Summary:
Juliette Ferrars is a 17-year old girl who can kill anyone she touches. After accidentally killing a young child, she has been confined to live in a government asylum since she was 14. Although the asylum is horrid, the world outside isn’t much better. After a series of climate-related catastrophes, a new government rises called the “Reestablishment”. People are forced to live in large government-run facilities where disease runs rampant and food is scarcely found, in addition to being constantly monitored by the Reestablishment's large military. This military attempts to recruit Juliette, offering to free her in exchange for her using her abilities to torture information out of enemies.
She is forced to make a choice: be their weapon, or fight back.
Review:
I would give this book 3.5/5 stars. I found the story very intriguing and quick-paced, it was also incredibly suspenseful which I thought helped to move the plot along through even the dullest moments. I also thought that most of the characters were well-written and likable, which kept me reading even when certain aspects weren’t so great, as I’ll explain later on. The world-building was also excellent in my opinion, Mafi is very vague about what exactly led to this now dystopian society which helps keep the reader on their toes, which I appreciated.
However, the writing was….not so good. Featuring such lines as “The determination in his face makes me want to sing," the writing style is oddly poetic, to say the least. This book is meant to take place inside Juliette’s head so in a way, it makes sense for her to make odd comparisons or take note of seemingly obscure details. But at times it can get tedious and repetitive, and take away more than it adds to the story. Juliette can also be a bit of an annoying main character, who spends the majority of the story being ordered around by other people or being pushed into scenarios with little of her own motivation.
Overall, I think it was a pretty good book and despite my criticisms, I would definitely read more of the series. In my opinion, the story and characters are charismatic enough to make me overlook the interesting writing. I would recommend this to anyone who likes dystopian/fantasy books and doesn’t mind a more lyrical writing style.
Maryalice
Great review! I have seen and heard about this book and it's author many times before. I thought your summary was well written and suspenseful. I'm also glad you said what you didn't like about the book. Originally I wanted to read this book simply because of the author, however, after reading your review I now know there are parts that become annoying. Overall great review and I will have to add this to my list of books to read (despite it having the annoying parts).
ReplyDeleteGreat post Maryalice! I have never heard of this book before, but the storyline does seem mildly interesting and suspenseful. I enjoyed how you summarized the beginning of the book without spoiling the end, so great job there. I also liked how you mentioned what you didn't exactly like in the book in fair detail as well as the parts you enjoyed! Great job!
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Great review! This sounds like a very interesting book to read with a very intriguing premise! I'm disappointed to see such a unique book spoiled by poor writing, so I am very grateful that you included that in your blog. The quick action in this book sounds like it would be a thrill to read, thanks for writing about Shatter Me so I can check it out. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. Juliette is a VERY VERY VERY annoying character in this book, seeing her get pushed around constantly definitely edges the reader off a bit. If you want to read the rest of the series, be ready for the second book, since Juliette somehow gets x100 more irritating. The third book is really great though!! Great review Maryalice, it was enjoyable reading/seeing your thoughts on Shatter Me.
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