Double Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Happy Black Friday! I hope everyone (who celebrates) had a great Thanksgiving. Today, I'm reviewing my October and November Pili-Pushed novels - Shatter Me and Unravel Me! I never wanted to read this series, but I have all three books and Pili LOVED the series, so I am giving it a shot. So far, so good! To see other Pili-Pushed reviews, check the "Pili-Pushed" tag or my Pili-Pushed Pinterest board!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book One of the Shatter Me series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: November 15, 2011

Rating: 3 stars

Source: Copy given as a gift

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

What I Liked:

I never had any intention of reading this series. I knew ALL about the love triangle, and I knew I wasn't going anywhere near this series, at least until all three books published. Nearly three years after the final book published, I'm reading the series! And Shatter Me wasn't nearly as bad as I thought - probably because I KNOW what to expect from the romance (accidental spoilers).

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in 264 days. She's been in an insane asylum for that long, after three previous years of lawyers and courts. Her parents packed her away to an insane asylum. Now, after 264 days, Juliette has company. Adam Kent is dumped into her cell... but as it would turn out, he was planted there, and he i with the group that takes Juliette out of the asylum by force. Adam takes Juliette to the supreme commander's son, Warner, who has plans for Juliette and her deadly touch. But Juliette will decide if she wants to be a weapon for the Reestablishment, or a warrior for herself.

I honestly thought I would hate this book. I know all about the love triangle, and how it was so make-or-break for most people. In this book, the primary love interest is Adam. We're introduced to Warner (in a hefty dose) but not quite until the end-ish, and even still, we know that WARNER likes Juliette, but Juliette is still stuck on Adam. 

But I get ahead of myself. Adam is deposited into Juliette's cell at the asylum, and she recognizes him (but doesn't think he recognizes her). She and him went to elementary school together. Years later, there is no school anymore. The Reestablishment has taken over the ravaged world. Adam turns out to be a soldier in Warner's army. Juliette has always been interested in Adam, but seeing him as a soldier breaks her heart. But he's on her side, and wants to help her escape Warner.

I wasn't sold on Adam, honestly. I could see why everyone fell in love with him in this book, because he seems so sweet and kind and worried about Juliette. But I didn't connect with him. He's just as bad as Warner - obsessed with Juliette for YEARS without knowing where she was. Something about Adam really bothered me, even if there was nothing deceptive about him (after Juliette is taken to Warner).

Juliette - ha. She's so dumb. She's so naive and ignorant. I really felt bad for her, and everything that she had been through, and her mental and emotional state has been very damaged (even if it doesn't seem like it). But she's very selfish, very wrapped up in her own problems. Her attitude and personality are laughable, but she's a fairly unique character.

I didn't hate the romance. Maybe it's because I know how the romance turns out? But I didn't fall for Adam like everyone else did. He and Juliette quickly "fall in love" again, after over ten years. They were KIDS when they developed feelings... seems unlikely to me. Everything is about Juliette and Adam, and Warner REALLY seems like a bad guy, but I didn't care for Adam and Juliette.

I thought Warner was a twisted, odd protagonist, definitely a villain. But I know there is more to him and his craziness, and I know that he will become a love interest, and I was excited to see how that would pan out. His side of the love triangle wasn't really present in this book (since Juliette is trying to run from him the whole time), but we know he'll be in the romance in the next book.

So. I didn't like Adam, didn't like Juliette, liked Warner, didn't like Juliette & Adam (romance). But I did like the story! It's a unique dystopia novel, in which the world (in terms of the environment) is completely destroyed, and there really is not much left. Juliette has the power to kill, and she thinks she is the only one. I love the idea of mass armies and the commander's son being such a villain - and soon to be love interest. Warner is CRAZY but I think I'm enjoying this series because of him (mostly). Also I like ridiculing Juliette.

Anyway. I liked this book more than I expected. It wasn't *too* bad!

What I Did Not Like:

I didn't like Juliette - she is naive and ignorant and selfish and kind of dumb. I didn't like how quickly she "fell in love" with a boy she knew in the THIRD GRADE. That seemed so implausible.

I didn't like Adam - he seemed very one-dimensional and I didn't connect with him much. I can see how he is such a great love interest, but as a character, he is so flat. His side of the romance is supposed to be sweet and whatnot, but it seemed cliche and overused and trivial.

So I thought their romance was very cliche and basic. Like your typical YA romance with NO spice.

MORE WARNER.

I liked ridiculing Juliette - she is an airhead! A sadly damaged airhead, but empty-headed nonetheless. It was fun to laugh at her stupidity and selfishness.

Would I Recommend It:

Eh. There will be a love triangle in the series, so I can't say I specifically recommend this book. It's a very cool dystopia novel, but I think the love triangle killed it for some people. NOW THAT ALL THE BOOKS ARE PUBLISHED, do what I'm doing, and binge-read the series!

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded down to 3 stars. Again, I liked this book way more than I expected. I honestly expected to haaaate the book. Maybe because the love triangle hasn't been fully introduced? Maybe because I already know the outcome of the love triangle? In any case, I am quite pleased by how much I liked this book (and it's 3 stars, so that's not particularly high!).

