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Juliette might think she is crazy, but the world she lives in is crazier. At the conclusion of Shatter Me, she learned her own ability to kill a person with her bare skin was only just the beginning. In Tahereh Mafi's sequel, Unravel Me, the true nature of Juliette's gift has only barely been understood... until now.
Omega Point tries to be different from the Reestablishment in every way possible. Even their leader tries to maintain a peaceful leadership that protects their kind rather than exploits them. Juliette was happy to be free of her prison, but she can't let herself trust the people around her quite so easily, nor can she trust herself not to hurt them. Her power is so terrifying that she is glad she can at least touch one person- the boy she loves, Adam. Of course, she tries to forget that Warner, the man who held her captive for all those years, could also touch her. Adam is the only one who matters to Juliette.
When Kenji takes Juliette to the labs and she sees them hurting Adam, she loses it. She barely holds her cool most days, but this led Juliette to a place she had never been before, and with that anger she was able to tap into powers she never knew she had. Her extreme strength and power could literally move the earth beneath them. Omega Point plans to use Juliette's powers to help them in their plans to eventually overthrow the Reestablishment, but what they weren't prepared for was what was happening above them on the surface. Warner's father has arrived, and as supreme commander, his presence is nothing to go unnoticed. Juliette doesn't want to admit it, but there is something inside her that is drawn to Warner, even though she knows just how ruthless he can be. It is almost like the connection between them is as powerful, if not more, than her connection to Adam, especially when she learns Adam might not be as immune to her power to kill as she thought he was. How can a relationship exist if she can't touch the man she loves without killing him?
The devil who knows your demons is better than telling the angel you love about those demons. For Juliette, having to be damaged in front of Adam is harder than having to be with sadistic Warner. She doesn't fully understand it, but she can't help but be drawn to Warner, even if the guilt about her feelings is drowning her. I love Juliette as a character, in all her damaged, semi-psychotic, caring loveliness, and I really liked this "anti-love triangle" that had even me questioning Warner's weird devotion to Juliette. It was a hard one to wrap your head around and it definitely made me want to come back for more.
If i had one complaint about this series it would be the lack of world building. There is supposed to be this incredibly corrupt, world-dominating force, but we don't see much of it. Instead the whole story has been inside Juliette's head. And don't get me wrong, that is fascinating, but the idea of this world out there is too and I just want more of it. This book can be a little scattered because it is told through he head of Juliette, so you see her indecision and guilt through Mafi's use of the strike out (although not nearly as much as in Shatter Me). It would be best for a strong reader who can wade through her occasional psychosis to really enjoy this truly unique story. I can't wait for the conclusion, but I am dreading it at the same time!
Juliette has escaped from the asylum where she was kept, but she left Warner behind- her captor. What she didn't know in Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, is that Warner has a few secrets of his own. Dangerous secrets. Secrets that could make his father come to the final conclusion that he had gone soft. Secrets that are revealed in Destroy Me.
Warner is beyond livid that Juliette has escaped, but there is more to his anger than just being duped by one of his own soldiers. Warner can't get Juliette out of his mind. He has always been fascinated by her, and his fascination treads on the cusp of being an obsession. Now that she has managed to escape, Warner's father arrives to clean up the mess. But he discovers Warner's secrets in the process, like the fact that Warner is weak and cares about the civilians attached to his post. This is a transgression no leader can afford. And his love (albeit warped love) for Juliette may just be the final straw.
In Shatter Me you assume Warner is just an evil jerk who needs control and enjoys hurting people, but there is more to him and I am glad this short story showed that side. This little story reveals a new Warner who will, quite honestly, change the tone of the next book. Therefore, this really becomes a short story you should read before you continue the series. And remember, there is always more to someone than meets the eye!
If your very touch could end a person's life, would you think you were cursed, or just plain crazy? What if everyone you knew and love thought you were a monster? Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me explores the world of a girl whose touch is so dangerous, she hasn't seen the light of day in almost a year.
Juliette hasn't spoken to another human being for over 200 days. She has been locked in the asylum for so long, she thinks she really is going crazy when they give her a roommate- a boy roommate. Adam tries to talk to her, but it has been so long since she had any human contact that she can barely even look at him. Most of all, she must make sure he doesn't touch her because the consequences are deadly. When officers barge into their cell, Juliette is taken away to one of the Reestablishment's leaders. What she expects least of all is to find out Adam is one of the soldiers.
Warner, head of a Reestablishment sector, wants to use Juliette's "gift" to help him deal with prisoners and enemies, but she doesn't have any interest in hurting anyone. Now that the Reestablishment has destroyed and starved most of the population, they find themselves at war with the rebels who will do anything to stop the destruction of the country and its people. But Juliette simply cannot give herself to Warner and his evil plans, especially since his attachment to her borders on obsession... OK, actually is creepy obsessive! Juliette thinks she has no way to be free to Warner, but help may arrive in the most unlikeliest of places.
At first, I really struggled with this story. When Juliette is in the asylum, her stream of consciousness is not only disturbing and frantic, but Mafi uses the cross out feature to show her scattered thoughts... a LOT. It started out being just a little annoying and became incredibly frustrating after a few pages. Thankfully, after Juliette left the asylum, the cross-outs reduced dramatically. I get the choice to use this feature to show the mental state of the character, but I have to admit it was pretty distracting at first. I actually almost put it down because the cross-outs annoyed me, but I am very glad I kept with it because the story beneath this strange choice was really, really good.
The characters are a little difficult to get to know: Juliette because of her shattered mental state and Adam because you aren't immediately sure of what his game is. Once you get about half-way into the book, though, you find yourself very invested in the story and therefore totally invested in the characters, especially when Adam proves his worth to Juliette. The book certainly ends on a cliffhanger and in a way I never saw coming (I think if you read some reviews, someone may have given it away, but I won't do that to you!). The rest of the trilogy has the potential to be quite amazing. I think the dystopia classification is a little lost, though. There is definitely a dystopic world out there, but the scope of the world is hidden behind Juliette most of the time. I think there will be more of the dystopia in the upcoming books, but if there is one thing I am sure of, it is that once you finish this book, your curiosity simply won't be able to prevent from reading the next book.
