cozy_moments 's review for:

Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi

3.0

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

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Fracture Me is a gut-wrenching novella told from Adam’s perspective, offering a raw and unfiltered look at the chaos of war and the depth of his love for James and Juliette. Unlike Destroy Me, which gave Warner’s obsessive and calculated thoughts, Fracture Me strips away the romanticized lens and forces readers to see Adam as he is—scared, human, and ultimately, a brother before a lover.

What hit the hardest was how much Adam’s world revolved around James. While Juliette is important to him, his little brother is his everything. His every decision is driven by James’s survival, making it painfully clear why he and Juliette are struggling. She wants to save the world, but Adam only wants to protect what’s left of his own. It’s heartbreaking to see how, in his mind, love isn’t enough to keep them together.

Mafi’s writing here is less poetic and more straightforward, fitting Adam’s military upbringing and pragmatic mindset. This shift makes Fracture Me feel more urgent and desperate—especially as everything falls apart in the final battle. And that ending? Knowing what’s coming in Ignite Me, it makes me dread what’s next for Adam.

Overall, Fracture Me is an emotional gut punch. It doesn’t romanticize Adam’s struggles but instead lays them bare, showing his fears, his flaws, and his desperate need to protect James. It’s painful, but it makes his character feel real.