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luliposatieris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i loved this book. I loved the writing style, how it reflected so well on Juliette’s state of mind, how it evolved throughout the book, her relationship with Adam, i just loved everything. The plot was good, it had a fast pace and short chapters, it kept me hooked. I’m left with SO many questions unanswered so it lowers my rating a little bit.
i don’t get why Warner is so loved throughout this series and Adam is so hated on. I don’t understand Warner’s motives and his actions, he’s an enigma for me. I don’t understand anything he does or says, like when he said he loved her i was like ????? since when. I’d like to see him explain more in these next books.
Adam is so sweet, i think he is a little overprotective though but he’s still my n1 ship with Juliette. It really intrigues me how Tahereh Mafi is going to make me love Warner and hate Adam, because at this point i feel it the other way around.
i’ll read destroy me to have a warner pov because i need it and then i’ll read unravel me.
Juliette <3 she’s so strong and amazing, i love her. I love that she has a weak state of mind, her chain of thought is so disorganized but she’s still questioning things about the people and places around her.
i don’t get why Warner is so loved throughout this series and Adam is so hated on. I don’t understand Warner’s motives and his actions, he’s an enigma for me. I don’t understand anything he does or says, like when he said he loved her i was like ????? since when. I’d like to see him explain more in these next books.
Adam is so sweet, i think he is a little overprotective though but he’s still my n1 ship with Juliette. It really intrigues me how Tahereh Mafi is going to make me love Warner and hate Adam, because at this point i feel it the other way around.
i’ll read destroy me to have a warner pov because i need it and then i’ll read unravel me.
Juliette <3 she’s so strong and amazing, i love her. I love that she has a weak state of mind, her chain of thought is so disorganized but she’s still questioning things about the people and places around her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, Child death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Torture, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Rape
valreadssometimes's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is probably the definition of a guilty pleasure read. It’s not a masterpiece, or even “good”, book, but I found myself having a good time reading (for the most part).
Okay, now that that’s out of the way here’s my honest review:
The writing style of this book was confusing and wordy. When I first started the book, I was really frustrated with the unnecessary figurative language that did nothing to improve the descriptions or add emotion. I do enjoy some pretty words once in a while, but with this book it felt kind of like someone was trying to fit as many similes and metaphors in, even if they were completely necessary or distracted from the focus of the writing. I did get used to it like a third of the way into the book, so do with that what you will.
When I picked this book up, I thought it was going to be very dark and dystopian with some slight romance. What I got was pure romance, maybe too much of it to really call this a “thrilling dystopian novel.” I honestly didn’t mind too much though, since I’m a sucker for a good romance (I did kind of mind later though, but I’ll get into that in a moment).
The main character is okay, and I didn’t really have an issue with her personality. She wasn’t an annoying protagonist, but she was obsessed with the main lead at times where it was super inappropriate. But yeah, this is a romance, so if you know what you’re getting into it’s not too bad.
Now, let's discuss the love interests. They were both kind of walking red flags, but it’s okay. Who needs healthy relationships in YA literature?
Adam, the main lead and the one who “gets the girl” in this book is a soldier. He’s kind and compassionate and had been in love with the main lead since childhood. He does get kind of weird at times, and I felt like he was lying to the protagonist more often than not. He’s also like overly protective and jealous, which is something. He’s probably not the best, and he got together with the main girl way too quickly, but he’s probably an angel compared to the other lead.
Speaking of problematic: Warner. He’s the second love interest, which is weird because he kidnaps Juliette and basically imprisons her. He’s the young, morally grey (which should really be completely immoral) leader of a district under the tyrannical government. He is a trained killer, and he kills people or puts them in harm’s way for no reason other than to assert power or to have some sort of twisted fun. He’s just misunderstood though, his father is mean to him so that totally excuses every horrible war crime ever (sarcastic). Oh yeah, he also forces himself on Juliette while preaching that he wants it to be “her choice” to love him. There’s a scene near the end of the book that is blatant sexual harassment from him. He sucks, but he has more personality than Adam.
Overall, not good.
Am I going to read the next book? Yes.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way here’s my honest review:
The writing style of this book was confusing and wordy. When I first started the book, I was really frustrated with the unnecessary figurative language that did nothing to improve the descriptions or add emotion. I do enjoy some pretty words once in a while, but with this book it felt kind of like someone was trying to fit as many similes and metaphors in, even if they were completely necessary or distracted from the focus of the writing. I did get used to it like a third of the way into the book, so do with that what you will.
