Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Sep 29, 2013 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: dystopian-and-post-apocalyptic, fantasy-and-sci-fi, young-adult

This book had so much potential ... so much ... and it fulfilled exactly NONE of it.

The author's style is adventurous and risky. This is her first book, so she doesn't always knock it out of the park, but I give her points for trying. The repetitions and disjointed imagery definitely sets the tone: crazy. And it sure makes sense that Juliette would be crazy - she was raised in a loveless household, and then she spent the last year in complete isolation. .

And the world is ass-end up, so that add This book had so much potential ... so much ... and it fulfilled exactly NONE of it.

The author's style is adventurous and risky. This is her first book, so she doesn't always knock it out of the park, but I give her points for trying. The repetitions and disjointed imagery definitely sets the tone: crazy. And it sure makes sense that Juliette would be crazy - she was raised in a loveless household, and then she spent the last year in complete isolation. .

And the world is ass-end up, so that adds to the crazy.

But Juliette is, sadly, big on the navel-gazing, and the melodrama, and the "oh I am SO TOTALLY CRUSHING ON THIS BLUE-EYED BOY FROM THIRD GRADE." I mean, let's step back. The world (THE WORLD - not just the US but the entire world) has been taken over by a fascist and brutal organization bent on making Orwell's 1984 come true, the earth appears to be dying, the weather is haywire, plants and animals are dying, people are starving to death, the brutal takeover is imprisoning and killing people ... life is messed up. And let's remember: Juliette has lived through 264 days of complete isolation. Her prison is so awful, she has 2 minutes to run down a dark hallway to a bathroom, blindly find soap and turn on cold water and shower while somehow keeping her clothes dry and then run back to her cell. In the dark. So naturally, Juliette's number one concern is ... Adam Kent from 3rd grade? Who, as we later learn, never even spoke to her?

But she's madly in love with him. Because of course she is. Because she's always loved him and always WILL love him. And he is in love with her. Because of course he is. And they barely share 50 sentences together, but they've pledged their lives to each other. And then they have this inane conversation about how he didn't ask her to go steady with him?

I went and read all the most spoilery reviews I could find, so I could figure out what happens in the rest of the series, and, thus, not have to read it myself. Done.

It's a shame. Because Ms Mafi has it in her to be so much better than this. Every now and then, there was a really perfect sentence. Like: "I'm too poor to afford the luxury of hysteria right now."

But overall, this book was just so ... BORING. Who gives a shit about Adam Kent and his blue blue eyes? I sure don't.

I finished this book in two days just so I could be rid of it. I skimmed. ...more

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May 06, 2024 Una rated it liked it

The crossed over sentences really annoyed me. The book started slowly but picked up as it went on and was entertaining. I haven’t yet decided if I will read the rest of the series

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Feb 16, 2012 Christina, Join Me on Storygraph! rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014

I didn't think I was going to like this one when I began it. I was annoyed at the cross outs, and the main character was so whiny. Then I had insomnia, plowed through to about 3/4 of the way through, and was really interested.

I do get annoyed when a book so obviously is written as part of a series, and this one leaves so many hanging threads that this is the obvious intent. But it's an exciting read nevertheless! ...more

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May 29, 2012 Kate McCartney rated it liked it

Shelves: teen-fiction, dystopia, audiobook, 2014

I liked this, I say that because I was interested in what happened and I am interested in how the story continues. I did often feel that I wanted her to just get on with the action.

I see a sort of love triangle in the making and I am over love triangles, I hope that the author reconsiders this in the next book.

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