I caved, as per usual. The moment Shatter Me was announced for a film adaptation, I needed to jump on the bandwagon (and Warner craze, of course). So cue the Shatter Me series review, and we’re diving deep!
At the time, I had only read Shatter Me and Destroy Me, but I will update it as I work my way through the series.
I have the memory retention of a goldfish, so it’s best to keep my thoughts organized in fragments, lol.
Disclaimer: I’m a mood reader and rate books by vibes and feels. If you want a technical review, this is probably not for you ♥.
Please note that this review contains spoilers. Due to the nature of this series, I won’t split this review into spoiler and spoiler-free sections like I usually do for other book reviews.
This post might contain affiliate links; i.e., I will get a small commission if you purchase an item through them. Your support means the world to me ♥.
Shatter Me Series Overview
The dystopian era is back! Were you obsessed with The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Divergent? Well, let me introduce you to the Shatter Me series!
Here’s what you need to know:
- Shatter Me is an 11-book series, of which 5 are novellas. And yes, I was terrified to start such a long series since I am more of a standalone or duet kinda person, but this might become the exception.
- The premise revolves around a dystopian world ruled by The Reestablishment, an authoritarian movement, after society as we know it collapsed.
- The story follows Juliette Ferrars, whose touch is lethal, which kept her isolated from society. Adam Kent is the safe choice and the man who has always had a soft spot for her. Aaron Warner Anderson is the son of the ruthless supreme commander of The Reestablishment and a morally dark grey man who would do anything to have Juliette choose him.
Shatter Me Reading Order
SHATTER ME SERIES
- Shatter Me (Juliette’s pov)
- Destroy Me (Novella from Aaron Warner’s pov)
- Unravel Me
- Fracture Me (Novella from Adam’s pov)
- Ignite Me
- Restore Me
- Shadow Me (Novella from Kenji’s pov)
- Defy Me
- Reveal Me (Novella from Kenji’s pov)
- Imagine Me
- Believe Me (Novella from Warner’s pov)
SHATTER ME: THE NEW REPUBLIC
This is a new spin-off series to Shatter Me and follows James Anderson.
- Watch Me
- Release Me
- Escape Me (to be released)
The povs etc will be updated as I work through the series ♥.
Shatter Me, Book #1
Overview
- Title: Shatter Me
- Author: Tahereh Mafi
- Genre: Young adult dystopian romance
- Series: Shatter Me #1
- Published: 15 November 2011
- Writing Style: First person (Juliette’s POV)
- Tropes: Love triangle, touch-her-and-die vibes (literally), psycho MMC, forced proximity (to an extent), enemies-to-lovers groundwork
- Spice Rating: No spice
- Personal Rating: 3.5 stars
- Goodreads Rating: 3.84 stars
- Buy it here: Shatter Me
Synopsis: We follow Juliette Ferrars, whose touch is lethal. She spends 264 days in isolated confinement before Aaron Warner Anderson, the Chief Commander of Sector 45 and the son of the Supreme Commander, takes an interest in her and her abilities and decides to take her captive. Aaron sees Juliette as the perfect weapon, but his intentions aren’t as it seems. Juliette loathes Warner, and unbeknownst to him, she is reunited with the only person she cares about: a soldier of Warner, Adam Kent. What happens when Juliette and Adam find a way out of Warner’s clutches and end up with the resistance, Omega Point? What happens when Juliette’s touch doesn’t affect some people…
The Vibe Check
I almost DNF’d this series because Shatter Me bored me… Until it didn’t.
This book starts slow and annoying, tbh, and as someone who hands out stars like candy, this dragged the rating way down. Here are my two main ‘obstacles’ I faced reading this book:
PACING: I cannot preface enough how slow this book starts. I’ve never pushed myself to read a book that bored me until this one — merely because I believed it could grow into a masterpiece. You know when people say, “You just need to get through the first book.” Well, this is one of those.
WRITING STYLE: Tahereh has an out-of-the-box writing style. I’ve never read a book that is so deeply channeled into the character’s stream of consciousness. The style incorporates a plethora of metaphors, contradictions, and crossed-out text. It takes us into Juliette’s mental state.
I wasn’t a fan of this style at first. But looking back, I have a lot of appreciation for it. It shows Juliette’s messy state of mind and translates her emotional rollercoaster into words.
Let's Talk Characters
JULIETTE FERRARS
Our FMC is a 17-year-old girl whose touch is deadly. She accidentally killed a boy years ago, and her parents feared her more than loved her.
