Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: November 15, 2011
Genre: YA, dystopian, paranormal
Pages: 338
Series: Shatter Me
1. Shatter Me
2. Unravel Me (February 5, 2012)
3. Untitled (November 2013)

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.

From Goodreads

I fell in love with Tahereh’s writing within the first few pages. She so clearly expresses Juliette’s thoughts and torments. Her descriptions are magical. The emotions flows so strongly from the words on the page. I would compare her writing to the style of Maggie Stiefvater, which, if you know me, is probably one of the best things I can say about an author. I was entranced, I was invested, I was Tahereh’s from beginning to end. And she did not disappoint.

Juliette’s story is so heartbreaking and so convoluted. When we meet her, she’s a broken girl, not having talked to anyone, touched anyone, seen anyone in roughly 9 months. But when Adam is deposited in her cell room, everything changes. Soon, Juliette is taken to a compound where Warner, a leader in The Reestablishment, wants to win her affection and partnership. He is obsessed with her and craves having her as a weapon for The Reestablishment. Here, Juliette has to face more terrors than the solitude and nightmares of her time at the “mental institution.”

The development of Juliette as a person is phenomenal. She changes so much throughout the novel. She goes from a near-insane person who fears herself and her life, to someone so much stronger, much more confident; someone prepared to meet the world head on. No spoilers, so that’s all I can say. But I love her to death. She’s one of my favourite characters ever, and I think it’s amazing that her mind, and her transformation, can be conveyed so clearly through writing.

The other characters are fantastically written as well. For example: Warner. I hate Warner. I think he’s a poor excuse for a man. I think he’s vile and twisted. I don’t understand how anyone could ever be “Team Warner.” It’s morally wrong in my books. Adam on the other hand… well I have to admit I get flutters in my tummy thinking about him. He’s sexy and mysterious and vulnerable, and just so fantastic overall. I can’t wait for you to read this book so you can discover him for yourself.

I’m so excited for the next book in this series. The sad part is that we have to wait until February 2013 to read Unravel Me. But seriously, if you haven’t read this book yet, get to it ASAP. It’s fantastic. Fantastic writing, fantastic characters, fantastic fantastic fantastic! A new favourite.