Shatter Me [Hardcover]

Tahereh Mafi (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 15, 2011 | Series: Shatter Me (Book 1)

"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.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.

But Juliette has plans of her own.

After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR SHATTER ME:“Addictive, intense, and oozing with romance. I’m envious. I couldn’t put it down.” (Lauren Kate, New York Times bestselling author of FALLEN )

“Rip-roaring adventure and steamy romance scenes, with a relationship teens will root for as much as they did for Bella and Edward. Inventive touches propel the story, such as strikeouts that reveal Juliette’s inner thoughts. The final chapters leave Juliette, Adam, and Warner well poised for round two.” (Booklist )

“Mafi combines a psychological opener with an action-adventure denouement in her YA debut. This is a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Fans of Cashore’s Fire, Oliver’s Delirium, and, yes, Twilight will find this addictive.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

“Teens will feel satisfied yet wait impatiently for more.” (School Library Journal )

EARLY PRAISE FOR UNRAVEL ME:“Unravel Me is dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense. I dare you to stop reading.” (Kami Garcia, New York Times bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels )

About the Author

Tahereh Mafi is a girl. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where the weather is just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. Shatter Me and Unravel Me are the first two novels in a trilogy about Juliette.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (November 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062085484
• ISBN-13: 978-0062085481
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (507 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tahereh Mafi is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling SHATTER ME series. She was born and raised in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where the weather is just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. SHATTER ME is her first novel. You can visit her online at www.taherehbooks.com or follow her on twitter at @TaherehMafi.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

187 of 213 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to love it, but I didn't :( November 19, 2011

By Christie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I was among the many who couldn't wait for the day Shatter Me finally released. Then I was lucky enough to score an early copy of this highly anticipated and greatly hyped dystopian novel. Heck yeah! So I started reading and was a little put off by the author's writing style. Yes, I just might be the only person on the face of the earth who didn't find the author's prose beautifully unique. The lack of punctuation (commas are your friend), overuse of metaphors (& the word butter), and the author's apparent addiction to the strike through tool seriously distracted from a novel I could have probably found a way to like a bit more. Some of the metaphors didn't even make sense or fit with the scene. It felt like I was stuck in an insane character's stream of consciousness that just refused to end (when I desperately needed it to). I didn't find the premise unique. I felt like a premise we've seen in books, movies, television, and even comic books was used with the hope readers would find it fresh and new because of the author's disjointed writing style. Maybe for some, but I'm not falling for it.

Did I hate this book? Nope. I just feel like it could have been so much more, but got seriously weighed down by the writing. Metaphors are cool, but I needed less of the pretty and more action and character development. I did really like Adam. He is a perfect male lead. Not quite sure how I feel about Juliette. She seemed to have badass potential, but as the novel progressed she started to become a little codependent (and horny) for my taste. After a life of exclusion, lack of human touch, and then being imprisoned in isolation you'd think she'd maintain her guarded persona (she didn't). She quickly rolled over and put all her faith in a boy (a cute boy, but still). I need a strong protag who keeps her priorities straight, and Juliette just didn't fit the bill.

I also felt like the plot progressed too smoothly. There were several obstacles, but they were all overcome quickly with a solution that was just a little too convenient. I wanted more survival mode, but it seemed all the action and conflict took a backseat to the romantic elements.

Will I read the next in this series? While Shatter Me's conclusion didn't leave me pining for the sequel, curiosity just might persuade me to pick up the next.

P.S I feel calling this a dystopian was kind of stretching it. Yes. It does have dystopian elements, but it felt a little more sci-fi to me. Not that this is bad. I dig sci-fi.

P.P.S Dear Authors and Publishers, Please stop comparing your next big release to the Hunger Games or Harry Potter (or in this case X-Men). There will never be another Katniss or Harry and when I pick up a book that has been compared to one of the greats and find it to be nothing like it at all I get kind of pissed and start questioning your credibility. Let the readers decide.

Cover Thoughts: I thought this was gorgeous when I first saw it online. In person it is pretty horrendous.

280 of 332 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A girl, a guy and a bird. February 6, 2012

By Jennifer L. Rinehart TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This review will take the form of prose, in the style of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but with examples taken from the story itself.

How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.

I hate thee for thine bizarro, unpunctuated, over-the-top prose that peppers this story from page one on.

