Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me #2)
Publication: February 5, 2013 (Harper Teen)
Source: ARC from the publisher
Rating: Swoon-worthy

___

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.

Memorable Quote 

And it's like he sees what I'm thinking, like he can feel the change happening in my head, because suddenly he's different.  His energy slows down, his eyes are deep, troubled, tender; his lips are soft, still slightly parted, and now the air in this room is too tight, too full of cotton, and I feel the blood rushing around in my head, crashing into every rational region of my brain.

I wish someone would remind me how to breathe.

___

I feel his hands on my arms, I feel his skin against my skin, and I'm holding my breath.  I don't move an inch.  I don't say a word as his hands drop to my waist, to the thin material making a poor attempt to cover my body.  His fingers graze the soft skin of my lower back, right underneath the hem of my shirt, and I'm losing count of the number of times my heart skips a beat.

I'm struggling to get oxygen in my lungs. 

My Review

Picking up shortly after where Shatter Me left off, Unravel Me jolts the reader right back into the world of the Reestablishment, and into the mind of one of the most unique protagonists I've ever had the pleasure to read about.  Juliette is trying to find a place to belong at Omega Point, but doing so is more difficult than she thought.  Immediately as I sank into Tareheh Mafi's second novel, any faint worries I had about a sophomore slump vanished; by the end of Unravel Me, I could say with certainty: it is better than Shatter Me.  The stakes are higher.  The danger is more prevalent.  The decisions Juliette has to make are more wrenching.  The romance is swoon-ier. 

Everything is heightened in Unravel Me.  Juliette's hope is palpable - something I felt keenly thought the novel, mixed in with her despair.  Though her narration is more reliable, we still see the dying world through her eyes, and her voice, while strong, is still that of a lost girl.  However through Tahereh's story, Juliette grows so much, and learns to own her actions, and becomes less of a victim, which I was proud to see.  If possible, this made me like her even more.

The pacing was superb - one of those books where, despite the fact that not much time passed, everything that happened within that time felt realistic and necessary.  There's almost a timeless feel to Unravel Me, as though everything is suspended outside of reality - though there's enough going on in the broader plot to remind us of the dangers that the Reestablishment face.  There's the threat of war looming, and the question of if the Reestablishment - Juliette included - will be prepared.  And then there are the love interests.

There's not much I can say without spoiling key points, but I will say that as much as I loved Juliette and Adam in Shatter Me, Unravel Me adds new depth to their interactions, bringing the development I craved.  We gain a great deal of insight into many characters in this book - Adam included.  Some questions are answered, while others are posed.  Which brings me to Warner.  *sighs*  Oh Warner.  I do this thing where I want to fix all the broken characters, and the same is true here, but in Unravel Me, despite the odds against it, Warner begins to genuinely seek, if not atonement, at least redemption.  And it.  Was.  Beautiful.  I don't want to say too much, again - spoilers - on the emerging love triangle, but I will say something happened here that rarely does: I switched sides, and I stand 1000% behind my choice.

Unravel Me is a spellbinding addition to the Shatter Me series that will leave readers breathless.  I was moved to the point of tears several times, and wanted to shout my frustration at others. I read this book in one sitting, in a matter of mere hours; it was impossible to look away once I began reading.  I'm on the edge of my seat for the final installment!


Other books by this author:

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
Destroy Me (Shatter Me 1.5)
Untitled (Shatter Me #3 - Fall 2013 Harper Teen)

You're sure to fall for:


Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

About Tahereh

She’s 24. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where she drinks too much caffeine and finds the weather to be just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. SHATTER ME is her first novel.


Visit Tahereh online at: her blog | her website | her Twitter

Shop for Unravel Me at: Amazon | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me 1.5)

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me 1.5)
Published: October 2, 2012 (Harper Teen)
Source: Bought from B&N online
Rating: Squee-worthy
Add it/Purchase: Goodreads | B&N | Amazon
Connect with the author: Twitter

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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.

My Review

  
Truth: I love villains; the ones I really love aren't the "let-me-show-you-how-evil-I-am" Big Bads though, but rather the quietly hate-able ones who, even as they're plotting your demise, still show a sliver of humanity, making you want to redeem them.   And that is exactly what happened when I read Shatter Me - I met Warner, and lost my heart to him.  So when I heard about Unravel Me, I was all fluttery and excited, but worried: would a novella from Warner's point of view change my mind about him?  And it did, but in the best way: I now firmly adore this broken man.  

With Destroy Me, we see inside Warner's thoughts and motivations, and I have to say, so much about him became clear: why he makes the choices he makes, and why he is the way he is.  A lot of fans of this series seemed to worry that Tahereh would try to make him too sympathetic, but I feel that she straddled the line between hinting that he can be redeemed, and still making me rage-y over his actions at times.  To say that Warner is a complex guy is an understatement; Warner is layered, and definitely a swoon-worthy alpha male, but also very damaged, and misunderstood.  

I am even more excited now for Unravel Me, to see what happens next to these amazing characters.  Destroy Me gives us just enough of a peek into Warner's plans to make me nervous, yet also hopeful.  I lost my heart to Warner, while aching to see more of Juliette and Adam.  And while Adam is probably better for Juliette, I have to say, for the first time, I see the possibilities of Warner/Juliette, which breaks my heart in so many ways.

In short: pick up this book if you're, like me, anxiously awaiting Unravel Me.  It's short, and it's NOT expensive, so you don't have to feel guilty about splurging.  It's still told in Tahereh's magical writing style, and I promise you're going to want Destroy Me in your collection!

Waiting On Wednesday - #27: Destroy Me by Tahareh Mafi

{ ++ }  This weekly event/feature is graciously hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.  You know that feeling you get when you're browsing upcoming books on Goodreads or Amazon and one strikes your fancy?  Maybe you squee.  Maybe you giggle to yourself.  Maybe you bounce in your seat.  We all get excited (I do a combination of all three of the previous choices...) about new books, be it a favorite author you're familiar with, or someone whose work you'll be reading for the first time.  Jill's meme gives us the chance to spotlight what we are anxiously awaiting this week.

I'm Waiting On...

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.

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Expected publication: October 2, 2012 (HarperTeen)
Add it to your TBR! 

Why It's Worth Waiting On:  UH.  IT'S WARNER.  Rarely have I fallen so completely and utterly in love with a Big Bad as I did with Warner in Shatter Me.  He's a very polarizing character - readers seem to either love him fully or hate him.  I'm obviously in the love camp.  I'm still Team Adam - no worries! - but there is something so undeniably swoon-worthy about a broken villain who you just KNOW still has a heart...somewhere.   Needless to say, I will be pre-ordering this one!

Also!  This fits in with the new cover design for this series.  I'm going to be honest - I wasn't happy at first about the cover change.  I didn't even LIKE the new cover/s.  But now that the covers for Destroy Me and Unravel me have been revealed, they're sort of winning me over with the whole theme they have going on.  (Plus, Juliette never wore that actual dress on the cover anyway, so...)  

Anyway to sum up...BRING IT ON, October.  Bring it on.