Shatter Me

This was okay. Not brilliant, not awful, but mediocre. I chose to read this book after seeing it pop up everywhere online as one of the best books people had read. I do see why they think this book is so good but, in my opinion, it was a little overhyped.

Juliette is a really well-written character and I think that the book coming from her point of view is one of the aspects of this book that I liked the most. Seeing things from her perspective made me more able to empathize with her and her mixed emotions during the story. I do believe that she could have been a little more interesting if she focused on the actual situation she was in, being a prisoner, and a little less on Adam.

Adam, I didn't like. His character seemed very basic and like the majority of heroic male characters who befriends the troubled teenage girl in dystopian novels. I did like that he had a good relationship with his brother and that he made sure that his actions wouldn't result in his brother being harmed.

I thought Warner was quite an interesting character. Not a lot is revealed about him (in this book), which leaves a lot up to interpretation. I do think that as he says, he does genuinely love Juliette, and this got me thinking, maybe those who truly love her are the only ones who can touch her, but I'm not sure, I've only read this book in the series so far. His curiosity also intrigued me, because most people would probably run from her when they found out what her powers could do, but he just wanted to get closer.

Although Kenji had a little role in this book, I would say he was my favourite character. He is obviously very smart, managing to trick Warner into believing he actually wanted to be a soldier, and successfully carry out his mission. I think the reason I like him the most is that he seems the most normal out of all of the, despite his power. He isn't trying to win anyone over, or impress anyone, he just tried to make Juliette feel as accepted as possible, tried to comfort his friends, and do his job.

Overall, I did like this book, just not as much as I thought I would. I am definitely going to read the rest of the series, and after doing so, my opinions on everything in the franchise as a whole may change. However, after only reading one book, I would conclude that it is quite a typical 2011/2012 dystopian novel, with a corrupt government and a teenager trying to fight it.

★★★