'I hate the lackadaisical ennui of a sun too preoccupied with itself to notice the infinite hours we spend in its presence.' P. 26

I hate thee for talking about a bird, every couple of pages, thereby adding a mysterious, crazy-girl ambiance when the reader already knows Juliette is a tinfoil hat away from crazytown.

'There will be a bird today.' P. 9

'There will be a bird.' P. 11

'Maybe a bird will fly today.' P. 28

'Birds used to fly.' P. 36

I've dreamt about the same bird flying through the same sky for exactly 10 years.' P. 36

'I don't know how to find the white bird.' P. 113

'I glance at the window and wonder if I'll ever see a bird fly by.' P. 115

'A white bird with streaks of gold like a crown atop its head. It's flying.' P. 120

'I'm the bird and I'm flying away.' P. 121

'I need to see the bird.' P. 176

I hate thee to the level of shoving this book into a composter, after finishing a particularly silly part about Adam's manly chest and Juliette's need to snuggle.

'My face is pressed against his chest and the world is suddenly bigger, beautiful - -the entire universe stops in place and spins the other direction and I'm the bird.' (Gah, that darned bird again!).

I hate thee with a passion put to use with my trusty highligher pen as the story veered from events and people into waiting and Juliette's 'pulse pounding romance' (back cover of the book) which wasn't very romantic or pulse pounding.

'the sun and the moon have merged and the earth is upside down. I feel like I can be exactly who I want to be in his arms. '

I hate thee with a bitterness that seemed to grow as I had to read almost 51 pages of purple prose before something really happens.

'Warner Stops walking. "I want you on my team."
'We're in the middle of a war,' he says a little impatiently.'

With my lost time, the hours I spent on this book can never be regained, and so, I think, even unto death, I shall hate thee more.

60 of 71 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Paranormal romance disguised as dystopia November 16, 2011

By titania86 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Juliette is seventeen years old hasn't spoken to or touched anyone in 264 days. Whenever she touches someone, they suffer and eventually die if she holds on long enough. She was imprisoned for murder by the Re-establishment, an organization who is dedicated to rebuilding the polluted, barren Earth on the surface. Food and animals are scarce, the sky is incredibly polluted, and diseases run rampant. No one knows why Juliette's touch is so harmful, but she is small compared to the larger problems of the world. Everything changes when after months and months of isolation, a boy is put into her cell with her. She has no idea what her jailers' angle is, but she is determined to keep to herself and keep him safe. He isn't what he appears to be and she has to choose whether she will be a weapon for someone else to wield or a self sufficient warrior.

Shatter Me is a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I was engaged by the interesting writing style and the main character, Juliette. The narrative is written in a kind of stream of consciousness style, giving the work the feeling of reading her journal or her innermost thoughts. It's punctuated with occasional strike outs that reveal Juliette's true feelings, usually followed by what she thinks she should feel. At the beginning of the story, she is practically catatonic, having been isolated for the better part of a year in an insane asylum. The strike outs provide glimpses into Juliette's character that she doesn't reveal outwardly. They lessen as the story goes along and as Juliette becomes stronger and more expressive. Juliette is the most compelling character by far and undergoes the most development. Underneath all the abuse she has experienced, she's very strong and her sensitivity is sometimes mistaken for weakness. I thought her power was interesting, even though it was reminiscent of both Jenny Pox and Rogue from X-Men.

On the other hand, Shatter Me had a lot of flaws. The dystopic world isn't fully developed and felt a little hollow for me. There are no real, detailed reasons for practically anything and no questions are answered. The story is closer to a paranormal romance than a sci-fi dystopia. The romance is pretty melodramatic and over the top. I didn't like Adam, the soldier boy love interest, because he was too macho and alpha male for me. Not appealing. Plus all of the characters besides Juliette were flat and I also thought it was awfully convenient that two of the characters vying for her love can touch her without dying. The ending was the aspect I hated most because, like most first installments of teen series, it ended in the middle of a scene without really resolving anything. I really don't know why this keeps happening in teen books, but it's really annoying and I would like to read a complete story. Of course some things should be left open for a second book, but to abruptly, awkwardly end is just unacceptable.

Although it has flaws, Shatter Me kept my attention and introduced some interesting concepts that I hope are continued in the next book. I would recommend it to paranormal romance lovers who also like X-Men and Jenny Pox.