Reviews: Shatter Me (69)

I was sent an advanced copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback

My, my, my where to begin. This is one of those really difficult books to review because it wasn't that bad, but is also wasn't that great.

Shatter Me follows 17-year-old Juliette who cannot touch or be touched by anyone. The last time she did, she killed someone so has been locked up by the Reestablishment for a murder that she had no control over. 264 lonely days later and the Reestablishment has had a change of heart. Why lock her up when she could be their greatest weapon.

To sum Shatter Me up in as little words as possible I would say that it's basically X-Men 1 meets X-Men: First Class. X1 because Juliette, like Rogue, has he ability to harm people with her touch/skin and First Class because, like Erik/Magneto, Juliette had no idea that she wasn't alone. Now, I like X-Men, so you'd think I'd be all over this. There are just a lot of tiny things that bug me.

Firstly, next-to-nothing happens. I don't think anything of any real substance happened within the first 20%. It also felt really repetitive. It just kept saying the same thing over-and-over instead of moving on or going forward, you'd keep going back to the same thing. I get it, you've introduced Juliette, she's basically in solitary confinement, can't touch anyone, thinks she knows the guy that has been put in her cell with her, I get it. That is literally all that happens within the first 20%.

Secondly, I'm starting to think I'm just not one for dystopian characters or something because I found Juliette to be a really poor lead. I'm really trying to not say basic, but there just wasn't anything stand-out about her other than her ability. She also seemed to go from being quite strong to quite weak in a matter of pages. It made it hard to find either believable.

In addition, Adam. I don't think I've ever not taken to a character so much in a while. Fake is the only word that comes to mind. He doesn't feel authentic and I almost found myself waiting for him to double-cross Juliette. He's a very personality-less character and if there's one thing that may top my bookish pet peeve list it is characters over-using "I love you". Is this a dystopian trait? Because I seem to find it here more than anywhere else. It is made slightly more bearable with the knowledge that Juliette and Adam have known each other for a few years, but it still doesn't erase the fact that you have two 17-year-olds who, up until the events of the book, had not even spoke one word to each other saying "I love you" every few pages. They've barely spoke to each other and other than the obvious they know nothing else about each other. They also have zero chemistry which is a must if you're going to have characters be so 'in love' this quickly.

However, of course the most interesting and entertaining character would have to be the sociopathic villain, because why would any of the heroes get the best dialogue or personality. Honestly, Warner is, not surprisingly, one of the few things this book has going for it. He's honest, powerful, slightly crude. Sort of reminds me of the Darkling in The Grisha Trilogy. Very demanding presence and, as I said, had the best lines of dialogue. I didn't particularly care about Juliette or Adam but I was really drawn to Warner and really wanted to see and learn more about him.

Furthermore, the writing was very metaphorical which I didn't mind so much in the beginning, but does get quite annoying. Something that also gets annoying is the constant repetition of words. I read the kindle edition and at first thought this must have been a typo, but then it kept happening, and happening again, and again: "and then and then and then..." it got incredibly irritating. If it was used once or may be twice, it probably wouldn't have been a problem, but I just fail to see why Tahereh Mafi kept doing it. This is the first book I've read of hers, so maybe its a thing she does. But, there was just too much of everything. The repetition, the metaphors, the strike-through. Was any of it necessary?

The overall descriptions was...something. As far as character description goes, this is...I don't even know. I think it was about 95% before I even discovered what colour Juliette's hair was. I get the fact that she hasn't looked in a mirror for a while but come on, you can't forget the colour of your hair especially if it's long which I'm assuming Juliette's is. Now, where Juliette's physical appearance was only briefly mentioned Mafi seemed to always take a lot of time describing the men. Seriously?. There's over-the-top and then there's this. I get it, Adam's eyes are blue, Warner's eyes are green. Emerald green, sky blue. That was all you needed. 2 buckets of rainwater, deep, fresh, clear was not necessary. Rein it in. Way in.

There was quite a lack of world-building and to say I expected more is putting it lightly. You were given bits at the beginning, but that was it. And those bits didn't really carry that much weight. I would have liked more. Something else I would have liked more on; the Reestablishment. Of the top of my head I can't really tell you anything about them, because I don't remember anything. I think Warner is in it. I'm thinking his dad is like a higher up or whatever and I'm assuming they are the 'bad guys'. That is all I got. They're clearly bad enough to prompt some from of revolution/rebellion, but I don't really know why. Either nothing was majorly said on them, or it was said just not clear enough for me to pick up on.

Overall, Shatter Me is rather bland and fails to leave a long-lasting impression. The 'meh' grade main characters didn't help. Yes, Kenji was a nice bit of comic relief, but he came in a bit too late to save the flailing and awkward romance. The writing is ultimately what held this book back and dragged it down. I can stand 'meh' characters is the writing is great. However, despite everything, I still find myself to be quite curious. I want to learn more about Warner and I'd actually like to know more about the Reestablishment.

