Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Series: Shatter Me #1

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.

This was a highly anticipated novel that was just debuted this year. The author is 24 years old, same age as yours truly. Can I just say I'm jealous of how eloquently she can weave those words? I love, love, love her writing. The only part I did not like in the book was the stroked-out words. It interrupted the flow of the sentence and at times, I had to go back and re-read to make sure I was comprehending everything. Besides that, it was a really great, enjoyable book. I think it lived up to the hype. I was certainly engrossed in it even though I really had no clue what the book was about. Sure, I read the summary, but I just didn't know what the hype was about before picking up the book. I didn't follow all the discussions. I'm glad I chose to read it though.

I'm not saying that this is life changing or up to par with Hunger Games (though they are two completely different books and each is worthy of the attention it is receiving, in my opinion), but it's new, it's fresh, and it's somewhat original. I haven't come across anything similar that I can remember or think of as of yet. It's not a deep thinker nor is it superficial. The heroine, though quirky at first, is easy to identify with. She's someone you can invest in and therefore, you genuinely want to read the whole book and find out what is going to happen. I really like all the characters in this book and the character development is just great! Perfect pacing for me.

Okay, and the "bad" guy in this book, um, yum. I don't know if it's the bad boy factor that makes me want to jump his bones or what, but seriously? It makes me so confuzzled (yeah, confuzzled) because I want to root for both him and the other guy. Very reminiscent of my Vampire Academy days where Adrian and Dmitri were both yum-yum factors, but it was a one-or-the-other kind of deal. Well, in that world, it was one-or-the-other. In my world, it'd be a whole 'nother story.

But anyways, for those who are wondering about the hype of this story, its popularity, the interest it is garnering, just get it. I don't think you will regret it. If anything, the style of writing may may not may not may not piss you off at times (see what I did there?) but the overall story is great. It is a bit along the story lines of Delirium, but the heroine has another love interest that is yummy and she has this weird ability/curse. But that's the only similar story I can think of right now that wouldn't really give away the whole book.

Do let me know how you like it... or don't like it.