Scan barcode
mossycaroline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
vikkk_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookdust's review against another edition
3.0
Ughhhhhhhhhh...
I'm having the same issue here that I had with Marie Lu. The writing is beautiful, but the story itself isn't giving me anything new to add to this genre. The most popular of the tropes of dystopian are mashed together into a well written book. Literally anything stereotypical you can think of in this genre is here with very very weak explanations as to why.
So what do I do with this? I don't know.
I can definitely see how this is being opted for a television series though. Every single character is described as skinny and fit and gorgeous and blah blah blah, and there are more make out scenes then there is world building...I mean this is the CW/ABC Family bait in an uncomfortable purple jumpsuit thing (seriously what even was that at the end?).
Negative - I'm really tired of authors leaving these tiny doors open for abusive/psychotic characters being attractive and love interests? The only time I've ever seen this done convincingly was in the Grisha Trilogy and that was because Alina and Darkling were literally connected to each other. Besides that? No no no no no no no. If someone like Warren is touching you and kissing you, you would NOT be sexually attracted to him. He's a maniac and a stalker. You'd be terrified and disgusted. Unless this story is going in the direction that Juliette really is unstable and insane and literally anyone touching her makes her horny and weird then I don't understand why it's being done. It's not a good message to be sending out.
Also, something that really bothered me was the characters actions and motivations didn't always make sense. WHY are you thinking about swapping saliva when you're about to be captured? And what Juliette and Adam have is not love. No no, not at all. Adam is in love with the idea of Juliette and he's the sane version of Warren honestly.
Juliette character development made no sense. I didn't understand how she managed to make a full 180 at the end of the novel. She was social and charming and blah blah nothing like how she should have turned out realistically or organically. She might be more social, but not like that. I felt as if I was reading a different character suddenly.
Positive- the prose. THE PROSE. So cool. I loved the strikethrough feature throughout the book. I loved the repetitive nature of her thoughts. I just really loved the writing a lot. It's what made the story for sure. I laughed during this book which was nice. Kenji was hilarious. I really liked him. Also, the beginning of this book was so impeccably strong. It's obvious how she caught Jodi Reamer's attention.
The book wasn't bad at all. I'm probably going to read the full series, just...blah.
This has been a horribly informative review.
I'm having the same issue here that I had with Marie Lu. The writing is beautiful, but the story itself isn't giving me anything new to add to this genre. The most popular of the tropes of dystopian are mashed together into a well written book. Literally anything stereotypical you can think of in this genre is here with very very weak explanations as to why.
So what do I do with this? I don't know.
I can definitely see how this is being opted for a television series though. Every single character is described as skinny and fit and gorgeous and blah blah blah, and there are more make out scenes then there is world building...I mean this is the CW/ABC Family bait in an uncomfortable purple jumpsuit thing (seriously what even was that at the end?).
Negative - I'm really tired of authors leaving these tiny doors open for abusive/psychotic characters being attractive and love interests? The only time I've ever seen this done convincingly was in the Grisha Trilogy and that was because Alina and Darkling were literally connected to each other. Besides that? No no no no no no no. If someone like Warren is touching you and kissing you, you would NOT be sexually attracted to him. He's a maniac and a stalker. You'd be terrified and disgusted. Unless this story is going in the direction that Juliette really is unstable and insane and literally anyone touching her makes her horny and weird then I don't understand why it's being done. It's not a good message to be sending out.
Also, something that really bothered me was the characters actions and motivations didn't always make sense. WHY are you thinking about swapping saliva when you're about to be captured? And what Juliette and Adam have is not love. No no, not at all. Adam is in love with the idea of Juliette and he's the sane version of Warren honestly.
Juliette character development made no sense. I didn't understand how she managed to make a full 180 at the end of the novel. She was social and charming and blah blah nothing like how she should have turned out realistically or organically. She might be more social, but not like that. I felt as if I was reading a different character suddenly.
Positive- the prose. THE PROSE. So cool. I loved the strikethrough feature throughout the book. I loved the repetitive nature of her thoughts. I just really loved the writing a lot. It's what made the story for sure. I laughed during this book which was nice. Kenji was hilarious. I really liked him. Also, the beginning of this book was so impeccably strong. It's obvious how she caught Jodi Reamer's attention.
The book wasn't bad at all. I'm probably going to read the full series, just...blah.
This has been a horribly informative review.
goodyeargoodbooks's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 Stars.
Overall, I thought this was pretty dull. I wasn't a fan of the (almost non existent) plot, Juliette was pathetic, and the writing was what can only be described as shocking.
By the end, I thought that it was slightly picking up, however it wasn't quick enough for me to be persuaded to read the sequel. I did like Adam, though, but I have to say that that was about it as far as my compliments extend.
Review here - https://emdoesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/shatter-me-by-tahereh-mafi/
Overall, I thought this was pretty dull. I wasn't a fan of the (almost non existent) plot, Juliette was pathetic, and the writing was what can only be described as shocking.
By the end, I thought that it was slightly picking up, however it wasn't quick enough for me to be persuaded to read the sequel. I did like Adam, though, but I have to say that that was about it as far as my compliments extend.
Review here - https://emdoesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/shatter-me-by-tahereh-mafi/
startsurniolo's review against another edition
4.0
i loved the book so much. it was intriguing and i will read the second book but the constant repetition of words is slightly annoying
leolu0's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
adavila97's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
margo718's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
This was definitely outside my comfort zone. But I absolutely LOVED it. I really enjoyed seeing how Juliette's character developed.