Shatter Me

by Tahereh Mafi

Reviewed by

Lucy McGrew

            The book opens in a cell. The cell contains a girl named Juliette, and she is in there for one reason only- her touch has the power to kill people. Juliette has been in the cell for 264 days, all alone and on the brink of insanity. The world outside is run by the Reestablishment, who ration all resources because Earth is slowly dying.  And then Juliette gets a roommate. His name is Adam and he is the first human contact she has had in a long time. He is also from her past; they used to go to school together. However, they are not locked up in the cell for long together when soldiers come and take Juliette away, for unforeseen reasons.

            The soldiers bring her to the army base where she is given expensive living spaces and placed under the control of a man named Warner. Warner is a man who has a strange obsession with Juliette's deadly ability and wants to use it to the Reestablishments gain. But Juliette hates the lavish living space she is given and the wonderful food because all she sees is the struggling people trying to survive in the outside world. She fights Warner whenever he tries to get her to exhibit her "talent" and hates him and all that he stands for.

            Juliette wants to escape, but she is in a military compound- there are soldiers everywhere. However, she has help from her cellmate Adam, who is actually a soldier. Juliette and Adam discover a shocking secret: Adam can touch Juliette, without any harm done to him. They don't know how or why, but it is the truth, and so with Adam's help, Juliette escapes the compound. The two of them make it to Adam's house, where his little brother lives. Once there, they learn of a resistance that is taking place underground. Juliette, James, Adam, and Adam's friend Kenji join the resistance in the hopes of overthrowing the Reestablishment and their harsh ways. There escape to the rebels will not be a smooth path, for Warner is after Juliette still and their road is pitted with danger.

            Shatter Me sucks the reader in from the beginning and then spits he or she out at the end, sending the reader running to the bookstore for the next book in this trilogy. Tahereh Mafi creates a strong but seriously flawed character in Juliette. She plays with the meanings of fear and love and every sentence is crafted in an almost poetic style. This book is like none I have ever read. I wasn't sure how well I would like the idea of a girl who couldn't touch people without harming them, but the author’s execution of this idea is masterfully done. This is one of my favorite series, and I recommend it to anyone who likes an action packed story with plenty of twists and turns.