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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Review: Shatter me

Shatter me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
Published: November 15th 2011
Publisher: Harper

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.



The writing... OMG the writing is amazing. It has all the feels. ALL THE FEELS. It sounds so poetic, so like REAL thought and feelings.
And the crossover sentences, they’re such a perfect touch, I can’t decide weather I’m in her head or her notebook. And how sometimes the sentences are repeated 3 times... yeah great touch for someone in an Asylum.
Chapter 1 and I was hooked. Chapter 4 and I was seriously thinking of not going out with my friend because this was just so good I had to go on. (I did went out, mind you... and told her all about the 4 chapters I had read so far and how much she needed to get the book)

It has a little 1984 feeling, with the world divided in three and people in power trying to make everything new, including language.
I can also see the “The Hunger Games” thingy in it but at the same time, a combination of different elements that not only make it unique, it makes it perfect.

In this dystopian setting, The Reestablishment rules the world. A world where animals are almost extinct, and real food too. But the promises the movement made were empty and some people fight back, more and more everyday, so The Reestablishment thinks that Juliette might be the very thing they need to get what they want: Get rid of rebels.

Juliette is broken. Scared. Empty. After so long in there she doesn’t know who she is... after so long of being treated like a monster she believes them.

It’s okay,” he whispers. “You’ll be okay.”
Truth is a jealous, vicious mistress that never ever sleeps, is what I don’t tell him. I’ll never be okay.
-Shatter Me

Her character is probably the best thing from the book.

I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.
-Juliette, Shatter Me

She’s so well developed!
Her touch kills people, it takes away their life force and for that the world has always treated her like a pariah, kids in school bullied her. She has every right in the world to be angry, resentful and look for revenge. But Juliette has never wanted anything else than fit in, to be love and to feel the warm and comfort of another human being.

One of my favourite things is how Juliette can describe such common things is such a beautiful way, how everything seems so new and wonderful. How you can feel her emotions towards them so easily with every word.

Adam is like sunshine, so innocent and pure in contrast to the Asylum. And then so strong, always by her side, always protecting her. *cue the swooning*
He’s strong and fierce and a warrior. He will fight for those he loves and what he believes in.


Warner is one of the leaders of the Reestablishment and he’s been obsessed with Juliette since he heard of what she could do. His twisted ways and crazy brain gave me a love/hate feeling. In his head, he’s giving Juliette the opportunity of her life to revenge all the wrong that’s been done to her, he’s protecting her from the evil world.
Yeah, totally crazy and yet so well written that, sometimes, I could see his logic and almost believe him.



There are 15,000 feelings of disbelief hole-punched in my heart. I’m tempted by recklessness, aching aching aching, desperate forever for what I can never have.
-Juliette, Shatter Me

I have 15.000 feelings right now, too! Can’t wait for the next book :)


About Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi is a girl. She’s 25. She writes books and reads books and drinks way too much coffee. SHATTER ME is her first novel, and the first of a trilogy, coming from Harper/HarperCollins on November 15, 2011. Film rights have been optioned by 20th Century Fox.

Her work is represented by Jodi Reamer of Writers House, LLC.



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