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Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Two of the Shatter Me series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: February 5, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC won from a giveaway

Summary (from Goodreads):

tick

tick

tick

tick

tick

it's almost

time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

What I Liked:

OMG GUYS. I cannot BELIEVE how much I enjoyed this book! Seriously, this trilogy has been great so far! Like I said in my review of Shatter Me, it's probably because I already know about the love triangle and the outcome of the love triangle. I'm also binge-reading the series in one week, so I don't have to experience the one-, two-, and three-year agony of waiting for each book to publish.

In this book, Juliette has escaped from Warner and his plans for her. She and Adam are now in Omega Point, a sanctuary for people with abilities (like Juliette). Adam can touch Juliette - but what no one knows is that Warner can touch Juliette (well, Warner knows). As it would turn out, Adam likely has some sort of ability as well. Castle, the leader of Omega Point, wants to conduct experiments to see what kind of ability Adam has. Tempers run high as Juliette and Adam struggle to reconcile their relationship - Juliette is becoming too dangerous for them to be together. Meanwhile, Warner has not stopped hunting for Juliette, but there is a new player in the game - Warner's father, Supreme Commander Anderson. No one will stop looking for Juliette, but no one will expect her to fight back.

Gosh, this book was so crazy! I laughed so hard at Juliette's shenanigans - that girl is so stupid and so selfish, it is SO funny. This is going in the dislikes section too, but it was enjoyable to laugh at her.

I love how Mafi breaks up Adam and Juliette. You knew a breakup was coming - and in this breakup, it's Juliette that must do the breaking up. She's too powerful and too dangerous, and could hurt Adam more than she has already. The two of them push and pull but ultimately, their relationship comes to a stop.

Meanwhile, Juliette is finding that she has been thinking about Warner more than she'd like. She finds that she does understand him, but she isn't like him. We don't really see Warner for most of this book, until about 60% in. Warner is taken captive by Omega Point, and Juliette is the one that is in charge of talking to him, making him talk.

So I thought Juliette was a selfish dumba** - I stand by that. I kind of felt bad for Adam, and I felt more for him than I ever have, but I still didn't really like him. Of the two of them, I felt more bad for Adam because I had so much to deal with.

WARNER. I like Warner. He's psychotic, but he is hilarious. Also he is so posh and well-dressed and gentlemanly in his own weird way. His obsession with Juliette is weird, and he's done some pretty bad things, but I actually like the guy. Maybe that makes me psychotic too. I like him as a protagonist, but ALSO as a love interest.

So, romance. We know that Adam and Juliette are experiencing turbulence. We know that Warner really isn't in this book until less than half of the book to finish. But when he taken to Omega Point, Juliette really starts to feel Warner fever - her attraction to him is off the charts. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO, folks. Even if you never read the series, read Chapter Sixty-Two. It IS pretty impressive. Unfortunately it ends in a bittersweet way, but the entire chapter is pretty *fans self*.

Obviously I much prefer Warner/Juliette to Adam/Juliette, and this is outside from the fact that I know the outcome. Juliette is soooo attracted to Warner, whereas it's more puppy love and what's familiar to her, where Adam is concerned.

There are soooo many twists in this book, which makes it super interesting! We get to learn more about Warner, which made me like him more. We get to learn one big thing about Warner, and then two big things about Adam. It's kind of twisted, what Mafi throws in there, concerning several people, and I should have seen that coming (I didn't!). 

Overall, I REALLY liked this book. Holy moley, things get going in this book. We learn more about the Reestablishment, and the big showdown is set up for book three. I'll be reading Ignite Me in a few days, which I'm expected to do!

What I Did Not Like:

Hahahaha I hate Juliette. Okay, "hate" is a strong word, but I don't quite like her. It is so funny to watch her make ridiculous mistakes and do selfish things. She really doesn't think things through, over and over. About halfway through the book, she starts acting more noble and selfless, and I approved of that. Still, I don't really like her.

Ehhhh, Adam. Ehhh, Adam & Juliette. I didn't really feel them from the start. Adam is less flat of a character to me (as compared to what I thought of him in Shatter Me), but I don't really care for him. The pair of them together, I never really went for. They seemed to be the familiar pair, the ones that were convenient, the puppy love pair.

Warner & Juliette = PASSION. Just saying. You may not like him, and you may think he's insane, but their romance is fiery.

Obviously there is a love triangle. Obviously I don't like it. But I know who I like, and I know the outcome anyway (no painful waiting yay), so I'm not as bothered by the love triangle. I would be, if I were waiting for each book to publish.

It's weird how everyone is so obsessed with Juliette. Logically, I guess it makes sense (her power IS killing people with touch) but it's still weird. Everyone seems to think she's so hot too, which is plausible, but again, weird.

Would I Recommend It:

I liked this one more than I liked Shatter Me (3 stars), so I'd probably recommend this one. Again, there is a love triangle, and it's a big one (as far as love triangles go). But given that I've been binge-reading the series one after the other, I'm not as crazy with this love triangle (I know the outcome). The dystopia story is really good!

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded up to 4 stars. I can't believe I didn't hate this book. I'm actually surprised, taken aback, almost guilty (because I've been professing my hatred for this series for years, without ever reading the books). Buuuut, it's not so bad so far. I think the trick is to wait until the series is over, and then binge-read. Self-control for the win!

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