My FIRST Book Review: SHATTER ME

I eat books. Not literally. But I can never read enough. My raging desire to read another book has been one of my biggest distractions from my own writing. My latest read was SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi, which I finished yesterday morning, after having stayed up way too late, 1 AM, reading. Then I got up at 6 AM, unable to sleep for thinking about what was going to happen next. It was that damn good.

SHATTER ME is a YA Sci-Fi Dystopian about a seventeen year old girl who’s touch is lethal. She's been taken from her family and locked up for 264 days because the world fears her. She hasn't spoke to anyone in 264 days. She hasn't been touched for 264 days either.

 

The author’s style is so different from anything I’ve ever read (and I’ve read A TON). I went to Good Reads to check out what others said. Having already read the book, I was surprised by some of the comments. I suggest you take a peek, just to see for yourself. I won’t bore you by droning on and on about what someone else said. Suffice it to say some didn’t like Mafi's style or her heroine, Juliette.

For those who gave SHATTER ME low ratings, I respectfully disagree. I give this book a resounding 4 ½ stars. Why not 5? Because I have yet to find the PERFECT book (yes, I like using CAPS). I want everyone I know to read this book so we can chat about it. I love book gossip.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the heroine, Juliette. She’s sad, confused about who she is, and unsure if she’s worthy of love. She’s human. What I love about her most is she doesn’t have it all together, she’s not the most confident, and she’s got a temper when pushed. SHATTER ME is written first person. Juliette’s thoughts are erratic. She keeps a journal, but the book isn’t the journal, although you do get glimpses of it. The book is riddled with strike throughs where Juliette decides one thing is better said than another. The strike throughs give you a peek into this character’s broken soul.

Getting sucked in and transported into Juliette’s mind and emotions, her life, was a fabulous escape. Isn’t that the point of reading a book? To escape our own world and be someone else for a while, live another's life, experience another’s world. SHATTER ME did that for me.

I was lucky enough to win a “Giant-Ass Box of Books” from Laura Bradford @bradfordlit on Twitter. Included among the many awesome books was an uncorrected proof of the second in the SHATTER ME series, UNRAVEL ME (to be released 3/13). Not realizing it was the second in a series,I read it first. When I looked up Mafi to see what else she’d written, I found I’d missed SHATTER ME. I HAD HAD HAD to run out and buy it. Ended up going to two Barnes & Nobles and got the last copy in stock.

A bridge book between books 1 and 2 of the SHATTER ME series, DESTROY ME (ebook only) is being released in October 2012. It’s written from the POV of the antagonist, Warner, who’s HOT, somewhat pitiful, somewhat insane, and, of course, evil. I’m really bummed I have to wait almost a whole month to get it. *hangs head * *sighs*

As a side note, the hunks are extra yummy and Mafi writes some really HOT HOT scenes *gets funny little feeling in pit of stomach*, and yet manages to keep it at the YA level.

I truly hope you’ll read SHATTER ME. Then you and I can chat about it.

A quote from SHATTER ME:

His hand is on my back.

His touch is scorching my skin through the layers of fabric and I inhale so fast my lungs collapse. I’m caught in colliding currents of confusion, so desperate so desperate so desperate to be close so desperate to be far away. I don’t know how to move away from him. I don’t want to move away from him.

I don’t want him to be afraid of me.

 

Have you read SHATTER ME or any other AMAZING book you want everyone you know to read? Comment about it. Thanks for visiting my blog.