Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1)

by Tahereh Mafi

[kimbacaffeinate]

Shatter Me, has been on my wish list since I began reading the reviews of fellow readers and bloggers. A group I belong to on Goodreads chose it as their January Book of the Month. (sorry guys I couldn’t wait) So I bought it with B&N gift cards I received for Christmas. This is the last book I read for 2011 and boy did I go out with a bang. I absolutely loved, flipped out over ,loved, couldn't get enough of, loved loved this novel. I was immediately captured by Mafi’s lyrical writing style and her use of metaphors. This novel was beautifully written and I found the story line engaging. Shatter Me is so refreshing and the word building so unique that each line is poetry. When I finished reading I was spent and wanted more...

Protagonist Juliette is seventeen years old and has been imprisoned in an asylum since she was fourteen. She has been told she is a freak, a monster, and murderer. She hasn’t touched another human being in years. She keeps a secret journal and watches from her cell window for a white bird. Despite all that has happened to her, she cares, she loves and she hopes. I love that she isn't a whiner, that she is fearless and hasn't lost her humanity.

The world she lives in is controlled by the Reestablishment. They control the food and water supply and are ruthless; killing anyone who opposes them. We aren’t told a whole lot about how this change occurred. Often the first book of a new series is bogged down with back history and details. Mafi slowly feeds us these details and truths. The seasons have changed, birds no longer fly in the sky and animals have sicken and died. People have committed suicide over hunger. Only parts of the earth are inhabitable and towns and cities are abandoned; as survivors move to sanctioned areas.

Juilette has not spoken to anyone in three years and is told she will have a cellmate. In walks Adam. Gorgeous blue eyed Adam. I have never declared myself team anything…but I am a new member of team Adam. The way, in which Mafi describes his emotions through facial gestures and actions makes you fall in love him. The chemistry between Juliette and Adam is almost overpowering, bittersweet and eternal. The connection and back story of their meeting is touching. You immediately want these two to be together, to escape and somehow find a happily ever-after in this godforsaken world they live in.

Warren is the son of the Reestablishment leader. He has been placed in control of his own sector. He has been raised in a twisted way and the mention of his mother unhinges him. He seeks power, control and most of all Juliette. I detest Warren. He makes my skin crawl. He is feared by his soldiers and is ruthless in obtaining what he wants. He demands total allegiance. I don’t think he will ever stop pursuing Juliette…unless he is dead.

The ending sets us up perfectly for book two; which is yet untitled. The expected publication is November 2012 with a third book set to be released in 2013. I will be checking netGalley and B&N like an insane fan waiting to get my hands on it patiently waiting for the release of book two. Mafi has earned a spot on my list of must read authors. I highly recommend Shatter Me to fans of dystopias, fantasies and romances.