The Book:
Shatter Me
The Author:
Tahereh Mafi
What It’s About:
Juliette Ferrars is a 17 year old girl that was cursed or blessed with a gift — depending on who you are talking to. She has an electrifying, paralyzing touch. Just one tap and she can drain the energy out of another person, to the point of killing them. Because of this unique talent, she finds herself in a prison during the world falling apart. Diseases are spreading wild through the air, food is scarce and clouds aren’t blue anymore. With the help of a new potential boyfriend, Juliette escapes the prison and is recruited by the Restablishment — the decaying world’s form of government who wants to use Juliette’s unique talents for their own benefit. Juliette has to decide whether she wants to play along, all the while figuring out how she can hold a relationship without ever touching him.
Thoughts:
This book is the first in a trilogy series and is honestly a roller coaster. I found it by recommendation of a friend during my high school phase of reading every dystopian young adult novel available, but honestly its a book I keep coming back to. The one thing I particularly love about this book is how well written it is. You completely understand Juliette’s struggle — she feels guilty using her “powers” but still wants to be of some assistance to the world. She wants to have a relationship and some basic human interaction, but would never do anything to harm her boyfriend, Adam. Mafi knows exactly what emotions she wants the readers to feel and how to convey them.
The other thing I enjoy is how unpredictable it was, to me at least. Certain aspects of this story came from left field for me and that’s always a great thing to experience while reading a book. No spoilers here, but I think the author thought outside the box for some storylines. Considering there are so many young adult dystopian novels, this is a huge plus to me because it makes this one different and something new to experience.
Lastly, this book is balanced just right, between the action and the love story. Just when you start getting bored with their lovey-dovey scenes, something happens and throws the characters into danger or a thrilling scene. It keeps the book at a nice, steady pace and you never really get quite bored at any moment.
FTS Rating:
10/10
Tahereh Mafi lives in Santa Monica, California and has been writing since 2011. She mostly writes young adult fiction and Shatter Me is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter at @TaherehMafi
