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Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Разбий ме by Tahereh Mafi, Техере Мафи

172 reviews

liaaa_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

um i hate Warner first off, i am gonna dnf this series bc of him and bc i know
that she ends up with him and i just don't see her leaving Adam for him I'm sorry, i know what Adam does and it's so forced and out of character
I LOVE ADAM SO SO SO MUCH, HE IS ONE OF MY FAV BOOK CHARACTERS AND MEN>>>> that's all i have to say. Juliette is pretty cool too but she doesn't compare. i still enjoy reading her povs though. overall a very good book, plot is well thought through and very character driven which i personally love 
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bexi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Tahereh I'm gonna need you to calm down with the metaphors, dang.
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gracesvcr's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a spoiler free review. Other than the parent section but it's blurred out. Full review on my Goodreads

Warning: This will be a long review.

Preface: (You can skip this part if you just want the book review) This was the first real book I read on the kindle (other than some kid books that I couldn't annotate in), and honestly, it was a great introduction. It really made the book fly by so quickly (and the writing style too). The kindle was so much easier to bring around than a physical book especially one that is 300 pages or more. I've now found the beautiful world of kindle annotations where I can yap until my heart gives out.

The Characters:
Many characters and storylines in the romance genre tend to be extremely surface level and flat to me (hence why it's not my first choice genre). Mostly, many characters in romance novels are typically just quite boring, but in Shatter Me, it pleasantly surprised me.

Anytime I found something to be a little unrealistic (like a communication between or feeling about another character from one to the other), it was later explained. Though, I do understand that this is a fantasy/dystopian novel. It's not made to be realistic, but I feel like for any book regardless of fiction, fantasy, or otherwise, the characters being realistic plays a crucial part in my enjoyment of a book.

The characters were so well rounded and some of them really grew on me. I oftentimes have a hard time actually connecting with the characters in many books I read (this is coming from a contemporary fiction and nonfiction reader). The characters in this book surprised me with having genuine deep layers to them. They aren't just one cookie cutter idea. They don't just have one motive or just one feeling, they are complex. They have a reason behind every emotion and every action. This is what made them feel real to me and also played a major part in me coming to a 5 star rating. So I definitely enjoyed this aspect of Shatter Me.


Young Teen/Parent Friendly:
For any parents reading this, depending on parenting style and personal boundaries, this book is appropriate for ages 12-13 and up. Further detail in minor spoiler below.
Even though there is a romance aspect to this book, there are no depictions of sex. Since this is a dystopian/fantasy book, if you have ever seen Maze Runner, Hunger Games, or any other dystopian film, there are depictions of some physical violence like fight scenes or use of guns. The scenes in my opinion are not graphic, but they are included for the story to progress


How this aspect contributed to my rating:
I don't think this is a spoiler but I'll blur it out in case. Includes talking about the spice level. This is just a personal preference, but
I loved that there were no graphic depictions of sex in this book. It was still extremely passionate and the romance aspect/tension between characters was definitely still there. Many people enjoy romance for the spice aspect, but I tend to really enjoy the interpersonal communication and relationships being built rather than steamy scenes every other chapter. If a spicy scene is included in a book, I am not against it, but I enjoy when there is a purpose behind adding it in like how it would improve the story in a way.



The Prose:
What really got me other than the characters was the writing style. Something about Tahereh Mafi's voice through writing this book was beautiful. I personally love when there are so many good quotes for me to highlight and look back or comment on. The style of writing was very different from what I'm used to reading but different in a very positive way. I really enjoyed the creativity and beauty that seeped through every page of this book.

Lastly, the book was so well thought out. This kind of goes hand in hand with the character aspect I talked about earlier. While reading, it really felt like Tahereh Mafi spent so much time perfecting this book. Every action, every scene, every feeling was so well thought out which contributed to the readability and emotional investment.


Feedback/Comments:
I appreciate if anyone took time to read this review. Although I rated this 5 stars and thoroughly enjoyed it, I am open to your own criticisms you may have of the book. I do ask that if anyone feels compelled to comment and disagree with my review that it remains civil. I really enjoy hearing constructive criticisms and different view points, but I do not enjoy an argument.


Thank you for your time, I hope that anyone considering this book that enjoys fantasy/dystopian novels with a little romance picks this up and loves it as much as I did.
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ya_el31's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mz_cherry's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Re-read from 2021. I would not have been able to go back through this without hoopla having the audiobook. I'm glad I could go through it again. You get a better feel of the scatter brain with audio. Her voice is a bit high pitched and nasally for me but the book itself set the scene for romance and an adventure
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inkysplodge's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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crowpants's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

'His gaze is fixed on me: calm, unflappable; two buckets of river water at midnight.'
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redempta's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 🌟

After 2 years and a soft DNF-ing half way through, I finally finished reading this book. *round of applause*

I had no motivation so I listened to it on audiobook. It really helped. 

IS THAT THE WARNER PEOPLE LOVE ON ? That guy is crazy....

I didn't really like Juliette. She's kind of pick me girl, like I'm not like the other girls... 

I wasn't really into the book and thought that I wouldn't read the rest of the series but the last few chapters changed that. I'm not fully sure that would read the rest of the series but it's a possibility. 
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infjkiki's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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lyssquee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense fast-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

3.0

Sucked me in but I felt a little uncomfy the whole time. 
The romance is sweet, and there is justification for it, but it's too quick and just kind of.. silly. I felt more interested in the not obvious pairing than the obvious one. 
Progression felt a bit forced in the latter half of the book.

Not sure if I will continue reading, truthfully only my curiosity for the development of the "villain" is what compels me...
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