Shatter Me

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: November 15, 2011
HarperCollins
ISBN13:  9780062085481

5/5 Stars!

Goodreads Synopsis:
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.

How many books have you read that are just purely magnificent to read? Where the writing is so beautiful and literally takes your breath away so often that you're gasping at the turn of every page?

Not very many; but Shatter Me is one of them, and one of the best.

1. A Masterpiece of Prose:
   Tahereh Mafi isn't writing a novel so much as Shatter Me is prose; it's like poetry in the way it reads like soft butter on your tongue. Every phrase has a rhythm and is a perfect expression of Juliette's voice and emotions. Just read it, and you'll see what I mean.
2. An Outstanding Heroine:
   Sometimes, it's the heroine in a YA book that drives me crazy. They're tend to be too boy crazy, or whiny, or just kind of dumb. But not Juliette. After going through trials that would put most people to shame, Juliette is determined to be the very best she can be. I completely admired her compassion and will, and I applaud Tahereh for writing a story about such an admirable young woman. Juliette strikes such a careful balance between being fragile and open and vulnerable, while still maintaining an immense amount of inner strength, bravery, and a perception of her place in the world.
3. Secrets!:
   Maybe it's just me, but I like a good book with super mysterious secrets. And Shatter Me has plenty- but I was also happy that we discovered enough of them to feel satisfied, but then the ending happens and you just end up wanting to know more (next book stat, please)! But I really enjoyed the development and pace in Shatter Me- it wasn't entirely predictable, and I really liked the ending. Why? Because it isn't some awful cliffhanger (I'm looking at you, Delirium) that'll make you mope and cry for a week. Which is good, because Juliette isn't really into moping right now. ;)

By the way, the romance really isn't bad either! You're going to love Adam to pieces, and as much as I like Juliette I'm gonna have to call dibs on this one because he is yummyyy <3 He kind of reminded me of Four from Divergent. Oh, and those comparisons to Hunger Games and X-men? While I don't love Shatter Me as much as The Hunger Games, it's actually a decent comparison.

I know you're technically not supposed to quote the ARC, but I have a quote I'm dying to share (because I loved it so much) and this will have to do until I have the finished copy to make sure no changes were made,

"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 leters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction."

Wow. Beautiful, right? Because sometimes that's how I feel as a reader, too. And I think this gives you a wonderful little teaser of Tahereh's gorgeous writing and talent.

If you've already pre-ordered Shatter Me, then good for you- you made an excellent decision. If you haven't, then I HIGHLY suggest you do so, right now so that you can devour this lovely little thing as soon as possible.

HUGE thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing me with an ARC of this book; no compensation was received, I only received a copy for my honest review.