The premise is interesting, but poorly executed. Yet, I remain slightly intrigued.

If you like YA then you are no stranger to the Shatter Me series and Tahereh Mafi. Both of them are extremely popular and surprisingly enough, it took me years to finally start reading this series or just something by Mafi. And after reading this first instalment, I can say I understand why everyone keeps talking about it.

First of, I'd like to mention the writing for the only reason that it is unusual. It took me quite a while to get used to it but at first? Oh boy, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to read a whole book like that. It is strange and quite unique but in the end, I quite like the effect it has on the story and the pace. By the way, the pace seemed a bit off most of the book - the whole thing started really slow and then everything just started happening really fast.

When it comes to the story, I'm not gonna lie, it sounds like a lot of YA dystopian series. Moreover, the world building is, truthfully, quite non-existent. We keep getting snippets of it but never basic settings that could help me grasp and imagine the world in which the story takes places. I've heard it is a lot better in the next books so I'm really looking forward to that.

Now, let's talk about the main aspect of this book: the characters . I honestly think most of them have a lot of potential but so far? They all left me unconvinced.

Juliette can honestly become a real strong female character and, god, I hope she does but in Shatter Me her character seems extremely superficial. What I mean is that her attitude does not always match her thoughts and vice-versa. The way she describes Warner honestly left me confused considering that two seconds later she would insult him and would want to murder him.

Let's talk about Warner because oh boy, do I have a lot to say about him. Let's not bullshit here; he is a complete sociopath. The way he manipulates Juliette is absolutely outrageous and although he could definitely make the perfect villain (like the Darkling in the Grisha trilogy), I know that this will not happen and that, in some very twisted ways, his actions will be excused through the why he's doing all of this. I can just feel it and I'm not looking forward to it. I don't think anything could make me sympathise with him especially not after a certain scene with Juliette. He's just garbage.

So far Adam seems like the typical male protagonist and I don't have anything to say about him except that I don't fully trust him. Something seems fishy about his story. I don't trust him. But I do love his relationship with James. By the way, James is the best character and I hope nothing happens to him because he's a pure soul that deserves the world.

Finally, I'd like to mention the relationship between Juliette and Adam and how fast it all evolved. I don't like the insta-love and all the kissing and feeling up that is going on in this book - it's just too much, too fast and a bit unnecessary too.

Although this first book was flawed in many ways, it does deliver its promise of making you want more. So I'll definitely continue on with the series and I hope that the little things that bug me in Shatter Me will be fix in the next books. And all those reasons are why I gave it 3/5 stars.

This is a book for anybody who can actually understand the style and technique used. Even from the frist lines you can see how broken she is, and it’s strong, but most people find it annoying.
It refreshing and intriguing, to me.
How can somebody who has been locked up in isolation for the majority of their life come out of it unbroken with a clear head?(you see her change through out book 1-3).
I loved every minute, and from the moment I started reading I couldn’t put it down. Throughout the books you begin to love the characters and experience a world wind of emotions.
Highly recommend.

I loved this book! I keep hearing about the series, so I bought a boxed set to see what it’s like. I read this book in one sitting, all one afternoon. I couldn’t put it down!

The story is unlike other similar YA dystopians I’ve read. It starts with Juliette already locked up to prevent her from using her powers. Typically, the main character discovers their powers in the first book in a series. I liked how this one jumped right into the story.

Juliette’s growth throughout the story is physically demonstrated on the page. At the beginning, she crosses out a lot of words and lines on the page. The author says at the beginning that these crossed out parts are intentional. As the story progresses, Juliette crosses out less of her story. She becomes more confident in her narrative. When she is more uncertain, the lines return on the page. I loved the way that her character development was portrayed in this way.

This book was an amazing start to the series! I can’t wait to read the next book!

I fell in love with the cover; beautiful, colourful, original and captivating....everything the book was not. Like a bad version of 'The Hunger Games' mixed with divergent series.

The main female character is whiney, and a little pathetic; which at first I thought was because of her past and circumstances, but after reading the first three books I can affirm....this does not change until the last page of 'Ignite Me'.

Recommend only if you want a pretty book on your shelf.

Like The Bone Season, I am incredibly late to read the Shatter Me series. I had to read it for the monthly book club that I go to at my local Waterstones and I was so glad that Shatter Me was picked, because it just meant that I had an excuse to FINALLY get around to it.

It's very... meh?

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 colour.

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 that 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.

