Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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 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

(Summary and Picture from Goodreads) 

Stars: 3/5
Do I Recommend:  It's a little to early to say.  If the next book makes it worth it, then yes.

Review

First off allow me to say that the writing style of this book is different and it took me a few chapters to look past it.  I believe the idea was to make Juliette sound just a tiny bit crazy, possibly a little broken, and so her inner musings are a little disorganized but at the same time very deep.  Tahereh Mafi has a great way with words, throughout the book she paints a clear picture of Juliette's surroundings and the people she meets, so clear that you can easily see through Juliette's eyes.

I've been locked up for 264 days.

The book centers around Juliette, Adam, and her captor Warner.  The world they live in has fallen apart, very much the dystopian, they lack food, money, decent medical care, pretty much all basic necessities.  Out of the ashes has risen a group by the name of The Reestablishment who promises to fix everything by getting rid of the old, sick, and insane.  At the start of the book Juliette is in an asylum and has been in solitary for 264 days.  Turns out Juliette has a deadly gift that caused her parents to be terrified of her so they turned her over to the authorities, it is because of this that she ends up in the asylum.  Warner is part of The Reestablishment put in charge of one of the many sects that make up their new world by his dad.  He discovered Juliette and after putting her through a test takes her out of the asylum.  He has high hopes of getting her to play on his team.  He knows about Juliette's gift and will do anything to get her to use it to torture his prisoners.  Unfortunately for him Juliette doesn't want to become his monster and so turns to Adam who reappeared earlier from her past.  Adam is the only person Juliette has met that is not affected by her gift and from that grows friendship and love.  Ultimately it is Adam who helps her escape.

Because I am a Venus flytrap.  And I am lethal.

Shatter Me turns out to be one heck of a ride but I must admit the ending is a little disappointing.  I feel like there was this huge build up to something exciting happening that never came.  In fact shortly after Juliette and Adam make their escape the book ends.  To me (and many of you may disagree) I feel like it cut off in an awkward place.  It wasn't dramatic enough to really be a cliff hanger but yet it left ends untied.  It is kind of like the author decided "eh, I'm just going to stop here."  I do still have the second book to read, my hope is that things are a little more intense and fulfilling.


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