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A review by jen1804
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So this book gets a 4 star but those points are mainly because I love Aaron and there were parts of the ending which were pretty good and I’m pleased that we’re finally seeing some, albeit perhaps could be considered much too rushed, character development of Juliette.
Overall though I’m feeling kinda disappointed by this series. Especially after reading Mafi’s acknowledgments section at the end of the book, calling this a ‘final instalment’. It makes me wonder where the hell the next half of the series goes because there’s loads of books left. Were the next books actually planned or did the readers demand more after reading Ignite Me and being left disappointed?
The various character developments during this book feel kinda odd in places. And there’s scenes where I’m like hmm odd choice from Mafi there. I don’t fully know how to explain.
The ending of this book is good and fast paced and interesting and we get some badass Juliette scenes, but it is also so, so rushed, like what, I was left thinking, that’s it? It was that easy? I mean maybe it’s supposed to show just how powerful Juliette is, she essentially single handedly took down the supreme commander, all it took was her learning to accept her powers as a strength and not a curse. But I can’t help reflecting on the wider plot points of the whole series up til now and just being confused.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s also scenes which I love though, namely Aaron scenes lol. And also the blossoming friendship between Kenji and Juliette and also little James. Adam can get in the bin for all I care though, I don’t like him. He is so sour and angry and bitter in this book. I actually wasn’t totally keen on him from the start of book 1 but during this book he is sooo dislikable.
Something Mafi put beautifully was explaining that of course Juliette fell for the first and only person to ever show her kindness and the only one who was able to touch her. She’d never experienced that before. Adam was a default relationship, it was never love and I loved everything about those revelations and how Mafi put it. I loved that Juliette learned so much about her power during this book, getting shot changed her, she wanted to do something worthwhile, she accepted herself, enough to control her energy to the point she can now touch whoever she wants without harming them. And how she was overjoyed that this means she’d never have a love by ‘default’, that she is entirely free to choose who she gets to embrace and this was wonderful. Her hugging Kenji for the first time was lush.
But everything in the latter half of the book just seems to be described as happening way too fast, like Warner finding out he had brothers and then it was like ‘okay, we’re cool now then I guess, I’ve always wanted brothers’, despite the fact that 5 mins ago they couldn’t stand each other and wanted each other dead. Then within a couple pages of them having this bro moment it’s all of a sudden like ‘right let’s go to war’, and then within a further handful of pages Anderson is dead and Juliette is like this invincible super hero and announces she is now going to run the world and she challenges anyone who disagrees with that notion - which made me cringe because what a 180(!) and I’m like oh god the soldiers and civilians are probably thinking they’ve gone from one oppressor to another by the way she’s talking - and I was just like wait, what, how did we even get here? How can we even call that a ‘war’ what do you mean ‘the war is over’ that wasn’t a war that was barely even a single battle??? It felt like it lasted 10 minutes.
Also I get Anderson shot Juliette or whatever and she had a score to settle but what about all the rife he’s given his sons throughout their lives, would it not have been more poetic and had more of an impact for the reader had Adam and Aaron been there for the ending of Anderson? It was just all so FAST. I feel like Juliette’s character arc was ‘pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, still pathetic, still pathetic, suddenly no longer pathetic, invincible’?????.
Aaron is such a beautifully complex character and I love it so much. I loved learning more about his past and his mum and his grief. And thank fuck Juliette and Aaron finally got together, woohoo, I want more of that and I want them to become all powerful and shit together.
Satisfactory ending? Mostly yes.
Overall though I’m feeling kinda disappointed by this series. Especially after reading Mafi’s acknowledgments section at the end of the book, calling this a ‘final instalment’. It makes me wonder where the hell the next half of the series goes because there’s loads of books left. Were the next books actually planned or did the readers demand more after reading Ignite Me and being left disappointed?
The various character developments during this book feel kinda odd in places. And there’s scenes where I’m like hmm odd choice from Mafi there. I don’t fully know how to explain.
The ending of this book is good and fast paced and interesting and we get some badass Juliette scenes, but it is also so, so rushed, like what, I was left thinking, that’s it? It was that easy? I mean maybe it’s supposed to show just how powerful Juliette is, she essentially single handedly took down the supreme commander, all it took was her learning to accept her powers as a strength and not a curse. But I can’t help reflecting on the wider plot points of the whole series up til now and just being confused.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s also scenes which I love though, namely Aaron scenes lol. And also the blossoming friendship between Kenji and Juliette and also little James. Adam can get in the bin for all I care though, I don’t like him. He is so sour and angry and bitter in this book. I actually wasn’t totally keen on him from the start of book 1 but during this book he is sooo dislikable.
Something Mafi put beautifully was explaining that of course Juliette fell for the first and only person to ever show her kindness and the only one who was able to touch her. She’d never experienced that before. Adam was a default relationship, it was never love and I loved everything about those revelations and how Mafi put it. I loved that Juliette learned so much about her power during this book, getting shot changed her, she wanted to do something worthwhile, she accepted herself, enough to control her energy to the point she can now touch whoever she wants without harming them. And how she was overjoyed that this means she’d never have a love by ‘default’, that she is entirely free to choose who she gets to embrace and this was wonderful. Her hugging Kenji for the first time was lush.
But everything in the latter half of the book just seems to be described as happening way too fast, like Warner finding out he had brothers and then it was like ‘okay, we’re cool now then I guess, I’ve always wanted brothers’, despite the fact that 5 mins ago they couldn’t stand each other and wanted each other dead. Then within a couple pages of them having this bro moment it’s all of a sudden like ‘right let’s go to war’, and then within a further handful of pages Anderson is dead and Juliette is like this invincible super hero and announces she is now going to run the world and she challenges anyone who disagrees with that notion - which made me cringe because what a 180(!) and I’m like oh god the soldiers and civilians are probably thinking they’ve gone from one oppressor to another by the way she’s talking - and I was just like wait, what, how did we even get here? How can we even call that a ‘war’ what do you mean ‘the war is over’ that wasn’t a war that was barely even a single battle??? It felt like it lasted 10 minutes.
Also I get Anderson shot Juliette or whatever and she had a score to settle but what about all the rife he’s given his sons throughout their lives, would it not have been more poetic and had more of an impact for the reader had Adam and Aaron been there for the ending of Anderson? It was just all so FAST. I feel like Juliette’s character arc was ‘pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, still pathetic, still pathetic, suddenly no longer pathetic, invincible’?????.
Aaron is such a beautifully complex character and I love it so much. I loved learning more about his past and his mum and his grief. And thank fuck Juliette and Aaron finally got together, woohoo, I want more of that and I want them to become all powerful and shit together.
Satisfactory ending? Mostly yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Torture and Toxic relationship