Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
It's been a while since I've written a review, it's been a while since I've read a complete book in all honesty. Last year i was in full flow of reading my usual amount when i finally got to this book in my 'to be read' pile. A book that so many people have recommend i read because I'm a big fan of Dystopian tales. I started reading it and i realised i was really not getting into it, i wasn't enjoying the writing style or the pace of the book. I was disappointed and then i started feeling like a bad reader. I thought that there must be something wrong with me if i couldn't enjoy a book so many people loved and recommended.
I stopped reading it, i stopped reading fiction altogether for a while if i'm honest. I found myself stuck, i couldn't focus on any of my usual favourite fiction, everything i picked up to try and start just didn't grab me, i came to the conclusion i needed a break from reading. So instead of reading my usual amount i read a smaller amount and mostly non-fiction, learning about different subjects and the odd magazine too.
It wasn't until the start of September this year, 2023 (nearly a year later) that i felt ready to try reading this book again, i felt like it wasn't fair to give up on it and that it probably wasn't the book, it was probably just me and my brain. I was right!
Once i got past the fact that i wasn't a fan of the reading style (esp repeating words and crossing out of words, something I've not really experienced before and it bugged me a little) or the slow pace and once i got past the halfway mark the book started to grab me and i finished it in just a couple of sittings. Once the pace picked up and there was more happening i began to understand why so many people enjoyed it. The ending was good too, good enough to get me interested in reading the next in the series.
If i'm honest this is certainly not one of my 'top reads' but it is a good young adult dystopian and i'm glad i read it. I'm going to read the next in the series and hope that i'm able to enjoy it much more and not give up on it like i did the first.
If you think you'd like to read this book, here are some links to places you'll find it:
Available at Betty's Books 30 Queen Street, Seaton, Devon, EX12 2RB and here on the website.
Available here via Bookshop.org
Available here by the big A, please only use this as a last resort. Support small independent bookshops when you can!
Description from Gardners:
"A fragile young teenage girl is held captive. Locked in a cell by The Reestablishment - a harsh dictatorship in charge of a crumbling world. This is no ordinary teenager.
Juliette is a threat to The Reestablishment's power. A touch from her can kill - one touch is all it takes. But not only is she a threat, she is potentially the most powerful weapon they could have.
Juliette has never fought for herself before but when she's reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, the depth of the emotion and the power within her become explosive ..."
I'm now going to start the next in the series, Unravel Me.
