Book Sketch: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

IGNITE ME
By: Tahereh Mafi
Published By: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 14, 2014
Series: Shatter Me #3
Pages: 421
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and satisfying end.

First Thought After Finishing: Tahereh Mafi has such a way with words. And characters. And did I mention words?

From the very first page of this trilogy, I have been hooked on the story. I can still remember all of the hype over the first book, and it was definitely there for a reason. After such a powerful second book, it would have been easy for this third book to fall flat, but it doesn’t. Instead, Tahereh Mafi surpasses herself and delivers an epic conclusion.

“I had been shackled, a prisoner in my own mind. But finally, finally, I have learned to break free…I am no longer afraid of fear, and I will not let it rule me. Fear will learn to fear me.”

Ignite Me starts just after the terrifying events of Unravel Me. Juliette may have been disoriented and believed her group to be defeated, but with the help of Warner, she soon discovers just how much work is left to be done and just how far she will have to push herself. With the help of a few favorite people, Juliette grows (by leaps and bounds) to become the heroine she never imagined she could be.

“And we are quotation marks, inverted and upside down, clinging to one another at the end of this life sentence. Trapped by lives we did not choose.”

Holy action and character development, Batman! This book has no shortage of either. Juliette, Warner, and Adam are put to test after test in this book—emotionally moreso than physically. I admired the way Juliette came to embrace her true nature and assert herself in the role she deserved. And Warner…are there even enough words to describe Warner? “Book boyfriend” and “More, please!” come to mind. I loved him in the last book (Chapter 62, anyone?) and I love him even more here. That probably makes it no surprise that I am not a huge fan of Adam. Honestly, I wanted to reach into the pages and smack sense into him. His petulance and reticence to recognize something bigger than himself annoyed me.

Fortunately, everyone else in the book made up for Adam’s defects. Kenji was as amusing as ever. He’s still the kind of guy BFF that every girl wants to have, and I would have loved to see him on the page more. And amidst all of the action—there are major battle preparations underway here—sparks are definitely flying. It’s no surprise why this book is called Ignite Me—the chemistry sizzles off the page and fuels the book.

“It’s the kind of kiss that inspires stars to climb into the sky and light up the world. The kind that takes forever and no time at all. His hands are holding my cheeks, and he pulls back just to look me in the eye and his chest is heaving as he says, ‘I think,’ he says, ‘my heart is going to explode,’ and I wish, more than ever, that I knew how to capture moments like these and revisit them forever. Because this. This is everything.”

Throughout this trilogy, the development of plot and characters, the tension and urgency, and the need to read “just one more page” (even in the wee hours of the morning…the night before a meeting…) never abate. It’s a testament to the characters and the author when love for a story can stay strong across years and even after the story’s conclusion, and that is exactly what happened here. Tahereh will also have more books in this world coming in the future, and I absolutely can’t wait to read more from her!

Most Memorable Aspect: Mafi’s writing style. She shows us the thoughts and emotions of her main character with a grace and brilliance few other writers achieve. Oh, and Warner. (Duh!)

Teaser Tuesday (109)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"My heart stops. Starts.
Stops again.

Warner is here."


Taken from pg. 124 of IGNITE ME
by Tahereh Mafi
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

UNRAVEL ME
By: Tahereh Mafi
Published By: HarperCollins
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Series: Shatter Me (#2)
Pages: 461
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: ALA
Buy the Book: Amazon

Note: Unravel Me is the second book in a trilogy. The following summary and review may contain spoilers for the first book, Shatter Me.

Goodreads Summary: tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.



Shatter Me was a striking debut, and I was very eager for this sequel. And Unravel Me surpassed my expectations, bringing back Tahereh Mafi's beautiful writing style and conveying a story that was emotional, full of revelations as well as action.

Juliette knows the power she has, but she has never been comfortable with it. Unable to touch anyone without fear of killing them, she had lived in isolation for years until Adam came along. Now things have changed for her, yet although she lives with others, she still feels cut off from them. Her touch has the power to be a formidable weapon, but she may have abilities even beyond what she knows. However, discovering them means embracing a darker side of herself, one that she's tried to keep hidden. In the meantime, even though she is in love with Adam, Juliette keeps finding herself thinking about Warner. Juliette knows that sooner or later she will have to choose who she wants to be, how far she will go, committing herself to Adam or entertaining the possibility of Warner. But what choice is the right one?

Hope.

It's like a drop of honey, a field of tulips blooming in the springtime. It's fresh rain, a whispered promise, a cloudless sky, the perfect punctuation mark at the end of a sentence.

And it's the only thin in the world keeping me afloat.

