Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi

Tahereh Mafi's first novella, DESTROY ME, wowed me beyond belief. Getting into Warner's mind was absolutely stupendous and that novella is singlehandedly responsible for making me love him. Naturally, I was nothing short of excited for Mafi's second novella. However, I'm sad to say that despite the fact that the novella was satisfactory, it did not wow me at all.

This was pretty much a re-telling of one of the last scenes in book two, UNRAVEL ME, told in Adam's perspective. Naturally, if you read book two, you know what happens so this does provide a very interesting comparison to what some characters believe happens and what actually happened. This certainly explains the mindset of most of the Omega Point members that we are going to encounter at the beginning of book three, which does just enough to saturate my hunger while I wait for book three.

However, with all that in mind, I have to say that I did not enjoy being in Adam's mind at all. While Warner's mind is very twisted because of his desperation to please his father and his intense fascination with Juliette, Adam's mind is very condescending. Sure, he admits he loves Juliette countless times, but I just don't feel it. I did not connect with his emotions or his feelings the way that I have Mafi's others characters. It makes me question where the connection I made with Adam in book one went. Now, it seems he's only condescending towards Juliette, the girl he loves. He treats his ten year old brother like more of an adult and literally compares Juliette to a child at one point.

In the end, this novella served to frustrate me more than anything else. While it makes me curious for book three, it made me lose faith in a character that I initially didn't mind. Again, it made me curious for aspects of book three, so I suppose it served its purpose. But, if anything, it solidified my placement on Team Warner.

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Posted by Tynga at 01:00

 Borrowed, dystopia, Dystopian, Harper Collins, Paranormal, Review, Science Fiction, Shatter Me, Taherah Mafi, Tahereh Mafi, young adult  Leave your mark

Daring You To Read...Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

When I realized that nobody has done SHATTER ME as a DYTR post yet, I immediately jumped at the chance because that is simply a sin! This book is all kinds of amazing that I could not put down and Mafi is currently a favorite author of mine because of it.

I'll admit that this would not be a book that I would have picked up if I was not a blogger. I saw many early reviews go up raving about it, so when I was in my local book store I decided to pick up a copy despite the cover. Yes, that's right, I'm one of those people. I'm thankful I picked up the novel because the story inside is hard to explain in coherent sentences, but the cover did not do this novel justice. So I have to admit that I like the recent cover changes in this series, but I love my hardcover so much I refuse to part with it. Moral of this paragraph? Don't judge a book by its cover because you never know what's awaiting you inside.

I was hesitant to delve into this one because of the synopses that explains that Juliette has not touched anyone for 264 days--hinting that she has unique abilities through touch. The concept of touching people and something happening is often used in young adult literature. Off the top of my head, aside from this book, I can think of TOUCH by Jus Accardo, TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson, CURSED by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and TOUCH OF DEATH by Kelly Hashway.  But those titles are there to emphasize how many novels there are that deal with touch and, I have to say, that this one deals with it the best. This novel is indescribable and amazing--beautifully written and deliciously complex. There's no other way to say it. Mafi took a common theme and made it all her own. She mastered a plot line that other writers have been working to master for a while.

And if that simple fact alongside the admission that this book literally left me speechless is not enough to get you to read this book than I'll tell you what is: Adam and Warner. I know, I know, your love triangle flashers are going up and your mind is screaming, "Back up! Back up! Do not cross this line! Abort mission!" Well, I'm normally that way too, but this is a love triangle done right. While it exists the boys are two separate entities who paths do not cross in the way that make them throw insults at each other over Juliette. They throw insults at each other because they're on two opposite sides of the war and somehow Juliette is stuck in-between them. Mafi also mastered the love triangle because she found a respectful way to go about it. While one love interests is the overall focus of book one, the novella, DESTROY ME, and book two, UNRAVEL ME, tend to focus on the other love interest that we thought was easily the wrong decision. And Mafi made us realize, wow, he's deliciously complex and even more amazing than we ever would have imagined! To put it simply, she convinced me to switch teams which is not an easy thing to do because I'm rather stubborn. To who? Well, you have to read to find out! But truly, I would read these novels just for Warner and Adam because they're  both beyond different yet somehow equal parts perfection. It helps that Mafi is really amazing with steamy writing too.

This romance takes place in a unique dystopian world. In the beginning of the novel, Juliette is almost insane and Mafi took advantage of this by developing a unique writing style via Juliette's private thoughts and journals that sucked me in from page one. Her creativity and imagination as well as her amazing literary skills are present in all aspects of this novel and I couldn't even begin to stress how much I think everyone should give this book a chance. It is so, so worth it.

If this post interested you at all in SHATTER ME you should run and go pick up a hardcover today! It is selling on Amazon (the link is below) for $7.20, meaning that a hardcover is currently cheaper than the paperback edition and the Kindle edition. Though the hardcover does not match the rest of the series cover-wise.

 

More information on SHATTER ME...

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.

