Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Review: Shatter Me

SHATTER ME (Shatter Me #1)
Tahereh Mafi
Paranormal Young Adult
352 pages
HarperTeen
Available November 15th
Received at BEA

THE STORY
Juliette has spoken to no one in 264 days. She has touched no one in 264 days. Bad things happen to those she with whom she comes in physical contact, hence the reason she's currently in a tiny solitary cell in a seemingly empty asylum. As a result of her condition, she's understandably shocked when her cell is opened and a young man is shoved in.

Juliette recognizes the young man from years ago when she was still in school–a boy she never spoke to but who was the only person to look at her and not see a freak. She spends weeks in the cell with Adam, finally beginning to remember what it's like to interact with another person, only to have her reality shift again as the reason for Adam's sudden appearance becomes clear.

There's a war going on outside Juliette's cell. A war for the recreation of society through the elimination of everything that came before it. And those in power want Juliette to use her "gift" to help them achieve their goals. They need a monster on their side, and now that they've found Juliette, they have no desire to let her go.

MY THOUGHTS
Shatter Me is a striking debut, the writing style captivating in its poetic quality as we are not simply told a story, but told a story beautifully. Ms. Mafi has a way of pairing words together into short phrases and sentences that hold us transfixed, forcing us to read the pages slowly in order to absorb the minutest detail while we attempt to quell the desire to flip the pages at record speed just to know what happens. At first the continued presence of crossed-out thoughts is a bit distracting, but as we spend more time with Juliette, we begin to look forward to those tiny disclosures of how she truly feels as opposed to how she thinks she’s supposed to feel, and we eagerly anticipate what we’ll find on the next page as the uniqueness of this reading experience makes us sit up and pay attention.

A connection to Juliette is easy to form when we're unceremoniously dropped into the dark, dank cell in which she has spent the past 264 days alone, our guard instantly up and extended to envelope her so that we can protect her from any further loneliness and despair by our mere presence. We learn about her past slowly and methodically, and with each sliver of knowledge she becomes more and more important to us. Her strength of will is astounding, allowing her to emerge fully intact mentally and emotionally from months of endless nothingness, and she shocks us with her ability to show compassion to a complete stranger when she has never been on the receiving end of it herself. Despite everyone in her life betraying her, she still finds the ability to trust, and she earns in us a loyal friend regardless of her existence merely in fiction.

While both Juliette and Adam are well-developed and desperately intriguing characters, the world itself remains a bit of a mystery to us in this first installment. We go from one set of four walls to another to yet another, our glimpses of an attempt at creating civilization anew only fleeting, and our knowledge of the Reestablishment limited. We see enough to know our loyalties lie with any resistance mustered against the annihilation of modern society, but there is a sense of claustrophobia while reading as our prison of solitary ignorance only changes in appearance–concrete walls bleeding into sinister opulence and then later into scientific minimalism–rather than disappearing entirely and releasing us to explore the environment with all our available senses.

Despite that minor drawback, Shatter Me is a refreshing read full of romance and suspense, written in a way we will not soon forget. Things are left incomplete, but we step back into our reality with a sense of hope, Juliette finally finding a group of people in whom her trust is not misplaced as well as a home where the word “monster” no longer holds the negative connotations it once did. For those who enjoy something different, Shatter Me will be an exciting and memorable read with characters, story, and prose coming together to create a true work of art.

Rating: 4/5

32 comments:

  1. Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! I loved Shatter Me; I definitely agree that Tahereh's writing is gorgeous, and that Juliette was a great protagonist. :)

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  2. I keep hearing great things about this. I should pick it up. It's definitely annoying that the world isn't well revealed. That's one of my favorite things about books like this - fantasies or dystopia. But at least it has good characters and a good plot.

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  3. Despite my book buying ban, I totally pre-ordered Shatter Me today. I think it will be okay in the end, though.

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  4. I LOVED Shatter Me! Tahereh Mafi's debut novel was well worth the hype... and I'm glad you really enjoyed reading the novel too, Jenny! Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts with us! :)

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  5. I've been interested in this one for awhile. I'm wondering though,when you commented on how little we see of the world around us, if it's meant as a reflection of what Juliette is going through? Or is it a case of not enough world building?

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  6. YAY! I'm so glad you liked this one! This is one of the books I've been dying to read for so long (because I read Tahereh's blog and she's just HILARIOUS), and it makes me happy to hear that you loved it, even despite the sense of claustrophobia! :)

    Sometimes your reviews just blow me away, Jenny -- they're always so descriptive yet they don't spoil the plot! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book!

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  7. Another awesome review! I really, really want Shatter Me. Oh the frustration.

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  8. Lauren - It was such an interesting read the way she did it with the crossed out thoughts, I really enjoyed it:)

    Alison - I think we were meant to be kept in the dark on this one, bounced from one type of prison to the next to keep us feeling isolated with Juliette. I just wanted to know so much more:)

    Amanda - It's a good one to break your buying ban for:)

    Liz - Yay! I had no idea what to expect when I started and I loved what I found:)

    Jennifer - Absolutely. I think it was deliberate that we knew little of what was going on around us, I just couldn't help but want a peek to try and figure it out. Curiosity got the best of me in this one and I got a tiny bit frustrated that I didn't know more.

