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A review by bookishchef
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Warner and Adam are both hella toxic.
Juliette hasn't talked to anybody in 3 years and has never known kindness, so of course she falls for Adam: the only person to show her any kind of affection.
But the fact that he uses this, and starts to be romantic and sexual with her? My god, that cannot be healthy. This relationship is going to be so codependent oh my fucking god. I know that they're both only 17, and teenagers are dumb. But this smells of a potential abusive relationship.
Warner was an understandable, realistic person up until the halfway point where he moved past ruthless, right into cartoon villain evil. It felt like there was room for redemption. Like this boy (HE IS 19) was just traumatized as fuck. A very young man trying to keep an army together by being as scary and ruthless as possible.
But then he threatened to kill a toddler, and sexually assaulted Juliette.
Why....?
Like, I get the threatening of the toddler MAYBE. But the sexual assault??? How the fuck was that supposed to make Juliette like him? Nobody was around to see it either, so, keeping his characterization in mind, who the fuck was he trying to impress? Because there is absolutely no way in hell that this dude thought Juliette actually liked him after countless no's and her watching as Adam tied him up. I know that Denial is a river in Egypt but Jesus.
Also I hate the ending with the resistance and the Hunger Games esque Castle (who is basically just Coin) and this absolutely bullshit "there's 56 of us and we all have superpowers". Literally gtfo. I have this sneaking suspicion that Castle will end up the same way as Coin does in the Hunger Games too.
A lot of the other reviews complain about he flowery prose, and yes. It is very flowery. I didn't mind it that much, most of the time. But it is definitely there.
Juliette hasn't talked to anybody in 3 years and has never known kindness, so of course she falls for Adam: the only person to show her any kind of affection.
But the fact that he uses this, and starts to be romantic and sexual with her? My god, that cannot be healthy. This relationship is going to be so codependent oh my fucking god. I know that they're both only 17, and teenagers are dumb. But this smells of a potential abusive relationship.
Warner was an understandable, realistic person up until the halfway point where he moved past ruthless, right into cartoon villain evil. It felt like there was room for redemption. Like this boy (HE IS 19) was just traumatized as fuck. A very young man trying to keep an army together by being as scary and ruthless as possible.
But then
Why....?
Like, I get the threatening of the toddler MAYBE. But the sexual assault??? How the fuck was that supposed to make Juliette like him? Nobody was around to see it either, so, keeping his characterization in mind, who the fuck was he trying to impress? Because there is absolutely no way in hell that this dude thought Juliette actually liked him after countless no's and her watching as Adam tied him up. I know that Denial is a river in Egypt but Jesus.
Also I hate the ending with the resistance and the Hunger Games esque Castle (who is basically just Coin) and this absolutely bullshit "there's 56 of us and we all have superpowers". Literally gtfo. I have this sneaking suspicion that Castle will end up the same way as Coin does in the Hunger Games too.
A lot of the other reviews complain about he flowery prose, and yes. It is very flowery. I didn't mind it that much, most of the time. But it is definitely there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Torture, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Sexism, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Murder, and War
The term "psycho" is often used derogatorily throughout the entire book.