 

 My Thoughts on Shatter Me

 Tynga's Thoughts on Shatter Me

 

Read an Excerpt 

 

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

 

And here is the rest of the series thus far. The covers changed right after I reviewed book one. Bummer, right?

 

 

Thoughts on Destroy Me

Thoughts on Unravel Me 

 

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

 

Do you think you can handle this week's dare?

 

  

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Posted by Lili at 05:30

 Daring You to Read, Harper Collins, Tahereh Mafi, young adult  6 People left their mark

Daring You To Read...Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

When I realized that nobody has done SHATTER ME as a DYTR post yet, I immediately jumped at the chance because that is simply a sin! This book is all kinds of amazing that I could not put down and Mafi is currently a favorite author of mine because of it.

I'll admit that this would not be a book that I would have picked up if I was not a blogger. I saw many early reviews go up raving about it, so when I was in my local book store I decided to pick up a copy despite the cover. Yes, that's right, I'm one of those people. I'm thankful I picked up the novel because the story inside is hard to explain in coherent sentences, but the cover did not do this novel justice. So I have to admit that I like the recent cover changes in this series, but I love my hardcover so much I refuse to part with it. Moral of this paragraph? Don't judge a book by its cover because you never know what's awaiting you inside.

I was hesitant to delve into this one because of the synopses that explains that Juliette has not touched anyone for 264 days--hinting that she has unique abilities through touch. The concept of touching people and something happening is often used in young adult literature. Off the top of my head, aside from this book, I can think of TOUCH by Jus Accardo, TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson, CURSED by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and TOUCH OF DEATH by Kelly Hashway.  But those titles are there to emphasize how many novels there are that deal with touch and, I have to say, that this one deals with it the best. This novel is indescribable and amazing--beautifully written and deliciously complex. There's no other way to say it. Mafi took a common theme and made it all her own. She mastered a plot line that other writers have been working to master for a while.

And if that simple fact alongside the admission that this book literally left me speechless is not enough to get you to read this book than I'll tell you what is: Adam and Warner. I know, I know, your love triangle flashers are going up and your mind is screaming, "Back up! Back up! Do not cross this line! Abort mission!" Well, I'm normally that way too, but this is a love triangle done right. While it exists the boys are two separate entities who paths do not cross in the way that make them throw insults at each other over Juliette. They throw insults at each other because they're on two opposite sides of the war and somehow Juliette is stuck in-between them. Mafi also mastered the love triangle because she found a respectful way to go about it. While one love interests is the overall focus of book one, the novella, DESTROY ME, and book two, UNRAVEL ME, tend to focus on the other love interest that we thought was easily the wrong decision. And Mafi made us realize, wow, he's deliciously complex and even more amazing than we ever would have imagined! To put it simply, she convinced me to switch teams which is not an easy thing to do because I'm rather stubborn. To who? Well, you have to read to find out! But truly, I would read these novels just for Warner and Adam because they're  both beyond different yet somehow equal parts perfection. It helps that Mafi is really amazing with steamy writing too.

This romance takes place in a unique dystopian world. In the beginning of the novel, Juliette is almost insane and Mafi took advantage of this by developing a unique writing style via Juliette's private thoughts and journals that sucked me in from page one. Her creativity and imagination as well as her amazing literary skills are present in all aspects of this novel and I couldn't even begin to stress how much I think everyone should give this book a chance. It is so, so worth it.

If this post interested you at all in SHATTER ME you should run and go pick up a hardcover today! It is selling on Amazon (the link is below) for $7.20, meaning that a hardcover is currently cheaper than the paperback edition and the Kindle edition. Though the hardcover does not match the rest of the series cover-wise.

 

More information on SHATTER ME...

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.

 

 My Thoughts on Shatter Me

 Tynga's Thoughts on Shatter Me

 

Read an Excerpt 

 

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

 

And here is the rest of the series thus far. The covers changed right after I reviewed book one. Bummer, right?

 

 

Thoughts on Destroy Me

Thoughts on Unravel Me 

 

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

 

Do you think you can handle this week's dare?

 

  

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:30

 Daring You to Read, Harper Collins, Tahereh Mafi, young adult  6 People left their mark

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Stats:

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi/Dystopia
eNovella: 103 pages
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: October 2, 2012

Series: Shatter Me #1.5

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Lili

Purchase: Amazon

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Tahereh Mafi is such an amazing author. That’s the only thought currently running through my mind. In a mere 103 pages, she gave me such a huge glimpse into a crazy psychopath's mind and somehow found a way to make me love him. She is such a genius.

Now, I made the silly mistake of reading UNRAVEL ME before I read the novella that comes between the first two installments of Mafi’s SHATTER ME series. I’m not much of a novella reader and when my friend offered to let me borrow her ARC of the sequel that she got at New York Comic Con, I could not resist! The feelings that that story awoke in me are impossible to put into words and I highly recommend picking it up next week. No matter how twisted a character seems, they sure as hell can be capable of unimaginable passion. And with that in mind, I decided to backtrack and purchase this novella for $2.99. I’m kicking myself for not reading the books in order because, in all honesty, this explains so much. And to top it all off, it’s the perfect thing to tide you over until the release of book two.

