Thursday, November 10, 2011

Shatter Me by Tehereh Mafi (ARC review)

Genre:Young Adult, Paranormal, Dystopia
Publication.Date  November 15th 2011
Pages:342
Published By:  HarperCollinsCA | @HarperCollinsCa | Facebook
WebsiteTehereh Mafi
Shatter Me - Goodreads
My review copy:ARC received from the publisher
Where to get: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Book Depository




     Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.
(goodreads.com)




Please note:  Quotes are from an ARC and will be verified against a published copy.
"You can't touch me," I whisper.
I'm lying, is what I don't tell him.
He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him.
But things happen when people touch me.
Strange things.
Bad things.
 All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.
“I spent my life folded between the pages of books.
In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction."
“I'm oxygen and he's dying to breathe.”
“Hope is hugging me, holding me in its arms, wiping away my tears and telling me that today and tomorrow and two days from now I will be just fine and I'm so delirious I actually dare to believe it. "
“I'm wearing dead cotton on my limbs and a blush of roses on my face.”
“Raindrops are my only reminder that clouds have a heartbeat. That I have one, too.”
“I am nothing but novocaine. I am numb, a world of nothing, all feeling and emotion gone forever.
I am a whisper that never was."
“Someone picked up the sun and pinned it to the sky again, but every day it hangs a little lower than the day before. It's like a negligent parent who only knows one half of who you are. It never sees how its absence changes people. How different we are in the dark."



    
     Oh my, oh my. Tehereh Mafi - what did you just do to me? How in the world am I supposed to survive the long wait for the sequel?! See, that's exactly why I'm hesitant to read books that have all this enormous hype going on about them! Why? Because the hype is usually right and then I find myself sitting in the corner of the room sucking on my thumb, rocking back and forth and counting the days to the release of the next part! (ok, I admit, I totally just went drama-queen on you!). But seriously, this book was EPIC. And not at all because of the story. The story was great! Nothing wrong with it at all. As a matter of fact I really loved it. But what I loved the most? The writing style! And I will scream it from the top of the world : Tehereh Mafi is a brilliant new star on the Young Adult sky! With her electrifying debut novel, Shatter Me, she bursts onto the literary scene and takes writing YA to a whole new level!!!

      Juliette has been locked away for a murder. But the whole thing is a little bit more complicated than just that. Not only did she not use any typical murder weapon, but she also never wanted to kill anybody in the first place. Juliette is not your ordinary girl, she's cursed (gifted?) with a deadly touch. Any kind of skin contact with her is potentially lethal - she has the power of sucking the energy out of you. She can't control it and once the skin connection is made and the draining process has begun, it's almost impossible to stop it. 264 days have passed since she last touched someone, 264 heartbreaking days alone in a cell. The outside world doesn't care about Juliette, nor do her parents. Everyone has turned their back on her, ostracizing her and treating like a freak. Even her own family.
And then one day she gets a cell mate. Someone she knows very well. Someone she used to love. Someone she still loves. The day he enters her cell, is the first day of her new life. Everything will change. Juliette will have some terribly hard decisions to make. The Reestablishment now finds her an valuable asset to their case and they will do whatever it takes to make her join them. They will stop at nothing. Neither will she.

      Beautiful, unforgettable, stunning. Shatter Me is all that and so much more. It's a true gem among YA books, a book as good as Divergent or Delirium - an absolute must read for all the fans of this genre. I can't emphasize enough how good this book is. How well-written. Well-written? Saying that is almost like saying that Beethoven played well. You get the idea? I don't know what planet Tehereh Mafi came from, but clearly they have some freaking amazing writers over there - could you please send us some more of them? Or you know what? No need! We already have Ms. Mafi and I'm pretty damn satisfied!

      Seriously, reading Shatter Me didn't feel like reading at all. I breezed through all 342 pages in no time, it was more like day-dreaming than reading. I didn't get tired, I didn't even consciously turn pages, I was fascinated and hypnotized. I devoured it. The narrative voice is simple and yet beautiful and weightless. The scenes are painted with words, they're flowing right in front of your eyes as you read. And then there are the strong emotional punches! BAM! Juliette is lost, confused, lonely.. BAM! She's ecstatic, happy, in love! BAM! She's terrified, scared, panicking! BAAAM! She's strong, she'll fight, she has a reason to fight now! It's all so intense, fast-paces and painfully engaging.

