Author: Tahereh Mafi
During December 2019 I bought my daughter the Shatter Me book series as a gift. She finished reading them very quickly and has been begging me to read the books ever since. I have finally read the first book in the series, Shatter Me. So just for Alicia, here is the review.
A fragile teenage girl is held captive. Locked in a cell by The Reestablishment, a harsh dictatorship in charge of a crumbling world. But Juliette is no ordinary teenager – one touch from her can kill.
The Reestablishment wants to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has other plans. After a lifetime without freedom, she’s finally discovered the strength to fight back – and to find a future with the one person she thought she’d lost forever….
Official Summary
Shatter Me is a dystopian fiction that tells the story of a teenage girl who has never been able to experience human touch. Labelled a freak, she finds herself locked up in an asylum where she is left incomplete isolation until The Reestablishment decide that they want to use her as a weapon.
The author is extremely descriptive when she explains the effect lack of human contact has had on her lead character, allowing her audience to fully understand the message she is trying to get across. The reader can easily imagine the damage to the world and the psychologically issues suffered by Juliette. This book is written as a first-person narrative keeping the reader close to Juliette throughout the story.
This book will appeal to a teenage or young adult audience who enjoy dystopian fiction, like the Divergent and Hunger Games book series.
Shatter Me quickly entwines the reader with the lead character. As you read the book, you experience Juliette’s emotions first-hand. You feel her gain confidence and courage with every page you turn.
Juliette has been in insolation for 264 days, she doubts her sanity and sees herself as a monster. The news of a cellmate frightens her, convinced that it will be a psycho who joins her in the asylum. However, when the Reestablishment releases her from the asylum, only to try and use her as a weapon, Juliette discovers she is stronger than she realised. With the help of an old friend, she decides to fight for her freedom and her future.
Judging this book from a younger readers perspective I would have to say love it! Shatter Me has everything from young love, emotional development and global warming effects that have destroyed the world as we know it.
The book left you wanting more, so be warned, you will not be able to read only the first book. Make sure you have the rest of the series available.
Books in the series:
- Shatter Me
- Destroy Me
- Unravel Me
- Fracture Me
- Ignite Me
- Restore Me
- Shadow Me
- Defy Me
- Reveal Me
- Imagine Me
It is hard to pick a favourite character after reading only Shatter Me. I feel like there is a lot more to the characters and that I do not have the full picture yet. For now, I will say my favourite character is Warner. He is obnoxious, arrogant, and selfish. The author did a wonderful job on this character. I am sure there is a lot more to his story and I look forward to learning more about him in the next books.
Yes, I would recommend this book to teen / young adult readers. My almost sixteen-year-old daughter simply loved the entire series.
Author: Tahereh Mafi – ISBN: 9780603577482 – Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books – Pages: 329 – Source: Private Copy
A Proud, NetGalley Professional Read
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author bio from author’s website
Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award nominated author of books for children and young adults. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs, and their daughter. The final book in the Shatter Me series, IMAGINE ME, will hit shelves on March 31, 2020.
Awesome review! I personally loved the books so much. I have read them like five times already. Glad you enjoyed it. Looking forward to your opinion on Destroy Me as it is my favourite one.
Thank you.
A.S.
Thank you, I will try to get to Destroy me as soon as possible.
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