroy Me had to be released separately. Those who miss out on the novella will find themselves not as connected with the motivations of Warner as a character, which may affect their overall experience and review of the book and series as a whole. It’s good that the newer edition of Shatter Me includes Destroy Me as an addendum at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Animal death, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
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