When I picked this book up, I thought it was going to be very dark and dystopian with some slight romance. What I got was pure romance, maybe too much of it to really call this a “thrilling dystopian novel.” I honestly didn’t mind too much though, since I’m a sucker for a good romance (I did kind of mind later though, but I’ll get into that in a moment).
The main character is okay, and I didn’t really have an issue with her personality. She wasn’t an annoying protagonist, but she was obsessed with the main lead at times where it was super inappropriate. But yeah, this is a romance, so if you know what you’re getting into it’s not too bad.
Now, let's discuss the love interests. They were both kind of walking red flags, but it’s okay. Who needs healthy relationships in YA literature?
Adam, the main lead and the one who “gets the girl” in this book is a soldier. He’s kind and compassionate and had been in love with the main lead since childhood. He does get kind of weird at times, and I felt like he was lying to the protagonist more often than not. He’s also like overly protective and jealous, which is something. He’s probably not the best, and he got together with the main girl way too quickly, but he’s probably an angel compared to the other lead.
Speaking of problematic: Warner. He’s the second love interest, which is weird because he kidnaps Juliette and basically imprisons her. He’s the young, morally grey (which should really be completely immoral) leader of a district under the tyrannical government. He is a trained killer, and he kills people or puts them in harm’s way for no reason other than to assert power or to have some sort of twisted fun. He’s just misunderstood though, his father is mean to him so that totally excuses every horrible war crime ever (sarcastic). Oh yeah, he also forces himself on Juliette while preaching that he wants it to be “her choice” to love him. There’s a scene near the end of the book that is blatant sexual harassment from him. He sucks, but he has more personality than Adam.
Overall, not good.
Am I going to read the next book? Yes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Torture, Gun violence, Child abuse, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death
thegr1mreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Confinement, Sexual assault, Murder, Child abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Sexual assault, War, Torture, Grief, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Sexual harassment
laurenvoice's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Shatter Me was an excellent start to the series. Tahereh Mafi introduced us to this dystopian world well with a great background to how this dystopian society came about. The hype around this series is understandable.
However, I am not quite seeing why people are obsessed with Aaron Warner yet; I am guessing he improves at some point in the series; at the moment, he seems sadistic.
The reason I didn't give Shatter Me a higher rating is because there seems to be a lack of respect for consent in this book; how many times does a girl have to say to not touch her for the boys in this book to get it. The boys in this book are extremely hormonal, like they haven't seen a girl before. And both Warner and Adam seem to treat Juliette like an object that they own, which didn't sit too well with me. Considering this book is a dystopian romance for a young adult audience, having some healthier-looking relationship flags would have been good, especially around the topic of consent.
Nonetheless, I am looking forward to continuing this series. I am intrigued by what comes next with Warner, and seeing more Kenji; he was hilarious.
However, I am not quite seeing why people are obsessed with Aaron Warner yet; I am guessing he improves at some point in the series; at the moment, he seems sadistic.
The reason I didn't give Shatter Me a higher rating is because there seems to be a lack of respect for consent in this book; how many times does a girl have to say to not touch her for the boys in this book to get it. The boys in this book are extremely hormonal, like they haven't seen a girl before. And both Warner and Adam seem to treat Juliette like an object that they own, which didn't sit too well with me. Considering this book is a dystopian romance for a young adult audience, having some healthier-looking relationship flags would have been good, especially around the topic of consent.
Nonetheless, I am looking forward to continuing this series. I am intrigued by what comes next with Warner, and seeing more Kenji; he was hilarious.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Child death, and Torture
christygsp's review
3.0
I kept going back and forth on liking, hating, and tolerating this book.
The writing, I found to be sometimes nice, and other times more like drivel (eg talking about dying 5 times in one second… ugh). Often, it across as a too flowery, but I did enjoy The cross out of a “real” or raw thought followed by the one that the character thinks should be.
The story was very slow to start, and I wished it would have jumped in a few chapters earlier. Then, the story took a very different “beauty and the beast” vibe, before finally doing a sharp turn to superheroes. It was disorienting to say the least.
I know some spoilers and just CANNOT understand how we get from this book, to the final one….. I almost don’t want to know, and I’m hoping if I read any more, it won’t be a toxic relationship that we are supposed to somehow root for. I never do.
The writing, I found to be sometimes nice, and other times more like drivel (eg talking about dying 5 times in one second… ugh). Often, it across as a too flowery, but I did enjoy The cross out of a “real” or raw thought followed by the one that the character thinks should be.