Mafi’s amazing writing style is still evident in this novella, though only slightly. Told from Warner’s perspective, it’s clearly very cold and logical, but it gives us such a huge glimpse into the mind of someone so unique and vile. I can’t help but to say that not only do I feel like I understand Warner, but I feel for him. And by that, I mean I feel everything but disgust for him because disgust was the only thing I felt for him in SHATTER ME. I really got to learn who exactly Warner was. And I even got a few personal glimpses of Juliette through her diary that Warner read. That, my dear friends, is where Mafi’s incredible writing style appears. Though not a huge part of this novella, the little snippets found throughout it were still enough to make my jaw drop at the sheer creativity. Watching his journey through fascination, obsession, and love was captivating.

So, for all of you out there in the blogosphere that are not novella fans like me, I highly encourage you to pick this one up. It gives you a lot of insight about what is awaiting you in UNRAVEL ME and it’ll allow you to understand a few things in book two better. This is one novella worth reading. Mafi never ceases to amaze me.

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Posted by Lili at 05:34

 Dystopian, Harper Collins, Review, Tahereh Mafi, young adult  2 People left their mark

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book Stats:
Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 352 pages
Genre: Dystopian
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: November 15, 2011

Series: Shatter Me #1

Source: ARC sent by Harper Collins Canada

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon

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.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting asThe Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Taken away from her family 3 years ago – and they were all too happy to get rid of her – Juliette finds herself locked-up in a cell in an asylum, after accidentally killing someone. How was she suppose to know a simple touch of her bare hands could end a life? She hasn’t breathe fresh-air (or what passes for it anyway), haven’t seen the light, or spoken a word in 264 days, when a boy is shoved with her in her cell. Boys and girls aren’t suppose to mingle. Have they finally decided to kill her and give her cell to this boy? Is he a test? A treat? An ally? Juliette isn’t sure of anything, but she was right about one thing: The day this boy entered her life, is the day her life changed forever.

Tahereh Mafi is an amazing and stunning writer. Shatter Me is her debut novel and from the very first page I was engrossed in this broken world she created. We destroyed our planet: animals are sick, crops are dying and food is hard to come by, the vegetation is destroyed, the seasons are a mess and the sky isn’t even blue anymore. A group stood-up and pretended they would save us all: The Reestablishment. Their plan is to destroy everything that could’ve caused our downfall. Art, languages, comfort, everything is destroyed and anyone standing in their way is killed. Nobody is safe and Juliette will be able to witness the damage firsthand when she’s unexpectedly taken away from her prison.

Mafi didn’t only create an addictive world, she also painted multi-faceted characters you have no choice but to have a strong opinion about. Juliette is a broken girl. She was always mistreated, cast out as a monster by other children and never got to enjoy a loving embrace – not even from her own mother. She’s been isolated for nearly a year, without a single human contact, and even though she is still very sane, Mafi’s writing let’s us privy to her insecurities. Here’s an excerpt, I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean.

I want to be angry-angry-angry.
I want to be the bird that flies away.
"What are you writing” Cellmate speaks again.
These words are vomit.
This shaky pen is my esophagus.
This sheet of paper is my porcelain bowl.
"Why won’t you answer me?” He’s too close too close too close.
No one is ever close enough.

Adam, her cellmate is very mysterious. Mean an instant, sweet the moment after, following orders yet sometimes breaking them. Juliette just doesn’t know what to do of his attitude and feels more lonely than ever when he turns his back on her. Along their journey, we also meet other amazing characters, cruel psychopath men and some goofy allies, providing us a wide and completely variety of personalities.

Original and surprising, Juliette’s journey in this harsh world will keep you on your toes. I haven’t foreseen any of the events and was delighted by the intensity of their quest. Shatter Me is full of twist and turns that will keep you hooked to its pages and when you finally reach the end, all you can do is pray for the second installment to release soon because even though the end isn’t a cliffhanger, it promises the new beginning of an outstanding adventure.

The novel as a whole is a masterpiece if I may say. The story, the world, the characters are exquisite, but Tahereh Mafi’s writing is what makes this adventure so special. I’d end this review with a couple of amazing quotes if you don’t mind =) (quotes from ARC, may have changed in the final edition)

I have no idea where I am.
I only know that I was transported here by someone in a white van who drove 6 hours and 37 minutes to get me here. I know I was handcuffed to my seat. I know I was strapped to my chair. I know my parents never bothered to say good-bye. I know I didn't,t cry as I was taken away.
I know the sky falls down everyday.

Adam is pointing a gun at my chest.
Adam is pointing a gun at my chest.
Adam is pointing a gun at my chest.
His eyes are foreign to me, glassy and distant, far, far away.
I am nothing but novocaine. I am numb, a world of nothing, all feelings and emotions gone forever.
I am a whisper that never was.

Read an excerpt

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Posted by Tynga at 07:52

 Dystopian, Harper Collins, Review, Tahereh Mafi, young adult  10 People left their mark