The girl has been through it, and her character makes sense. She should not be okay upstairs after 264 days of isolation and being rejected for her whole existence.
That’s why I grew fond of the writing style after I got used to it, because it made sense. Overall, I like Juliette (even with her overly poetic way of thinking).
ADAM KENT
Okay, every story needs the perfect man, and Kent is exactly that.
Adam is one of Warner’s soldiers and has known Juliette since he was a kid, and she made a lasting impression on him.
Adam is the guy Juliette thinks she needs. He is safe, kind, soft, and protective. Overall, I like Adam well enough; however, I don’t find myself particularly attached to his character.
I also fear that he will become a suffocating character. I think he is going to suppress Juliette as we move along in this series rather than uplift her. If that is the case, I’d compare him to Callum from The Wolf King in the second book, The Night Prince.
AARON WARNER ANDERSON
If you’re on TikTok, you’d know Aaron Warner is one of the elite BookTok men, and for that reason, he is getting a whole section dedicated to him in the Destroy Me section below.
In summary, Warner is a walking red flag in the first book. He is the Chief Commander of Sector 45 and the son of the Supreme Commander. Warner took Juliette from her prison cell in the asylum to, essentially, be a prisoner at his base.
KENJI
Kenji is the much-needed comedic relief character. He is an undercover soldier and is actually part of Omega Point.
Kenji’s comments and personality had me folding with laughter more than once! He is that lovable side character you root for.
Favorite Scenes
Honestly, Shatter Me as a whole isn’t that memorable to me. All my favorite scenes are linked to the outcome in Destroy Me; the rest is a blur.
JENKINS FORCED TO TOUCH JULIETTE
In chapter 13, Aaron forces a soldier named Jenkins to touch Juliette. This scene convinced me to stick around and push through the book.
Why I loved this:
- It established Warner’s cruel nature.
- It showcased how much Juliette avoids touch and, ultimately, that the soul-sucking effect of her touch actually feels good. Well, to her, not poor Jenkins.
- Later on, Aaron admits he did this deliberately to make sure his soldiers won’t use her to get to him. Ultimately, protecting her in his little twisted way.
SIMULATION ROOM
I love this scene for a bunch of different reasons.
Firstly, I find the concept fascinating. Secondly, it made me loathe Warner for a second (until I got to Destroy Me, lol). Thirdly, I did not expect Juliette to catapult through a wall!
During the simulation, Juliette is put in a room with spikes, and a blindfolded toddler waddles in. She has to touch him to save him.
Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed this whole chapter.
THE TOUCH TIMES TWO
First of all, Warner loses his mind when he finds out Adam can touch her, and it was an absolute delight to read.
Secondly, during the escape, Juliette makes her way toward the window, and Warner attempts to grab her while he begs her to stay. His fingers just so happen to brush her leg, and when she hits the ground, she realizes that Aaron Warner has just touched her and nothing happened…
THE KISS
C’mon, you know which one.
Warner catches Adam and Juliette. Adam ends up bleeding out from a gunshot, and Warner guides Juliette away from the scene.
And yes, Warner also knows he can touch Juliette, and in his mind that means they are meant to be together.
Juliette is anything but thrilled by what has transpired. She loves Adam and thinks he is dead.
Warner kisses her in this scene, and at first she is appalled until she isn’t. For one, she sees it as an opportunity to take his gun from him without him noticing, and secondly, she cannot deny the electricity between them when he kisses her, leaving her dazed and confused by the whole ordeal.
She ends up shooting Aaron without blinking and makes a run for it.
EVERYTHING WITH JAMES AND KENJI
There are tiny pockets of James and Kenji moments throughout the book that made me smile.
Favorite Quotes
1. I’ve been screaming for years and no one has ever heard me.
2. Warner looks crazed, confused. “What are you doing?”
I ignore him.
“Wait—”
I ignore him.
“Juliette.”
I ignore him.
“Juliette!” His voice is tighter, higher, laced with anger and terror and denial and betrayal. Realization is a new piece in his puzzled mind. “He can touch you?”
3. I hope he doesn’t know he just touched my leg.
And nothing happened.
4. I’m oxygen and he’s dying to breathe.
5. I place my hands on his chest. He presses me into the curve of his body. Tilts my chin up to meet his eyes. “I’ll be good to you,” he whispers. “I’ll be so good to you, Juliette. I promise.”