    Mimi - Thanks so much! I try really hard to explain my thoughts without spoiling, it can be a challenge sometimes:) Can't wait to see what you think of this one!

    Kris - Only a couple more weeks:)

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  9. I like this review for Shatter Me, because it's both well-written and honest. I've read raving reviews on this but you're not afraid to shed some light on its undermining qualities. I'm reassured more strongly that I'll very much like this book. :)

    - Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

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  10. I agree about the crossed out writing being really distracting at first. I was like, what is going on, do I just ignore the lines or what? But yeah, Shatter Me ROCKS once you get past that.

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  11. Glad to hear you enjoyed this one, Jenny. I was a bit afraid because everyone seems to be buzzing about this one and I wondered if it was all hype.

    I'm really curious about her power and what forced her to be in solitary for that time period. I'd go insane! Since it looks like the first book in a series, I kind of expected to be kept in the dark a little book.

    Thanks for the review! I'm adding this one to my list. :)

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  12. Stuck in a cell with a cute boy while a war rages on outside...Where is the problem?

    hehe

    I honestly don't think the not knowing bit would bother me much, because it sounds like this book is more about establishing the characters and I'm okay with that. Definitely looking forward to this one. Thanks for the beautifully written review, Jenny.

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  13. YAY! I'm glad you liked it. This bodes well for me. I'm so excited to get my hands on it and read this dystopian. I'm actually excited for the crossed out writing. There was this one series I read that had footnotes on every page. At first I was skipping them and then I realized they were hilarious and integral to the story. I love that kind of thing!

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  14. Asher - Thank you! Glad the review was helpful for you:)

    April - I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to ignore them or read them either, but once I got used to it I was able to settle in to the story:)

    Rummanah - I'd go insane too, there'd be no hope for me if I coudln't talk to anyone for 260 days.

    Missie - Hahaha, unfortunately he's only in the cell with her a few of those days, she's by herself the 264 days before his arrival. The not knowing about the world definitely won't bother some, but I'm such a curious person by nature I wanted to explore everything there was to explore even though I knew this was only the first book:)

    Jen - Exactly. At first I just didn't know what do to with it, but then it was fun to read them because they reflected how she truly felt instead of what she thought she should feel.

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  15. I loved this book! I think everything in it made me explode with happiness! The whole concept of it just really intrigues me. Love the review!

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  16. Ive heard so much about this book already...I kind of feel like I already read it...(LOL) Im big into character development so normally I can overlook world building if its lacking...AND now I have to wait till Nov 15 to buy this for my NOOK...UGH!!

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  17. I've heard nothing but good things about this one.
    Your wallet is hurting? Thanks to your awesome reviews, so is mine!

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  18. I REALLY want to read this one. Glad to read that you enjoyed it. Great review!

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  19. I can't remember why I did not want to read this one...it must have been a review somewhere, but I honestly only see positive things now ;)

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  20. Okay, your description of Juliette has totally sold me. I really want to meet this character! I so have to get this one on the top of my wishlist!

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  21. I like the sound of this one - and love the cover. I really wasn't going to get any more books - I have to work on mine, but....sigh

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  22. Despite the small issue you had with this book, it sounds pretty good. I wasn't sure about it, but after reading your review, I'll have to pick up a copy. I like the combo of romance and suspense. Thanks for the great review, Jenny!

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  23. I think the crossed out thoughts would distract me too so here's hoping that I'll get used to them too. Aside from that and the limiting settings the characters keep finding themselves in, this one sounds fabulous. I can't wait to read it myself (especially since I've heard Adam is super hot).

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  24. I'm SO glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! I totally agree that Mafi's writing is stunning. She's a genius with prose, eh?

    Well, it's fitting bc you're a genius with reviews :D

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  25. Wow, I absolutely can't wait to read this one! The way you describe Mafi's writing has me almost drooling, it sounds so delicious!

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  26. I'm starting this one HOPEFULLY this weekend!!! I can't wait!!!

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  27. I just finished this last night, and I absolutely LOVED it! What a great story. Juliette and Adam were both amazing characters. I do wish there had been more world building in the story, but maybe we will see that in the next book. I hope!

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  28. I cannot wait to read this one! Your review make all the more enticing! Beautiful review!

    Heather

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  29. This one sounds fascinating even with the claustrophobia feeling! Glad to hear the characters are well-developed. Great review!

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  30. Squeak! I can't wait to read this one -- it sounds so incredibly amazing, especially since it's so different than anything else out there. I do wish the worldbuilding was a bit more filled out but with awesome characters, I think I can let it slide.

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  31. I LOVED this one! The writing was my favorite aspect, but I loved the uniqueness of the story as well. I think the next book is going to be very different, but still really good!

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  32. Awwww.... Sorry you didn't like the crossed out stuff, I personally love it (and all of the flowery stuff). This is by far my most favourite book ever and I can't wait to share my review (darn having to wait for the release date!). ;)

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