Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

21 reviews

notbambi's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It has a lot of potential, but it's not great so far. I liked enough about it that I'll probably read the next one. The dystopia plot and worldbuilding take a backseat to romance, which isn't always a bad thing, but I did feel like what was there outside of the romance was very thin and moved too quickly to care much about. 

I liked a lot about the protagonist and the erratic voice of her narration (I know that this is apparently a polarizing aspect of the book, but it really worked for me!). I preferred the early chapters where she is dealing with her isolation and loneliness, something that I feel like isn't addressed in a satisfying way later in the book - she just sort of feels better because she's got Adam. On the other hand, he is the first person to be able to touch her, and this is the first in a series, so maybe something will happen later to make her realize that being in love doesn't magically fix trauma.

I know from the TikTok stans how this love triangle is going to play out, and I'm very curious to see how Mafi is going to play it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Gun violence

laleh_eve's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Abandonment

Moderate: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Police brutality, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Islamophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Racism, Police brutality, Addiction, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Torture

yzer2468's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Cursing, Confinement, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Death, Violence, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, and Gore

Moderate: Torture, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Mental illness, and Blood

aubristar's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Blood, Grief, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, War, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Police brutality, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

skyegbooks's review

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Abandonment, and Child abuse

Minor: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Police brutality

lizzye33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Emotional abuse, Body horror, War, Medical content, and Police brutality

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Torture, Child abuse, and Genocide

memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really enjoyed this book - almost gave it 5 stars. I enjoyed the fact that the book and pages were more chaotic at the beginning and eased off throughout the book to reflect her mental state. The depictions of her loneliness and desperation to be touched were heartbreaking. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Domestic abuse, Torture, Body horror, Medical content, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual content, War, Cursing, Excrement, and Animal cruelty

lisa_elfman's review

This is disturbing, dystopian abusive relationship fodder. It’s definitely not my cup of tea.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Body horror, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Violence, and War

literallysam's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

The protagonist, Juliette, possesses a power that is both a blessing and a curse. Her touch is lethal, capable of causing pain and death, making her an outcast in a chaotic world where control is everything. Juliette's internal struggles are palpable, and Mafi beautifully captures the complexity of her character.
The strikethroughs and repetition in the chapters perfectly depicted her chaotic thoughts and fractured state of mind. I loved this experimental style that captures the essence of the story's themes of isolation, self-discovery, and resilience.
Throughout the book we witness her character development as she transforms  from a fragile soul into a resilient heroine.

The romance in Shatter Me is a balance between forbidden love and raw passion.
On one hand the chemistry between Juliette and Adam is undeniable. The intensity of their forbidden love evoked a sense of longing and left me yearning for more.
On the other hand the dynamic between Juliette and Warner, the enigmatic antagonist is one of the best aspects of the book. The tension between them is to die for- and the chemistry crackles off the pages.
Though it may not appeal to you if you're seeking a more straightforward and predictable love story but I'm sure by the end of the book you'd definitely be left rooting for them a little. I personally love enemies to lovers trope so that is why I picked up this book in the first place.🌚

It's really fast-paced, filled with twists and turns and always keeps you engrossed.
Mafi's unique writing style, combined with complex characters and a dystopian backdrop, creates an amazing story. The world-building is haunting and really good- a crumbling society, governed by a totalitarian government, creates an image of a landscape ruled by fear and oppression. READ IT.💙

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Physical abuse, Genocide, War, Violence, Police brutality, Child death, Confinement, and Death

chaos_and_chapters's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Medical content, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Police brutality

Minor: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Death of parent, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts