Review: Unravel Me (#2) by Tahereh Mafi

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It should have taken Juliette a single touch to kill Warner. But his mysterious immunity to her deadly power has left her shaken, wondering why her ultimate defense mechanism failed against the person she most needs protection from.
She and Adam were able to escape Warner’s clutches and join up with a group of rebels, many of whom have powers of their own. Juliette will finally be able to actively fight against The Reestablishment and try to fix her broken world. And perhaps these new allies can help her shed light on the secret behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin.

Before I start – this review will include spoilers! I just don’t think I can include all of my thoughts about this book without talking a bit about what happened, so be warned.

I want to say that I don’t actually dislike love triangles. I wouldn’t say I have an opinion on them either way, because it is possible that they can be done well. But in this book, no. Just no. I feel like I let my own feelings really seep into my opinion of this book, but it just felt so wrong. Juliette and Adam are perfect for each other. Warner is a murderer. I am determined to not let that get out of my head. There is just so much wrong with his character. He keeps making advances on Juliette without her permission. He touches her without her permission. He invades her personal diary without her permission. And as much as I understand he is persuasive and it makes Juliette confused, it’s just wrong.

I just can’t help but think that if anyone acted as Warner did in these books in real life, it would be morally wrong and she could easily press charges. He would be seen as a stalker and a creep. But because he’s so hot and so good with words, she’s suddenly confused. What the hell is wrong with her?

“The books…”

But as much as I absolutely despised the love triangle, I can’t help but say I still really enjoyed reading this. I can’t even begin to describe how talented Tahereh Mafi is. Her writing is beautiful, and thank God, she has discovered how to use a freaking comma. I really felt like the writing flowed more in this book, and I loveee the short chapters! I’ve had a busy week but I’m sure that if I’d had more time I’d have finished this in just a few short days!

“they helped keep me from losing my mind altogether.”

So I’m definitely going to carry on with this series, but I feel like it was a major disappointment compared to the first book. I really enjoyed the first one, but even thinking about what I’ve just read makes me feel angry. Mafi is talented enough with her writing to make me want to continue, but I won’t be holding my breath.

★★★
2.5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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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.

Before I begin, thank you to the lovely Anna for pushing me to read this book! An old friend gave it to me for my birthday almost 2 years ago and it’s taken me until now to finally pick it up. But I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed it so much that it took me under 2 days to complete.

“Raindrops are my only reminder that clouds have a heartbeat.”

I think the thing I found most enjoyable about this book is it’s so easy to read. The pages literally fly by, because after the first couple of chapters the pacing is steadfast. The short chapters left me wanting to just read another one, making Shatter Me a book I just couldn’t put down. I also loved the cast of characters, from our clever villain to Adam’s sweet little brother. Although Juliette was whiny and cliche, I couldn’t help but understand her situation.

This book kind of reminded me of The Selection series in the ways it made me feel. The insta-love annoyed me a little as it was cringy, but I still couldn’t help but enjoy reading about their story. I just wish I’d read this one a couple of years ago instead, because I would have loved it even more!

“That I have one, too.”

Alongside some of the cringe, I had a few small issues I want to address. For one, why does Mafi not know about commas? I understand that this pushed forward the whole diary/notebook written aspect, but some sentences just really needed breaking up. It didn’t bother me too much after a while, but if I didn’t think it was intentional, it would have just looked unprofessional.

But niggles aside, I couldn’t help but enjoy it. I’ve already ordered the second book and I can’t wait to carry on with the series soon!

★★★★
4 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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