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Excuse me while I polish up my fangirl shoes; it’s been awhile since I’ve worn them here on the blog, and I’m about to give them a workout! Reasons to Read Shatter Me: Juliet Last time I fell in love with a heroine this quickly, her name was Tris and she was Divergent. Juliette, while not divergent, was no, seriously, she was that amazing. I’m a character-driven reader, so reading Juliette was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. She began the story fractured, strained to the point of shattering, almost – but not quite – broken – yet wasn’t whiny or annoying. (She wasn’t a goody-goody, either.) The best part? She evolves throughout the story, learning about herself, putting herself back together, making sense of her reality, changing, growing – it was beautiful, and compelling to read. I’ve heard people complain that over-confident heroines are unrelatable for most teens; I’ve heard others complain that insecure heroines are poor role models. Juliette manages to be both, and yet neither, and I LOVED that. She is incredibly, heartbreakingly vulnerable – and yet at the same time she possesses an inner compass and personal integrity. Fresh Mafi created a truly unique voice for Juliette, one that I found haunting long after I finished reading the story. This is not your typical YA prose: Shatter Me is lyrical, brittle, hysterical, and heartbreaking. The grammar and writing style aren’t conventional, but they are perfectly suited to Juliette’s voice. Romance Pardon me, just swooning over here…I’m almost at a loss for words. The best I can do is to say that this book made me re-live the magic of falling in love at seventeen. The emotions develop quickly, but are very believable thanks to the careful character development and well-told backstory. I’ve read a few critical words regarding the steaminess of Shatter Me, so I’d like to weigh in on this with my personal, parental opinion: I WISH THERE WERE MORE YA BOOKS LIKE THIS. In a world that takes sex so casually, I think stories like Shatter Me which put the magic back into physical contact, that portray attraction and, yes, lust, in a POSITIVE way, are something that we need more of. When my daughter is a few years older, this book will definitely be on her shelf, because I want her to see love as something special, not something to throw away. Yes, there is kissing in this book. Lots of it. Touching. Hot water. Hot touches. Gentle hands, strong shoulders, and rib-crushing hugs. The writing is evocative, even sensual, but it is not what I would consider explicit – just beautiful, sweet, and absolutely right for this story. None of the sexy moments felt gratuitous. Final Thoughts The plot is good, the worldbuilding and message are good, the superpower twists are a lot of fun, but truthfully, this is a character-based story. It is Juliette and Adam who make Shatter Me so intoxicating, and everything else is really just a backdrop to them – and that’s fine, because they are SO well-developed, and so loveable, that you’ll never forget them – and you won’t want the story to end. Thank goodness this is the start of a trilogy! I’m already impatient for more…

2022-10-21 05:41