The story was very slow to start, and I wished it would have jumped in a few chapters earlier. Then, the story took a very different “beauty and the beast” vibe, before finally doing a sharp turn to superheroes. It was disorienting to say the least.
I know some spoilers and just CANNOT understand how we get from this book, to the final one….. I almost don’t want to know, and I’m hoping if I read any more, it won’t be a toxic relationship that we are supposed to somehow root for. I never do.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
oh_roudha_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I love it it would get 5 stars but IT NEEDS TO BE LONGER like I felt it was very rushed (even though their is like 8 more books ) I felt it was too short for my liking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Bullying, and Chronic illness
Minor: Slavery, Animal cruelty, Racism, Gaslighting, Blood, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Misogyny, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Gun violence, Genocide, and Abandonment
sillih28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Okay honestly, this might be my favorite book ever!! I was super sceptical before beginning it, especially since I've been in a reading slump the past 6 months but this book immediately got me out of it!! I read it in like 2 days and already bought the sequel and am so excited to start it!
This book was the perfect mixture of a dramatic plot line, character development and a sizzling romance!! I am obsessed with Juliette as well as Adam, but even side characters like Kenji or Villains like Warner stole my heart! Every character in this book is writing so incredibly charming it took my breath away!
I recommend this book the everyone who likes a good fantasy romance,, and even though it didn't get steamy in this book, there are many more books to follow and I'm incredibly excited to go on this adventure!!
This book was the perfect mixture of a dramatic plot line, character development and a sizzling romance!! I am obsessed with Juliette as well as Adam, but even side characters like Kenji or Villains like Warner stole my heart! Every character in this book is writing so incredibly charming it took my breath away!
I recommend this book the everyone who likes a good fantasy romance,, and even though it didn't get steamy in this book, there are many more books to follow and I'm incredibly excited to go on this adventure!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Death
zc2's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Couldn’t put it down. Definitely buy books 2&3 before reading because you’ll want to pick them up immediately afterwards. Don’t make my mistake and not own either🥹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Stalking, Torture, Bullying, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Violence, Colonisation, and Death
filipa_maia's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I kept seeing, throughout bookstagram people praising this book (and saga), so I built quite the expectation around it. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed.
The story is so interesting, so different from the fantasy that I usually read, it had so much potential... for me, the writing ruined it. I understand that we are inside the mind of a girl who is being held prisoner because of her powers (and I really enjoy all the phrases that are crossed - those things that are only in her brain and she never says them out loud), but there are other things that bothered me a lot: the repetitions - I know that she keeps repeating things to herself, but you don't need to write them over and over again (we get it); the numbers - what the hell! I think this is the first time that I read a book in which the number are not written in full (I know that this is just a technicality, and as no interference in the story, but I don't like it).
Overall I think that, this could be such a better book if the story was written in a different way. Somehow, I don't understand Warner's obsession with Juliette (it makes no sense - he wants to use her as a weapon and at the same time wants her... so why did he kept her locked up, almost dying for so long?); I, definitely, don't trust Adam - he has the same amount of obsession for Juliette, but because he's hot, that's ok). Other thing I did not get is the "end of the world" plot twist: we are lead to believe that this is sort of a "mid-apocalyptic" scenario and, apparently, is all a big government conspiracy?
Well, I'm going to read the second book, hoping it will clear some of my doubts and I start liking this story a bit much. We'll see!
The story is so interesting, so different from the fantasy that I usually read, it had so much potential... for me, the writing ruined it. I understand that we are inside the mind of a girl who is being held prisoner because of her powers (and I really enjoy all the phrases that are crossed - those things that are only in her brain and she never says them out loud), but there are other things that bothered me a lot: the repetitions - I know that she keeps repeating things to herself, but you don't need to write them over and over again (we get it); the numbers - what the hell! I think this is the first time that I read a book in which the number are not written in full (I know that this is just a technicality, and as no interference in the story, but I don't like it).
Overall I think that, this could be such a better book if the story was written in a different way. Somehow, I don't understand Warner's obsession with Juliette (it makes no sense - he wants to use her as a weapon and at the same time wants her... so why did he kept her locked up, almost dying for so long?); I, definitely, don't trust Adam - he has the same amount of obsession for Juliette, but because he's hot, that's ok). Other thing I did not get is the "end of the world" plot twist: we are lead to believe that this is sort of a "mid-apocalyptic" scenario and, apparently, is all a big government conspiracy?
Well, I'm going to read the second book, hoping it will clear some of my doubts and I start liking this story a bit much. We'll see!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
nirellis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The part of me that never had a 2012 phase liked this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment