Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi Book Review | Teen Ink

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi Book Review

May 5, 2023
By breeapple BRONZE, Lisbon, Wisconsin
breeapple BRONZE, Lisbon, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is a young adult dystopian novel that focuses on Juliette Ferrars, a girl that has been locked up in an asylum for a year. Juliette has a dangerous power that she cannot control; she can kill people by touching them. Because of this power, she has been isolated from the world. The story is set in the US and has been destroyed by environmental disasters and political upheaval over time. The government is now overruled and controlled by the Reestablishment, which promises to restore order to the world. 


Soon enough Juliette is released from the asylum and taken to a secret location and meets Warner, a high-ranking official, that sees her power as a weapon and can use it to his advantage to control the population. She doesn't want to cooperate and plans to escape with Adam, a former cellmate; they team up to try and take down the reestablishment. 


I like the story because it is filled with romance, action, and suspense. The writing style is unique, with Juliette's thoughts and feelings expressed either through strikethroughs or repetition. For example, like a diary entry, she has these thoughts and no matter good or bad they are written down and crossed out. 


The characters are well-developed and create a mature atmosphere even though Juliette is 17 she has a straight mind and will not take anyone's nonsense. This reminds me of the movie Divergent, Beatrice will not mess around and look weak to people she will do anything to save her family and her friends. Juliette is a strong female that will do anything to not give up on embarking on this new adventure with Adam, who is loyal, caring and will do anything for Juliette.


When Juliette meets Adam we don't know if romance or friendship will grow between them. When Juliette first met Adam he reminded her of someone and soon enough romance bubbled between them. Until Aaron was able to do something unimaginable and relationships twist. 


Overall Shatter Me is a great read for anyone who is interested in YA dystopian fiction and is craving suspense and romance. The story is full of twists and turns and the whole time I was reading I was at the edge of my seat. This book also reminds me heavily of Divergent and if you loved that book and movie Shatter Me is a great follow-up.


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on May. 31 at 12:55 am
BubblyMetalhead, Carbondale, Colorado
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Favorite Quote:
"Read books and dismantle systems of oppression" - A sticker :)

This is a very well-written post! Shatter Me is probably my favorite series I've ever read (except Harry Potter, perhaps) or at the very least one of my top three!! It is completely jam-packed with suspense, lovable (and hateable) characters, and beautiful writing, as you outlined. I've read the main six-book series and the five novellas that accompany it, and I'm in love with every aspect of it. The writing evolves with the story, which just adds more depth, and every single character is thoughtfully written with diverse backgrounds. Tahereh Mafi keeps surprising us with every twist and turn of the series and has even started a new spinoff series with her latest book, Watch Me, which is set ten years after the main series. I won't spoil anything, but it's VERY good. It came out just a few weeks ago and sadly ends on a CLIFFHANGER and the next book seemingly is ALREADY WRITTEN BUT STILL WON'T COME OUT FOR A WHOLE YEAR!!! *breathes deeply a few times*.

Heh heh. I love this series. Happy reading!!!!