¨I only know that the scientists are wrong. The world is flat. I know because I was tossed right off the edge and I’ve been trying to hold on for 17 years but it’s nearly impossible to beat gravity when no one is willing to give you a hand. When no one wants to risk touching you” (Tahereh Mafi , Shatter Me).

This quote is a great example of the eyecatching wordcraft of Tahereh Mafi in her novel, Shatter Me. Throughout the book, she shows mastery in choosing the best words to accurately describe the challenges the main character, Juliette, faces throughout the story. Julliette, having been born with the ability to kill with a single touch, is constantly under extreme pressure by the suppressing society when it comes to social interaction. Tahereh develops Julliette’s lack of social awareness and general experience through her detailed and emotion filled dialogue and thoughts. The novel is perfectly written by this artist of an author and the work is shown in quotes like these. 

Synopsis:

The story of Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi, is about a girl named Julliette, who was born with a touch that kills. The story begins with Julliette locked in a mental asylum after 3 years of intense research regarding her unnatural abilities. Having not grown up with the comfort of human touch and the additional fact that she lived in absolute solitude for almost a year in the mental asylum; she was unsure how to deal with an unexpected visitor to her cell. Julliette immediately thought that The Reestablishment, the controlling power in their new society, was playing tricks on her and forcing her to do things she would regret. But this special guest would go on to change her life forever. Julliette starts to understand the world around her and the horrible plans that The Reestablishment has for the world through her relationship with this complex visitor throughout the book.

Review:

This book is among my favorite reads this year for its thrilling plot and its well developed characters. I read this book in one sitting. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and their personalities along with the story itself. The story continues through a series of 10 additional books. Roughly a third of those books follow the perspective of secondary characters. I have read 7 out of those 11 books and I am obsessed. Just when I thought the series couldn’t get any better, it does. Not only are the characters to die for, but the author, Tahereh Mafi, did such a great job writing this series. She went into such a great amount of detail regarding the characters emotions and the overall depth of the story. 

I have never read such an action packed novel that also had so much romance tied into the plot. The feelings that Julliette felt throughout the series and even just the first book were so complicated and Tahereh made them all feel so real. Because Julliette did not grow up loved (Nope. Not even by her parents.), she was new to finding and experiencing the wonders of love. It was interesting reading about someone who was so successful at something she had never tried before. Tahereh made sure to include all of her thoughts regarding her new found romance, bad and good. Not only did she tie in Julliettes heartbreak and the effects that it had on her but how others reacted to her decisions and how they affected them. This book made me truly think about right and wrong when it comes to picking a partner. How can one be so bad yet so good? That’s a question only Tahereh can answer after writing this series.

The characters were written in such depth that it only took one second to put an image in my head. The characters were described with unique personalities and traits that I had never seen an author put in a book before. The combinations of personalities and the unexpected friendships kept me guessing. The bonds built between these characters were so special and made the plot even more interesting. 

Shatter Me is the perfect pick for people who love an action-packed story woven with a complex romance. I love the format. I love the story. I love the characters. I love absolutely everything about this book. Definitely a must read. I could read it over and over again. That’s why I give it 📚📚📚📚📚-

Stay Curious!

Love, B

GFB Ambassador