I would like to preface this review by saying that, as a 25-year-old, I understand that I am not the intended audience of this book, so please take the following with a grain of salt. I only ended up reading this book because my 12-year-old niece asked me if it was appropriate for her, and I'm terribly nosy. Spoiler: she ended up finishing it before me and was on the third book by the time I wrapped this one up.

The biggest issue I had while reading was how insanely unlikeable the characters were. The unnatural closeness between Juliet and Adam was incredibly frustrating. I understand that they knew of each other before the events of this book, however, they never even spoke and yet readers are meant to believe they're in love. Warner, as a whole, is a mess of a character and I refuse to believe that we are meant to like him by the end of this series.

My niece informed me that later in the series it’s revealed Warner actually knew Juliet before the first book and that her memories of that time were erased. But even so, I don’t think this revelation redeems him. He was literally holding her hostage.

I don't think there is anyway I would go through this series and feel as though Warner had thouroughly redeemed himself.  Every conversation that takes place between him and Juliet is so frustrating because he is constantly reiterating this sentiment that Juliet will eventually see the errors of her ways" and join him. A man who refuses to take no for an answer in any scenario will always be icky to me no matter what follows in the series. 

On a petty note: I genuinely thought I was losing my mind with how often Adam’s blue eyes are mentioned. WE GET IT. His eyes are blue!

Late to the game, BUT here to stay!

I am hooked! I need to know what is going on! 

It is giving me whiplash and a bit of trust issues, but I'm here for it and will be sticking around. Initially, I set out to read Shatter Me and pause to read something else but...I can't! I am going straight to the next book.

If you like dystopian vibes, special habilites, war, love interest mystery, and trust issues, then definitely check this out.

Spice 2: Passionate kissing, roaming hands , desires ( no explicite, graphic language)

Language 2: cussing by side character mostly near the end. GD used 2 times.

Tahereh I'm gonna need you to calm down with the metaphors, dang.

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.