Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club

Jan 19, 2013 Chené Tuck rated it liked it

Rating 3.5/5 stars

I have been quite excited to read this book with all the reviews going around with the final book in this series being released lately. So when it won Book of the month for April I was so excited to squeeze this book in some where and trust me I almost didn't with life getting a bit crazy and I have been in a slow reading phase.

Shatter me feels a bit like a book I read a while ago - Branded. The whole captive/soldier romance feel. Fair enough Shatter me was released before then ...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Amy Keeley rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First, the good points. Ms. Mafi does an especially good job showing someone on the edge of sanity. The humor is also well-done and made me laugh at more than one point.

Now, for the rest.

This book reads like good X-Men fanfiction. That would be okay if everything weren't shrouded in constant mystery. The problem is that by the end of the book, we still know nothing about Juliette's powers except that she has superhuman strength and her touch can (perhaps) kill, we have no idea what powers Kent h First, the good points. Ms. Mafi does an especially good job showing someone on the edge of sanity. The humor is also well-done and made me laugh at more than one point.

Now, for the rest.

This book reads like good X-Men fanfiction. That would be okay if everything weren't shrouded in constant mystery. The problem is that by the end of the book, we still know nothing about Juliette's powers except that she has superhuman strength and her touch can (perhaps) kill, we have no idea what powers Kent has except that (like the villain Warner) Juliette can touch him. No explanation is given for what happened to the toddler in the torture chamber or to Jenkins, both of whom were touched by Juliette and were totally fine later.

In fact, by the end, I wasn't sure of anything except that she was in a good place with people like her. Again, too much like X-Men (movie) when Rogue and Wolverine are taken in.

The strikeouts were pretty unnecessary except as a stylistic choice to make the book sound literary. However, as the story progresses, there's fewer of them and the book improves as a result. In fact, Ms. Mafi's writing is actually pretty good when she gets caught up in the action. The rest of the time, it can be a bit confusing and there are several moments when I rolled my eyes (she knows how many hours she's been locked up and she doesn't have a clock?).

The romance between Adam and Juliette is fantastic (except when she doesn't understand why he's helping her). And they're both good people so although I didn't care if they succeeded, I didn't really want them to fail either. I just wish the author could have kept them from sleeping with each other in less contrived fashion. The interruptions just when they were getting close did not feel like a natural extension of the plot. In fact, they bordered on the cliche.

Juliette came across as stupid in that annoying way all Mary Sues tend to be. However, she wasn't so annoying I couldn't fight through it. Adam is better and I have to admit I liked him. Of the two, he has more depth and got more of my sympathy as a result.

My biggest disappointment was Warner. I know he was evil but I loved him! His dialogue at the beginning was fantastic, much better than the two main characters. He actually sounded intelligent. The hints at his background intrigued me. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I realized there's probably going to be a second one where Ms. Mafi introduces a love triangle between Juliette, Adam, and Warner. This wouldn't have been so bad if Warner had remained an interesting character. But his perfect control in the beginning (which was a good portion of his charm) had disintegrated in his obsession with Juliette by the end, making him surprisingly stupid. I know guys tend to be stupid around women they adore, but really, when the guy says he never underestimates someone and then underestimates them, it's a bit much and doesn't make me want to keep reading about him.

One final thing. Politics have to be written really well in order for me to stomach them in a book. The point has to be shown, not told. Now and then, especially at the beginning when Adam is telling her about the world outside, there are lectures about global warming, pollution, one-world government, and the evils of discouraging diversity. They're short, but they really turned me off. Bad.

I might pick up the next book to see if Ms. Mafi has improved Warner, but there were so many loose ends hanging from this story that I don't trust her to actually answer my questions. We'll see. ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Trisha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, pov_young_adult, series, spec_dystopian

I finished this earlier in July but am just getting to the review now. I have been wanting to read these books for years and I'm glad I finally kicked off with the task! Tahereh Mafi's writing style is unique, and you won't find many other YA books out there that emulate the type of narration we get from Juliette.

The series is set in a rather bleak future, although by the end of this first book (view spoiler) ...more

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May 20, 2012 Angie Taylor rated it it was amazing

I loved, loved, loved this book. It's a little bit Hunger Games meets X-Men, so not the most original, but it totally worked for me. The writing is beautiful in a first person narrative, pulling the reader in emotionally from the beginning. I really loved the inner workings of Juliette's mind as her narrative effectively illustrated her dilema between insane and sane. A big fan of the love story, and I loved the age old idea that Juliette and Adam were meant for each other. I'm excited to discov ...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Jemi Fraser added it

Wow! Loved this book. The voice is unique - and spectacular. The characters are so intriguing and I love the twists and turns of the plot! A terrific read!

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