A review by azileotulp
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.25

I never thought I'd see the day I would give a book in this series more than three stars, but I now find myself genuinely shocked with how much better this installment in the series is. So many of my issues with the previous books (like the writing style and Adam and Juliette's relationship) have been washed away. 

Juliette's character development made this a much more pleasant read than the previous installments in the series. Much fewer instances of her racing thoughts and strikethroughs. Instead of just tolerating her, I now feel like I truly like her, and I was really rooting for her throughout the book.

And Adam... my nemesis. I have to say that although he's so much worse of a person in this book, I actually found that it made his character more enjoyable. I would much rather yell at and hate a character than just find them utterly boring.
I also appreciate that by the end of the book, it seems he truly understands that he is not in love with the "new" Juliette. I would say it was a bit of a development for him too. Doesn't mean I like him though :)


Of course, I can't get through a discussion of this book without talking about the love of my life, Aaron Warner. He finally got the time in this book that he deserved and I am so grateful. He truly is the best part of this series.
As adorable as his moments with Juliette are though, I would have to say that one of my favorite moments with him was actually after he found out Adam and James were his brothers. I found it beautiful how quickly he accepted them as family despite his bad blood with Adam. In particular, my favorite quote was:


"'How can I hate his anger,' he says, 'when I know so well where it comes from?'"

That quote had me on the floor. I felt like I saw some of my own family dynamics within it. I think it's beautiful.

As you can tell though, this still was not a 5-star read for me. Why? The plot. I feel like this series does not succeed as a dystopian. There is very little worldbuilding throughout the series, and most of the story is based around Juliette's feelings about herself, Adam, and Warner.
I felt that the conclusion to the war was laughably simple to be honest.
However, the basic plot of this book didn't bother me nearly as much as it did in the other books because of how much the character interactions made up for it.
Adam and Juliette's arguments were such tense moments. Funnily enough, I found them to be more intense than the war.


Overall, I think this is a very satisfying conclusion to the series that outshines every other previous installment. I don't plan to read the other three books yet, but I believe I will one day. As of right now though, I am happy to let it end here on such a high note.
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