      The characters are fab, too. I was shocked how much I got to like Juliette. And I don't just mean tolerate - which is what usually happens with most of the novels if the heroine is not too annoying - I mean genuinely like her. She's such a sweet kid! She's truly good, nice, kind. She puts other before her and never holds a grudge. Carrying, loving, warm.. she's all that and more, even though she went through a hell, everyone despised/feared her, she was rejected and humiliated. How is that even possible? Tehereh Mafi managed to create a really awesome character here. Standing ovation for that. I think I liked all the characters, every single one of them brings something essential to the story. And yes, I did like the bad guy, judge me if you want, but I think he was totally hot.

There's really nothing I can add to that. You have to read it. Don't even speak to me if you won't ;)




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About the Author
Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.
She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.
You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing

39 comments:

Giselle said...

:D Awesome review! I also can't wait for book 2 and the ending was so interesting, too! That is like, torture!!

Giselle
Xpresso Reads

Kathy said...

I am dying to read book 2. Seriously, can't wait. I really loved the characters, even the evil ones.

I am so glad you loved this too. It's fantastic, and so well written.

Andrea @ Cozy Up said...

I am dying to read this book. I'm nervous because of all the hype (I feel like I may be disappointed) but what I've gotten to read so far has been amazing. Thanks for the great review!

Bex said...

So glad you enjoyed it so much! I cannot wait to read it myself. I'm dying to get my hands on a copy! Everyone keeps saying how awesome it is and how wonderful her way for writing is, so I'm hoping to get a chance to read it soooon.

Lindsay said...

It's so nice to see that so many other readers and bloggers love this book. It's such an amazing story. :) Great review, Evie.

ChristasBooks said...

Great review!

I loved the style of writing in this book! My copy is littered with stick nots marking my favourite passages!

Obsession with Books said...

Wow Evie, such a wonderful review! I am soooo eager to get hold of this book and am thankful I don't have long to wait.

Have a great weekend!

DMS said...

This book sounds fabulous! I put it on my TBR list- but I may wait a little while to read it so that if I love it, like I think I will, I won't have as long to wait for the sequel! Your review is great- it made me want to read this book and the storyline sounds superb!

Thanks for sharing!
~Jess
http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/

LoriStrongin said...

*meep* Unpopular opinion time...I wasn't a huge fan of this one. (hides from angry pitchfork-wielding mob) I really never connected with Juliette as a character, and there were So Many Metaphors, it kept pulling me out of the narrative. So while I liked the concept, I never sank into the world as fully as I wanted to.

Sorry! :(


Smiles!
Lori

Ari (Reading After Midnight) said...

Great review!
This is indeed a great book, I really enjoyed it - all those quotes are unforgettable. And you are right - it really was like day-dreaming ;))

Sarah (saz101) said...

"Shatter Me didn't feel like reading at all."

YES! Exactly! I just flew through Shatter Me as easy as gliding through water.

And I'm so with you about Julietter--I LIKED her, GENUINELY liked her.

FAB review!
xx

Stephanie H. said...

So glad I put a request in for this one at the library. Great review. I am excited to read this.

Christie Cote said...

awesome review! eeep I can't wait to read this book. i won it on a giveaway so i should be getting it in the mail soon! I can't wait yay :) I'm with you on the waiting part though.ick!

Oana H. said...

Awesome review!
Recently i finished this book to..there are a lot of things i liked, but i was shocked when i read about the other peoples with superpowers.First i thought that maybe Juliette is the only one..but i was wrong.
It was a great book and i couldn't stop reading!*sigh*
Finally a book without vampires,werewolfs,witch or fairies..

mk said...

This book has been on my to-read list for a while now and I would really love to read it but I don't see it on my bookshelf for at lease another month or two. I've read so many great reviews like yours and that just makes me want it more... I hope I get the chance to read it sooner!
Thanks for the review!

May said...

I totally agree with you! This book was amazing. It went beyond my high expectations. I absolutely loved it. And I love your review as well!