When I finished Unravel Me, all I could think is that there aren't enough words to describe this book. It took me a long time to compose any kind of coherent thoughts on the book, and it isn't often that I read something that leaves me so speechless. If you can think of good adjectives or adverbs, chances are that they can describe Unravel Me. Just like in Shatter Me, the writing is beautiful, the characters are complex, and the story is compelling. I was amazed by all the emotions that Juliette was able to give voice to throughout the story. More than once I found myself reading something and having to pause to reread and absorb the words on the page because a feeling had been captured in writing so perfectly. This book has so much emotional depth, but it is also setting the stage for what is sure to come in the third book. And yet there is still action here, more exploration of the gifts people at Omega Point have. It was interesting and sometimes surprising to see how all of these talents could work together.

"Because sometimes you see yourself - you see yourself the way you could be - the way you might be if things were different. And if you look too closely, what you see will scare you, it'll make you wonder what you might do if given the opportunity. You know there's a different side of yourself you don't want to recognize, a side you don't want to see in the daylight. You spend your whole life doing everything to push it down and away, out of sight, out of mind. You pretend that a piece of yourself doesn't exist.

You live like that for a long time.

For a long time, you're safe.

And then you're not.

Throughout Unravel Me, Juliette really begins to take control of and embrace her power. She becomes stronger, not only physically but also emotionally, as she realizes that she can define herself and that her life has value beyond her desired use as an indestructible weapon. Even though at times she makes choices out of fear, she also learns to face these fears. Then there are Adam and Warner. Throughout the book, I just wanted to hug them both. I love both of them, but for different reasons. With such well-written characters, it would be impossible not to love them, or at least be intrigued by them and touched by their actions and their feelings for Juliette. (I also realized that reading Destroy Me is a necessity, not just an option. Not because it's needed to understand the story, but because it's more Warner.) Kenji and James also make appearances, Kenji providing humor and James being the sweet kid that he always was, and I enjoyed seeing both of them again. Every element of this book worked together to create something truly incredible.

There are so many moments in this book that just have to be experienced. If you haven't read Shatter Me, move it to the top of your reading list, and if you haven't picked up Unravel Me yet, what are you waiting for? The beautiful writing alone makes these dystopian novels stand out from all the others in the market. I absolutely cannot wait for the third book in this trilogy!

Teaser Tuesday (75)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Lately, I'm not sure of anything. Lately, I don't know anything about anything I've ever believed in, not anymore, and I know the least about who I am. Warner's whispers pace the space in my head, telling me I could be more, I could be stronger, i could be everything; I could be so much more than a scared little girl.

He says I could be power.

But still, I hesitate."


p. 111 (ARC) from UNRAVEL ME by Tahereh Mafi
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

SHATTER ME
By: Tahereh Mafi
Published By: HarperCollins
Release Date: Nov. 15, 2011
Series: Shatter Me (#1)
Pages: 346
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: BEA
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: 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 as The 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.



Some of my favorite books this year have been dystopian novels, and Shatter Me is no exception. Everything about this book, from the characters, to the plot, to the writing, drew me in and kept me turning page after page, leaving me unable to put the book down until I had devoured it all.

Juliette has lived in isolation, neither speaking to anyone nor touching anyone, for 264 days. Her touch killed someone, but nobody knows why. All of her life Juliette has been an outsider, forced to live with the knowledge that she is different, and after the accident, with horrible guilt. And then, on day 265, Juliette gets a roommate - Adam. At first Adam seems as enigmatic to her as she is to him, but then, gradually, things begin to change. The Reestablishment has other plans for Juliette than simply leaving her behind bars. Soon Juliette is swept up into something much bigger than herself and forced to answer a tough question: How far is she willing to go in life...and in love?

The first thing that stood out to me about Shatter Me (after the gorgeous cover, of course) was the writing style. The opening portion of Shatter Me reads very much like a diary. I loved the phrases that were struck out and then replaced; these provided great insight into Juliette's character and made me sympathize with her even more. This unique writing was captivating, but throughout the course of the book it does change to be more of a standard first-person narrative. Even still, the writing remains beautiful. Juliette's gradual change from someone incredibly guarded and self-deprecating to someone who was courageous enough to open up as well as recognize her power was a wonderful journey. I also loved that the supporting characters had as much depth as Juliette. Tahereh Mafi delivers a love interest that makes you both question and swoon as well as a sympathetic villain that can't be easily pegged down.

As with many dystopian novels, there is much about Shatter Me that kept me guessing. Even after reading this book I'm not sure if certain characters can be trusted. But instead of being frustrated by the questions, in this case, I'm even more intrigued to see what will happen in the sequel. Shatter Me has its share of twists and turns, some of which I liked, and some of which I did find a bit odd. I will be curious to see how things develop in the next book.

There are many things to love about this book, and I am sure great things are to come in this series. With a strong female protagonist, a well-developed romance, and an intriguing story, Shatter Me is a debut novel that's not to be missed!