February 13, 2013

REVIEW: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2), by Tahereh Mafi
Published February 5, 2013
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Format:  Hardback - own
Genre:  YA dystopian

Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads)tick

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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.


I have never read a book as captivating as Unravel Me. Mafi's writing is beautiful, poetic, heartbreaking, amazing - she's my new auto-buy author.

I cried so much while reading Unravel Me. While it was an amazing book, Unravel Me had a pall cast upon it from the very beginning. Juliette is questioning her place at Omega Point, her relationship with Adam, her own abilities - she isn't sure of anything. And, her despair is palpable. It's almost something tangible that you can pluck off the pages. And, it made me feel so, so sad. 

Shatter Me was also kind of a sad book. But, the difference between the two was the presence of hope. In Shatter Me, Juliette finds Adam and falls in love with him. He is her hope for a future she never thought she would have. He is a source of joy for her for the first time ever. And, in Unravel Me, Adam's light is diminished. There's stress and pressure and complications. And WARNER. 

Warner is different in this book too. Honestly, he's the most honest character in this book. He says what he wants and he is brutally truthful. He was the antithesis of Juliette. She's keeping secrets, wallowing in self-loathing and insecure. I loved it when Kenji gave her a proverbial bitch slap up alongside her head. 

Unravel Me makes you wonder whether one structured society is better than another. When one falls, there will always be another one poised to take its place. Is it better? Worse? Intentions might be good, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Is Omega Point any better than the Reestablishment? Is Castle better than Anderson? It's hard to say yet. But, questions have been raised in my mind - questions that I know will be answered in the final book. 

There is a love triangle in Unravel Me, but unlike in many YA books, it didn't bother me. In fact, it almost seemed necessary. It was a means to an end, the end being to get Juliette to a place where she can stand on her own two feet. I will endure the silly love triangle if it helps create the bad ass female character that I need in my stories. Ultimately, though, I'm still rooting for Adam. He and Juliette have a shared history that she and Warner will never have. There HAS to be a way around their seemingly impossible problem. I can't wait to see what Mafi has in store for them. 

Unravel Me is a delicious mix of pain and pleasure. Books that make you FEEL are what the experience is all about. Warner's frustration, Juliette's hopelessness, Adam's anger - I felt it all, and the piecing together of words to elicit that reaction is a wonder.    

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