Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi (novella)

Book: Destroy Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Pages: 109
Published: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Harper
Obtained: Bought from Amazon (Unite Me)
Started: January 1, 2015
Finished: January 1, 2015



Summary: (Courtesy of Goodreads)

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me,Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Cover:

Like all the covers in this series, this one was beautiful. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Seriously, whoever thought of these and their intricate design, I applaud you.

Plot:

I liked this novella a lot, and don’t get me wrong because it definitely gave me more insight to the workings of Warner’s brain and made me switch to Team Warner, but it was so slow paced for me. I had to keep telling myself that the moment I finish, I’ll get to start Unravel Me. I love her writing and her descriptions, but this novella was simply just a filler between when Juliette left and when he saw her again. I feel however that this novella was needed. It gave more insight to his true feelings for her way before the reader would have found out by reading the novels. By giving me this initial insight, I was able to see Warner as the true person he was and not just Juilette’s filtered version of him.

Characters:

There were not as many characters in this novella as it focused more heavily on Warner and gave valid reasons to his “evil ways”. There was some hardcore character development going on in his department. As readers, we are also able to learn more about his father and Delalieu, but not near as much as I had hoped, because well, it was only a novella. You can only add so much before it’s its own novel.

Series:

This is the first novella of the Shatter Me triology.

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 birds

This bird got some air, but it faltered some.

(and yes, I’m aware that the notion of half a bird is somewhat morbid but roll with it, sweetie.)

Next Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo

Where the heck have I been? Well...

Just your regular update: (blah, blah, blah)

I have been MIA for way too long. I’m not going to sit and type that I will be posting a ton; I’m not going to sit here and say that you’ll hear from me 3 times a week even. However, I will tell you that I’m going to try my best to be here more often. The past year has been absolute madness. My hand has healed, by the way, and I usually have no problems with it (only when overworked or it’s really friggen cold). My laptop DIED. I mean the motherboard of my mac just gave up on life and died. So, I have no computer (yay for the library even though it’s 20 minutes away!). I got married in October 2014. In that regard I am so so happy. And the school year has been intense. I keep telling myself only a year and a half, only a year and a half. By May 2016, I’ll be blogging and reviewing CONSTANTLY. I just got to make it there, but it’s been a struggle. I’ll even review my school books if I have to (be prepared for Survery of British Lit and Shakespeare). I just miss this. I miss you all. I miss being in my element. In all reality, I’ll probably be struggling to post once a week (due to not interwebs on my house), but I should be able to do that without fail. Thanks for sticking by me this whole time. I could never repay that. Also, a major sorry to all the reivews that I promised authors I would do. I will do them. I promise. I swear. I have them in a stack ready to go. It’s just taken me a lot longer than I had antipicated. And for that I am truly sorry.

Also, I will be participating in Bout of Books this week. (So excited!) I actually plan on reading some review books during this time as well. I will post a TBR later on sometime. Also, by the way, by moving I now have my own library which my husband and I are currently painting and making pretty. I can’t wait to share that with you all. My website is STILL under contruction so look past weird things. I’m getting there, I’m getting there.

I’ve missed you all so much a freaking ton. <3

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book: Shatter Me

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Pages: 338

Published: November 15, 2011

Publisher: Harper

Obtained: Amazon--kindle

Started: December 27, 2014

Finished: December 30, 2014

Summary: (Courtesy of Goodreads)

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior

Cover:

The cover is absolutely beautiful. In fact, the entire series is overtaken by beautiful, original covers that are eye-catching and colorful. I like the new covers sooo much better than the old.

Plot: (This is a SPOILER-FREE zone)

As much as I liked this book, it was probably my least favorite of the three. From the beginning it caught my eye. It took me a short time to get used to her writing style and the crossed out words. At first, I was skeptical of this style, but it definitely worked out for her. I’m utterly impressed. Mafi did a beautiful job of capturing the tortured soul of mental illness and depression.

The plot was definitely on-going. There was always something going and twists coming your way. The book literally kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time I was reading it. However, it was not near as engaging as the last two.

Admittedly, I started the series full gun-ho Team Adam ftw! As I’m sure most people did, especially how he was portrayed in this book. From reading Shatter Me, I couldn't even BELIEVE that someone would be Team Warner. What a prick. (Or so I thought).

However, my only complaint with the plot was Juliette’s whiny-tendency, but I completely understand why she is this way and why it’s necessary. It just dragged me down because I knew deep down that she was meant for more. I’m sure this is how Warner felt when he looked at her as well. (Weird that I compare myself to him but there it is). I know it was necessary in order for her to grow and become a stronger, more independent character. My favorite female protagonists are ones that can hold their ground and be their own person. I felt that that was what Juliette was lacking in this story. Like I said, I know the purpose of it and Mafi wrote it beautifully, but it still aggravated me at points. But I am empathetic because I know how it feels to struggle with anxiety, and I do feel that Mafi captured that perfectly. (Admittedly now that I think of it, during my struggle I was whiny some, too.)

Characters:

All of the characters are magnificently written. I fell in love with all of them. The characters were only just introduced in this book, and there was not a lot of time for development. However this book does lay the foundation for further development in the series. It allows the readers to get a better overall view of a character’s personality. By the end of the series, I could explain the characters’ strengths as well as weaknesses. (James is so adorbs, by the way).  

Series: This is the first book in a trilogy.

Rating: 

4.0 out of 5.0 birds

This book definitely took flight with me.

Next Review: Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi

Happy Reading!

VF, xoxo