To start this review off, I'm just going to say... WHAT?!! WHY DO PEOPLE SHIP JULIETTE AND WARNER TOGETHER? He is probably the most sadistic character that I've ever read about in YA. He's just completely insane. All the reviews that I've read of the other books in the series say that Juliette and Warner are great together and that they ship them so hard and I'm just sat here like... 'what?' He is so controlling and manipulative and forces her to kiss him and act like his plaything and to do stuff that is just horrifying *see baby scene*... He MUST go through some massive character development for people to fall in love with him... He MUST. Because right now, I really can't see it. I also can't see why Juliette would even START to be attracted to this guy. Yeah, he might be attractive but that doesn't mean that he's a nice person! It's just advocating people being in abusive relationships and I can't handle that. I really really hope that this whole character development thing that he undertakes is MASSIVE because it needs to be for me to start liking him.



“I spent my life folded between the pages of books.
In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.”

― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me




I do think though that I would have liked this book a lot more if I had read it when I was younger and not when I was 22. It's definitely something my younger self would have enjoyed a lot more, maybe when I was about 17?

When it came to the writing style, it was very disjointing at first, with Juliette crossing out what she was saying and then correcting herself, but as the book continued, I realised how unique the writing style actually was. I think the reason behind it was for Mafi to show the reader the development that Juliette went through. At first, she was insecure about herself, but as she got stronger, so did her voice, and I think that it's such a clever way to write a novel.

Speaking of Paige, she's basically just Rogue from X-Men. Actually... This whole novel is basically X-Men where there is a safe space for people with powers, and then they wear spandex suits and... yeah... you get the idea.



“The moon is a loyal companion.
It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.
Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.”

― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me




And I think (?) that she may be the only girl/woman in this book? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The story itself was pretty captivating. There were a lot of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting and I did like the romance between Juliette and Adam, even though it was cliché as hell, but then I have to remind myself that it was written in 2011 when the whole Twilight thing was going on and that's what people like me loved then (and still do.)

I also really liked the secondary characters in the book like Kenji, and I can't wait to see more of them in the other novels.

Overall, this book was ok... It didn't WOW me completely as it just didn't feel like an original storyline. I know that nothing is ever completely original, but this seemed to rip off X-Men too much (?) But I AM intrigued to see where this storyline goes, and yes, I am intrigued to read about Warner's character development. I guess we will just have to wait and see...

This book takes us on a twisting journey of the main character Juliette, whose life up until now has been less than perfect. She is in an asylum for 264 day for touching someone by accident! They leave her to rot because they don't know what to do with her, while the outside world is changing rapidly. With The Reestablishment in charge. Then one day her life changes when the Reestablishment want to use her to help them in their cause,

I found this book repetitive and while I understand we are in Juliette's thoughts, it gets laborious after a while, Also the romance is a little to sickly, I understand she's never been touched before but come on when your life's in danger. Especially with quotes like this :- “His eyes are two buckets of rainwater: deep, fresh, clear. Hurt.”

“My face is in his hands and my lips are at his lips and he's kissing me and I'm oxygen and he's dying to breathe.”

“He's staring at me like he's never seen me before. I want to wash my soul in the bottomless blue of his eyes.”

While this story kept me guessing all the way through, of what was going to happen next and who to trust. There just wasn't enough plot and world building. Why are The Reestablishment taking over? What's happened to the world we know? I'm not sure if this is dystopian or a future in our time line.

I started reading and finished within three sittings, the book took me on a jouney from Juliette self-hate and doubt to accepting herself for who she is. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books

Hooked from the first chapter.

After reading Sarah J Mass I never thought I'd find another author who is able to make me fall in love with the characters almost instantly. And well Tahereh you did it and I'm shook.

It's been a while since I've read a book where I'm so hooked on the characters that I already feel an emotional attachment to them. I can't wait to have more character development and it's just beautifully written where it's easy to read and flows gorgeously and keeps you constantly hooked. Oh yes have I mentioned that it contains people with powers? what a twist is that? As someone who is obsessed with X Men I can't get enough of this book it brings my joy of people with different unique powers to a whole new level. Castle is basically Xavier of Omega

For someone who loves but struggles to read, this book is perfect. Can't wait to get the next two

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is a unique and captivating start to a dystopian series filled with romance, action, and emotional depth. The story follows Juliette, a young woman with deadly touch abilities, as she navigates a world that sees her as a weapon. Mafi’s writing is beautifully lyrical, with a striking use of metaphor that reflects Juliette’s inner turmoil and isolation. The narrative is often poetic, giving the book an almost dreamlike quality that draws readers in.

Juliette is a complex protagonist, and watching her struggle with her powers and her identity is both heartbreaking and empowering. The love triangle between Juliette, Adam, and Warner adds tension, but it’s Juliette’s journey and growth that truly drives the story. While the pacing can feel a bit slow at times, especially in the beginning, the world-building and emotional stakes keep you invested.

Shatter Me sets the stage for an exciting series, blending romance, action, and character development in a way that leaves you eager to see what comes next. It’s an intriguing and well-written introduction to Juliette’s world and a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction.

I couldn't put this book down!