Book: Shatter Me

Shatter Me Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: November 15, 2011
ISBN: 0062085484
ISBN-13: 9780062085481

Synopsis: 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.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.
 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have lots of words to describe this book. I also have a lot of love for this book. Mafi must have read my mind, because I believe that this was the book that I didn’t realize I was looking for.

Let’s face it, most of us read a lot and sometimes the words start to blend together. And then other times, the stories and characters start to blend together. But this story just puts itself on the board and staples itself up there. Shatter Me wants to leave a permanent etch in my memory, and I will not fight it.

I promise this will not have any spoilers.

The story begins in a way that surprises me. I have only read a handful of books where the story and the heroine grab me with the strength of her voice. Before I could even imagine her face, I knew who she was. Before I knew what was going on, I knew what she was feeling. Before I finished the first chapter, I felt connected in such a way that it brought out the same feelings out of me.

I’ll be kind and let you in on a secret. The writing style is different. I felt that it further emphasized the heroine’s state of mind throughout the book. To me, the book felt a little more real than other books I have read in the past. The emotions of the heroine felt raw and so much easier to place myself in her shoes.

It was wonderful.

The range of emotions mimicked the flow of words that Mafi put on the page. It was like Mafi was a conductor and the words her music. You will see, and then you will be mesmerized. Like a few other books that you may have read, throw the rules out of the window. They are not required when you read Mafi’s Shatter Me. People, I felt raw emotions and cried. Mafi chooses her words wisely and effectively. You will see and then you will fall in love.

Words cannot fully express the praise that I have for Mafi and her talent as a writer. It comes as a surprise to me that this is her first book, because she seems like a seasoned veteran who can produce art like this with a wave of a hand.

Too much praise? Maybe, but I feel it’s well deserved.

I am sorry that I am vague, but I do not want to spoil anything. Mark the publish date on your calendars and make sure you pick it up. You will not be disappointed.

You may also like