Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book: Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 4 Stars 
Review Writer: Talia C.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is beloved by many, though I’ve heard some differing opinions, so I wanted to check it out for myself. The novel introduces us to a bleak, decaying world run by the Reestablishment, a totalitarian government that has taken over under the guise of fixing a dying world. At the center of the story is 17-year-old Juliette Ferrars, who has been locked away in a solitary confinement cell for the past year. Juliette carries a terrifying power: her touch is fatal to anyone who comes into contact with her bare skin. Her forced isolation soon ends when a young soldier named Adam enters the picture, getting thrown into the cell alongside Juliette. His appearance triggers a train of events that soon lands her fate into the hands of Warner, the dangerously obsessed commander of Sector 45 who wants to use her as the ultimate weapon of terror. 

The element that stands out the most in this book is Mafi’s unconventional style. Written in a stream-of-consciousness format, the text heavily features metaphors and crossed out sentences.  Before the story starts, In order to avoid confusion, this style choice is explained as being a deliberate one. I believe this choice does an amazing job of demonstrating and conveying Juliette’s fractured psyche after being treated like a monster for so long.

As excellent as the book is, the storyline does present a flaw. Mafi focuses so strongly on the internal thoughts and feelings of Juliette, as well as the building where she is kept prisoner, that the outside world feels vague and undefined. It makes the world feel more like a distant backdrop than a fully recognized dystopian society. The world-building is further expanded on in Unravel Me and Ignite Me, the remaining two books in the trilogy, but the first book including some description of the outside world would help set the scene for the rest.

Overall, Shatter Me is a unique and compelling dystopian novel that stands out through deep character development. Tahereh Mafi uses creative, stylistic writing choices to place the reader inside of her mind. The book delivers a powerful and emotional story of survival that explains why the book boasts this level of popularity. Similar novels include The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, and Powerless by Lauren Roberts, which I would highly recommend checking out if you enjoy the Shatter Me trilogy.