Kristýna said...

Woow, it looks like a perfect book :)

Amanda said...

I get so excited to see that other people loved this book as much as I did! The thing that I love and Im sure everyone else loves about this book is the descriptions in it, I just never read anything like it before and that uniqueness of it is what made me fall so in love with it and wait until next year for part 2!

Jenn @ Owl Read It said...

Your review is awesome! I really liked Juliette as a character as well, Mafi did a great job writing her, writing the whole book! I loved it!

Sharmaine C said...

I agree with you. EVERY SINGLE WORD OF IT. I got this book during christmas from a friend, and boy, was I glad to own a copy. I devoured the book; I read it until my eyes hurt, until I had to force myself to stop and go to bed (because I started reading at 12:30AM, and by 3:30AM I had to stop or my mum would've killed me if she saw me).

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE BOOOOOKK!!! I'll reread it, just after 3 months when I first read it, crazy huh? but that's how much I love the book!

Thanks for the great review! BTW, I'm on Team Warner, how 'bout you?

Veronika said...

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down, it kept me on the edge while reading it! Thank you for the review, I totally agree with you!

Mary Preston said...

Thank you for your review. I have not read SHATTER ME yet. It's still on my reading list though.

Soumi@Pages From My Thoughts said...

I loved this book and finished it in 5 hours. BTW love you review and I'm team Warner

Lea Krnjeta said...

I adore Shatter me. I practically inhaled it. I love the ide and the writing. And I love Adam and Warner both.

Anonymous said...

An absolute favourite! Can't wait for the sequel. Great review, btw. :)

Montana @ The Book Belles said...

Great review! I also thought this book was amazing, so excited for Unravel Me :)

Rima said...

I literally just finished this book and am, like most of you, speechless. Was truly an awesome read, and absolutely loved the writing style as it gave us further insight into the mind of Juliette. Liked Juliette as the protagonist, as I agree with you on there being too many annoying heroines who are just too damn whiny! Also loved Warner, was great as the villain. Hopefully the sequel will be just as good!

Rima said...

I literally just finished this book and am, like most of you, speechless. Was truly an awesome read, and absolutely loved the writing style as it gave us further insight into the mind of Juliette. Liked Juliette as the protagonist, as I agree with you on there being too many annoying heroines who are just too damn whiny! Also loved Warner, was great as the villain. Hopefully the sequel will be just as good!

Anonymous said...

I loved this book! I loved the characters (good and bad). I loved the story and I really really loved how it ended.
I can't wait for the sequel! >:<

Unknown said...

Although I have some concerns about the book, I still enjoyed it! Can't wait for Unravel Me!

E_V_E said...

great review, I love this book! Characters and theme are really good, I have a good feelings, when I read this book 8)

princesshoran said...

Omg I want to read this book sooososososo bad. I've heard so many good things about it! I know some people don't like the writing style but I've read some quotes and I thought it sounded beautiful, so I'm really excited to read thisss. And this was a wonderful review!

princesshoran said...

Omg I want to read this book sooososososo bad. I've heard so many good things about it! I know some people don't like the writing style but I've read some quotes and I thought it sounded beautiful, so I'm really excited to read thisss. And this was a wonderful review!

Katy said...

This book just got out here in France, your review make me want to read it more !! I hope I can buy it soon ! :D It kind of remind me "the same" story of Cursed by J.L. Armentrout, about a touch that can kill

Anonymous said...

My thoughts exactly on this book. Thank you for your review and I look forward to more from you.

teepee said...

okayyyy... Wow! You loved it so much. I started reading this a few months ago and I can't seem to finish it. I put it down and saved it for times when I have nothing left to read. But since you said it was really good, I'm going to be reading it next. I hope I enjoy it as much as you do. :)

Bianca said...

I read this book but I have not loved.
I'll try to read it, maybe I'll like it!

Rola said...

Oh god I hated this book! Great review, but I couldn't STAND this one. All the personification and Imagery... she lost me.

Diana said...

I have been waiting for forever to read the book and reading your review makes me want to read it even more! Gyaah, I'm so excited, thanks for the review! :)

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