Destroy Me, Book 1.5
Overview
- Title: Destroy Me
- Author: Tahereh Mafi
- Genre: Young adult dystopian romance
- Series: Shatter Me #1.5
- Published: 02 October 2012
- Writing Style: First person (Warren’s POV)
- Spice Rating: No spice
- Personal Rating: 4.25 stars
- Goodreads Rating: 3.94 stars
- Buy it here: Unite Me (includes the two novellas, Destroy Me and Fracture Me)
Synopsis: Aaron is shot and has lost Juliette. He can’t stop thinking about her, and he’ll do anything to get her back. But his father has other plans, plans he can never allow.
Aaron Freakin’ Warner
Let’s do a deep dive on Mr. Warner, shall we?
Aaron is an absolute red flag in Shatter Me. Then Destroy Me comes along and flips the script. That being said, I knew I’d root for Aaron from the start.
Let’s take a look at his not-so-appealing actions and then his thought process. Of course, this doesn’t excuse anything Warner did, but it creates a rich and layered character.
HE KINDNAPS JULIETTE
Juliette goes from being imprisoned by The Reestablishment to being imprisoned by Warner. A gilded cage, if you will.
We are directed to believe that he does this solely because she is a useful weapon to his cause, but then the truth comes out in Destroy Me.
Aaron is basically obsessed with Juliette, and he wants all of her, but moreso he wants her to want him.
The man watched video feeds of her in isolation on repeat because he was so enamored. So using her as a weapon was merely an excuse to get her out of the asylum.
THE BABY SIMULATION
Remember the scene in Shatter Me where Juliette is put in a simulation room with spikes, and she has to touch the blindfolded toddler to save him? She thought it was some kind of torture room, as we all did, leading us to believe it was real.
But in Destroy Me, we see the room through Warner’s eyes, confirming that it was all a simulation and the toddler never existed. And yes, Warner ‘torturing’ Juliette psychologically isn’t exactly great.
However, the scene with him vs himself has a lasting impact on me. This is the one scene I keep coming back to.
Warner has a simulation where he is with an ‘other self’ in the room. He hands the ‘other self’ a gun, and he shoots him. Of course, nothing really happens, but this cracked Warner’s character wide open.
The self-loathing turned up to a hundred.
PARIS ANDERSON
I hate him. Absolutely despise.
Paris is Aaron’s father and the Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment. He is cruel and sadistic. The man tortured his son in more ways than one. For instance, he made a sixteen-year-old Warner and other children shoot each other as a form of training.
Paris also killed Fletcher’s innocent family because he believes that if one person is guilty, then the whole family needs to be eradicated. Whereas, secretly, Warner only killed Fletcher because the man was beating his wife and children.
In Destroy Me, Warner builds mental walls when he is around his father. At some point, when Paris’ hand is wrapped around Warner’s throat, he wishes his father could just ‘complete the job’.
All in all, Warner has severe daddy issues, and I am not opposed to Paris falling off the edge of the Earth.
YEARNING
I’d like to add that Aaron Warner is the king of yearning, and no one could tell me otherwise. Yes, he is obsessed with Juliette, but the level of yearning HURTS. If you haven’t realized by now, I’m a morally grey man stan, lol.
Favorite Quotes
The words that come out of this man’s mouth are actually honey to my soul. Does the metaphor make sense? No. But Juliette’s doesn’t either, lol.
1. In just two days, one girl has managed to cripple me.
2. This girl is destroying me.
A girl who has spent the last year in an insane asylum. A girl who would try to shoot me dead for kissing her. A girl who ran off with another man just to get away from me.
Of course this is the girl I would fall for.
3. …the thought of her in pain is causing me an unbearable amount of agony.
4. I almost forget that she still hates me, despite how hard I’ve fallen for her.
And I’ve fallen.
So hard.
5. Love is a heartless bastard.
My Thoughts So Far
So, in short:
- The Shatter Me series took some time, but it slowly wrapped me in a chokehold.
- The series star rating will follow after the completion of the series.
- It is a no-spice romance, so far.
- Do I still think about it? Absolutely.
- Will I reread it? Probably before the movies come out.
- Do I recommend it? Please pick it up and push through.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap on the Shatter Me series review, for now. I will update this post as I work through the books. But overall, I’m expecting to have a good time!
Are you reading the Shatter Me series? Let me know in the comments!
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Have a great day wherever you are in the world!
Love, Steph ♥
