Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Разбий ме

Tropes:
*enemies to lovers
*dystopian society
*broken heroine
*love triangle
*superpowers
*rebellion

Triggers:
*emotional abuse
*trauma
*violence

Themes:
Power and Control
Freedom vs Opression
Identity and Self-Worth

Language: mild
Spice: 2/5

Shatter Me, the first book in Tahereh Mafi's dystopian series is a gripping story about a girl named Juliette Ferrars, whose touch is lethal. In this dark future, the world is crumbling under the control of the Reestablishment, a totalitarian regime. Juliette has been imprisoned because of her dangerous ability, which she can’t control. Her loneliness and isolation are palpable, making her character both tragic and relatable.

The story takes off when Juliette is given a chance at freedom but under dangerous conditions. She’s forced to live under the watch of Warner, a ruthless leader who wants to use her as a weapon. Meanwhile, Juliette reconnects with Adam, a boy from her past who may be her key to escape. This sets up the book's central conflict—Juliette’s struggle to choose between being controlled by others or learning to control her own power.

Mafi’s writing style is unique, using strikethroughs and fragmented sentences to reflect Juliette’s fractured mental state. At times, the prose reads like poetry, which makes the book feel deeply personal. However, the story also has moments of high tension and action, especially as the relationships between Juliette, Warner, and Adam unfold. In my opinion, there is a lack of world-building with more of the focus being on character development.

The themes could be explored a bit more, but I believe will be dove into a bit more as the series progresses. Juliette’s journey is not just about survival; it’s about self-discovery and learning to believe in her own strength. The romance adds another layer to the story, as Juliette is torn between two very different men, one who makes her feel safe and the other who sees her power.

Overall, Shatter Me is a fast-paced, emotionally intense read. It combines dystopian elements with personal drama, and the unique writing style adds an extra layer of depth.

Rated 7.5/10 or 4/5 stars
Plot 1
Themes .5
Pacing 1
Setting .5
Originality 1
Charcters 1
Writing Styel 1
Ending 1
Emotional Impact 0
Overall Enjoyment .5

Content Warnings

evarinya's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Good:
It was a quick read - I managed to get through the book with surprising speed, it never felt like it dragged too much or got boring, which was very refreshing after just having read a bunch of books that just felt "too long".
Also the plot itself was... fine? Not too much yet, clearly setting up something bigger, but... it does make me want to read more!
And (spoilers for the last few chapters)

I rather liked the whole Omega Complex X-Men style idea, even if there wasn't too much done with it so far. And Kenji was fun, admittedly.

The Bad:
Some actions felt a bit contrived, like how there always seemed to miraculously be something around Juliette that would help her solve her current issue.
Also - but that's a very personal thing for me - I just don't like dystopian settings too much. Especially those that (spoiler for the last few chapters)

end up becoming "big evil group of people/fascists has all the power but small team of heroes will fight to take them down!" - too many similarities to certian space operas, I presume.

The Ugly:
I, for the love of anything, cannot understand how people hype up Warner that much. I know that there probably will be something up with him in later books, but in this book? He's just a horrible human being. With some depth, sure, and probably his own family trauma, but... That doesn't mean he should get a free pass as to how he constantly manipulated Juliette to turn into what he believes/wants her to be!
And that she partly even accepts this already just because he's good-looking and she sometimes feels sorry for him - just to then in the next paragraph be absolutely disgusted by him again... I don't know. Doesn't really make me want to root for them at all, so far.

I worry how this will turn out in the later books, as a proper redemption arc is really difficult to pull off, but I'm willing to at least check out the next book to see how things will develop.

And again, I didn't hate this book, not by a long shot - I just, perhaps, expected something a little different based on what I have seen fans of this series discuss online... But oh well. I'll see how it goes.

Content Warnings

greenknightemrys's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

thelaurajay's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Content Warnings

embodyingmysticalmac's review against another edition

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The writing style was not done well enough to warrant it imo and appeared like the author was trying to be stylistic but came across as simply gimmicky. A book that does what this tried to do but actually succeeded is Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I have also seen who the love interest was gonna be (thanks book tok 😅) and he is irredeemably abusive which I am just not interested in. Unless the abuse serves an actual purpose for a redemption arc it simply didn’t need to come from the love interest, even if it is necessary, then it’s up to the writer to not create a character that is genuinely irredeemable. I am over YA books encouraging young women to end up with their abusers. This series can stay far away from my romance shelf 🙅🏻‍♀️

Content Warnings

hoops_literary_library_life's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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